Cleaning and the bottom line 13 Nov, 2015

Contract Flooring Journal - 

How do you safeguard your flooring investment while making best use of your cleaning budget? Stephen Pinhorne of Truvox International Ltd shares some tips on planning, productivity and the power of automation.  

Having carefully invested in the most appropriate flooring, it pays to plan your cleaning regime with similar attention to detail. Efficient and effective cleaning not only makes the most of your cleaning budget, it will also maximise the return on that flooring investment.

The flooring manufacturer or supplier should confirm the most appropriate cleaning method for the material. Where there’s a mix of floor coverings, their type and extent will dictate whether dedicated equipment is required or a versatile solution is feasible.
Machine selection should begin with the area to be cleaned and the required cleaning frequency. What is the output of the machine, and its expected working life? How much will it cost to purchase and to run – in terms of materials, power, maintenance and operator hours? All this must then be weighed against the current capital and running costs, bearing in mind that when automating for the first time the saving in labour costs can be substantial.  

A common mistake is to give too much weight to the up-front cost and so under-specify. Equipment with less power, lower tank capacity, a narrower cleaning width or limited accessories will make your cleaning team less productive than they could be.

A holistic view of cleaning makes the best use of the budget and the flooring asset. Cleaning with the right machine at the right frequency – and an annual maintenance plan that provides for interim and deep cleaning of carpets or resealing of hard floors – will extend their serviceable life significantly. For example, a modern floorwash machine will increase the intervals between sanding and resealing wooden floors by keeping them clear of grit and contaminants.

Scrubber dryers are the workhorse in many cleaning teams because they are highly productive and versatile. The ability to clean a variety of floors quickly and effectively in one pass is a major advantage in many buildings. Visitors and occupants are free to move around without hindrance, and cleaning staff can quickly move on to the next task. This can translate into lower manpower or an enhanced cleaning service, perhaps with more frequent interim cleaning or delivering planned maintenance cleaning progressively rather than as a disruptive major operation.  

Truvox International’s Multiwash range of scrubber dryers boost the productivity of cleaning staff significantly compared with labour-intensive (and ineffective) hand-mopping, and less advanced scrubber dryers.   In one pass, the Multiwash washes, mops, scrubs and dries both hard and soft floor coverings. That includes ‘difficult’ floors such as non-slip safety flooring, low-pile carpets, escalators, travelators and entrance matting, as well as tiling, rubber studded flooring and laminates. Equipped with the right brushes, the scrubber dryer can also clean concrete, terrazzo, marble, slate, stone and composite vinyl surfaces. Multiwash technology requires less water and solution thanks to its high brush pressure and speed. This makes it more cost-effective and kinder to the environment. A spray pump in front applies cleaning solution to the floor. Then counter-rotating cylindrical brushes – exerting 4-6 times more pressure than a rotary machine – scrub the surface. Their action propels dirty water onto the Multiwash’s conveyor drum. The excellent pick-up of solution speeds the drying process so floors are safe to walk on sooner.  

The Multiwash machines are widely used in commercial and industrial applications from food services areas and care homes, through schools and leisure centres to warehouses and factories.

Operating a Multiwash requires minimal training as the ergonomic design makes all Truvox scrubber dryers easy to handle. Exchanging brushes is simple, as is removing and cleaning solution tanks, and adjusting brush height. Colour-coded brushes help manage the risk of cross-contamination – for example, between washrooms or toilet areas and kitchens or dining areas – and match the brush hardness to the floor type and level of dirt.

The option of battery power makes the scrubber dryer even more flexible. With no trailing cables to trip over, this model is ideal for daytime cleaning as they quietly go about their work.

High productivity is not compromised. The Multiwash 340/Pump Battery, for example, operates continuously for up to 50 minutes, covering large areas with its 34cm cleaning width. A second battery extends this domain easily thanks to a quick-change battery system.

With a range of machines catering for applications from the small scale to large facilities, selecting the right scrubber dryer should be easier than specifying the flooring that it will maintain in pristine condition.