Today, budget constraints are a very real
concern for facility managers.
As standards for
cleaning intensify along with the need to be green, companies
are forced to find ways to maintain healthy work
environments in the most cost-effective ways.
High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters have
become synonymous with green cleaning, and have been
a growing trend in the cleaning industry since their invention
in the 1940s. Initially, the filters were designed
to remove radioactive dust particulate
contaminants in atomic bomb shelters. Currently,
HEPA filters are used to improve indoor air quality
in homes, healthcare, education and office
facilities around the country.
The results from HEPA-equipped cleaning
equipment are real. According to the
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma
and Immunology, 25 percent of Americans
suffer from allergies, and 20
million people suffer from asthma,
including 9 million children. EPA
data shows that indoor air pollutants
that cause asthma and allergies
are up to five times
higher than outdoor levels.
In all, asthma costs the
U.S. $10 billion annually
in direct health care
costs and lost productivity.
To combat
the rise of these airborne diseases and associated costs, maintaining high indoor
air quality (IAQ) is crucial.
But what about the real obstacle facilities managers are
facing to do more with less? As maintenance costs rise and
budgets fall in today’s market, managers and contractors must
find ways to achieve a high quality clean while cutting costs.
This dichotomy presents a real challenge to maintenance
crews, but one that is being addressed with today’s cleaning
equipment manufacturers.
One of the most efficient ways to achieve optimum standards
of indoor cleanliness
and combat airborne diseases
is by using a high quality,
well-sealed vacuum with an
effective filtration system,
like a HEPA filter. Vacuums
of this quality effectively rid
indoor air of 99.97 percent of
contaminants on surfaces
down to 0.3 micron in size.
This deep level of cleaning
goes beyond cleaning for appearance
and helps create a
certifiably healthy environment
for building occupants
and cleaning personnel. But
the vacuum should also—
when incorporated into an
effective cleaning system—
save you time and money.
Increasing productivity has
become just as important to
the health of a company as
achieving ideal IAQ.
The challenge here is that
so many vacuum manufacturers
claim to make products
that increase productivity, so
it’s hard to know which ones
truly do provide significant
long-term cost savings—
while at the same time providing
a certifiably deep
clean.
Many factors contribute to cost-savings over time, some
less obvious than others. For instance, extending the life of
your carpets and floor surfaces is a cost savings that comes
from using the right vacuum that causes less wear and tear as
it cleans. Vacuums that are ergonomically designed to fit in
the right place on the operator’s back and follow the operator’s
natural range of motion will result in reduced or eliminated
repetitive stress and costs associated with time off taken and medical attention for user wear and tear.
In choosing the right vacuum, getting the most for your
money involves more than the price tag of the vacuum at purchase.
To truly assess the long-term savings of your purchase,
you almost have to start at the end and work your way back.
There are a multitude of studies out there to help determine
which type of vacuum and what manufacturer is right
for you. A study by ISSA Cleaning Times showed that quality
backpack vacuums clean up to 10,000 sq. ft. per hour
when using a cleaning system, compared with tank canister
vacuums which time in at
2,500 sq. ft. per hour, and
single-motor upright vacuums
which time in at 2,857
sq. ft. per hour.
The ease-of-use and ergonomic
design of quality
backpacks allow workers to
vacuum more than twice the
area in half the time. This
enormous increase in productivity
takes less than half
the energy and effort than
with an upright. The ideal
backpack will also offer an
easily accessible tool belt
that allows crews to seamlessly
clean all surfaces—
even in those hard-to-reach
areas. As part of an effective
team-cleaning program, a
quality backpack can increase
productivity by up to
70 percent, all without
adding staff. In fact, one
100,000 sq. foot facility
saved more than $52,000 in
one year after switching to
backpack vacuums from
single-motor uprights.
But what if using a backpack
vacuum isn’t practical
for your cleaning needs?
Quality speed canister vacuums
produce the same deep
clean while saving you ample time and money.
Made with the same durability and quality as backpacks,
canister vacuums, too, can incorporate a filtration
system that keeps pollutants from leaving
the machine—delivering equally improved IAQ.
And studies show that using a canister vacuum in
an average 5,000 square foot facility can save an
average of $2,112 a year in labor costs over using
a traditional single-motor upright.
Day cleaning has become a popular workplace practice as
companies can save thousands of dollars a year on electricity
by making cleaning part of workday hours. Vacuums that allow
the operator to switch to a quiet mode are perfect solutions
for conquering dirt, and noise pollution in the workplace.
Vacuums like ProTeam’s QuietPro BP HEPA and its canister
sibling, that come with QuietPower Technology, allow the user to easily switch from 55dB to 47dB in Quiet Mode,
resulting in sound output lower than a typical conversation.
This innovation makes these vacuums ideal tools for day
cleaning.
Cordless backpacks can help increase productivity in
rooms larger than a cord can stretch and in places lacking
power outlets, like stairwells and elevators. Also, having a
cord stretched across a busy lobby for spot cleaning can not
only be distracting, it can be dangerous.
Cords easily get hung up or wrapped around cubicle wall
panels, furniture, industrial machinery and retail store display
racks. This can add time and tedium to a worker’s shift.
Cordless vacuums can be powered by Lithium Ion batteries
and capable of 50 minutes of continuous runtime of effective
cleaning.
One other advancement that quality vacuum manufacturers
are making today is combining functions on machines used in
hard floor installations. These types of vacuums should leave
newly finished floors free of marks and scratches as well as
dust and debris.
High-powered backpack vacuums that provide exceptional
suction and lift paired with highly effective filtration can easily
attach and detach to floor sanders to trap fine dust before
it enters the environment. Some can convert to a blower in
two easy steps, with no additional parts needed. ProTeam
also offers attachment kits specifically designed for floor installation
and hard surface flooring.
Look for companies that meet the requirements of the U.S.
Green Building Council (USGBC)’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System.
The USGBC is a non-profit organization composed of
leaders from across the building industry working to advance
buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and
healthy places to live and work.
To receive a credit in the LEED Green Cleaning: Sustainable
Cleaning Equipment category, a vacuum must be certified
by the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) “Green Label”
Testing Program; be ergonomically designed to minimize vibration,
noise and user fatigue; and operate with a sound level
of less than 70 dB.
Some manufacturers provide other third-party testing results
that measure both airflow rates and extraction levels,
and ProTeam has gone one step further and partnered with
the American Lung Association to educate the public on the
importance of IAQ health issues.
Since there are so many vacuum choices on the market,
your vacuum of choice should adapt to the terrain it’s cleaning,
and should work with whatever cleaning system you
have in place. Your facilities staff should find it comfortable
and easy to use. The vacuum that will increase IAQ and
productivity the most has a combination of high-powered
suction, an exceptional filtration system, superior ergonomics
and a three-year complete warranty on parts, labor and
motor. ❑
Hollis Welsh is a Boise,
Idaho-based freelance writer focused on the cleaning and
facilities maintenance industry. For more information on
high-quality backpack and canister vacuum cleaners, go to
www.pro-team.com.
