In large-scale commercial cleaning, a vacuum covers thousands of square feet of flooring each shift — making a sizeable impact on overall productivity. But how do different options compete?

To add up real-world costs over both the short and long term, take a close look at speed, efficiency, and long-term maintenance.

Start with the basic numbers on speed. Look at the facilities you clean, the floor types they include, and how quickly you want to get through them.

An upright vacuum works best for cleaning medium- to high-pile carpet when speed is not a priority. According to the International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA), a single motor upright vacuum can clean a 10,000-square-foot facility in 3.5 hours.

High-powered dual-motor models — which dedicate one motor to the suction, and one to the beater bar — can speed that time by 30 minutes.

Canisters work well on medium- to low-pile carpet and hard surfaces. A tank canister cleans a 10,000-square-foot space in four hours and a speed canister — basically a backpack vacuum on wheels — covers the same ground in 1.5 hours. Canister vacuums can have filter capacities up to four times the size of standard uprights—maximizing cleaning ability with minimum downtime.

Backpacks work best for medium- to low-pile carpet and all hard floor surfaces, with the ability to clean a 10,000 square-foot facility in only one hour. The design is economical and ergonomic — fast, efficient and comfortable for the worker to use. Studies show that, when combined with an effective cleaning program, quality backpacks can increase productivity by up to 70 percent.

IBS Services Group, a commercial cleaning operation based in Long Island City and Manhattan, cleans from 2.5 to 3 million square feet in a typical day for a diverse client base, including the American Cancer Society, Morgan Library & Museum, Hermes of Paris and Chanel. IBS switched to backpack vacuums after they came onto the commercial cleaning scene in the late 1980s.

“We’ve achieved really excellent results,” says Owen O’Mahony, IBS vicepresident. “I wouldn’t even make a comparison. From a productivity standpoint, I’d say we cover 7,000 to 8,000 square feet an hour on average. Once people are trained properly, they can vacuum up to 12,000 to 13,000 square feet an hour.”

The benefits of a backpack vacuum are hard to beat, but some situations may call for a speed canister or dual-motor upright.

The After Effects

Dust capture, overall effectiveness, and floor appearance add up over time. Why go over the same area twice or leave a client dissatisfied with the end result? To better capture dust, look for a high-powered motor that achieves enough suction to uproot deep-seated particles, and a filtration system that traps and collects even microscopic dust. One such system features Four Level Filtration, which contains 99.9 percent of particles measuring one micron and larger. This includes mold, pet dander, pollen, heavy industrial dust, and other microscopic particles. HEPA filter models boost that capture rate to even higher levels, up to .3 microns.

For a customer, visible dust can be as big an irritant as microscopic particles. Versatility, maneuverability and easy-to use accessory tools are also essential for an efficient deep clean.

Scott Noble, a commercial carpet cleaner in Elk Grove, CA, now uses a dual-motor upright with Four Level Filtration. He tried several brands before zeroing in on his current machine, which features an ergonomic design, on-board accessory tool dock, and quick-release wand for detail cleaning.

“Every home has debris around the edges next to the baseboard,” Noble says. “In the absence of a convenient tool, mediocrity will prevail. There aren’t a lot of upright machines with a functional quick-draw nozzle, but now I have one that allows me to get baseboards ridiculously fast.”

Select backpack and canister vacuums also feature on-belt or on-board tool docks that allow an operator to quickly switch from floor to detail cleaning in a few steps.

The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) rates vacuums based on three independent laboratory tests for soil removal, dust containment, and carpet fiber retention under the Green Label program. CRI is transitioning to its Seal of Approval program, which will reward high performing machines with gold, silver or bronze ratings.

The Long Run

In the commercial cleaning world, throwaway vacuums are a common problem. Operations spend several hundred dollars on a vacuum, just to encounter problem after problem, until it’s beyond repair. Then the cycle starts again.

Think of a vacuum purchase as a long-term investment in a cleaning program or business. Routine maintenance is a smart way to protect your investment, but when you need to go beyond the basics to keep your vacuum running, repair becomes a costly problem, especially when you factor in downtime.

The ideal vacuum should tackle even the most difficult challenges with ease, and stay consistent day after day. A multi-year warranty will also guard against unexpected problems.

Mesa Public Schools, the largest unified school district in Arizona in terms of student enrollment, made the switch to high-performance backpack vacuums after long using dust mops and uprights to cover a wide range of floor types.

When tracking productivity, they found the backpacks cut the time it took to clean floors by 20 to 35 percent. They also noticed another notable side benefit— a remarkable decrease in repair and downtime. The filters are checked every night by the staff, and regularly replaced, but the maintenance has ended there.

“We haven’t had to repair one in six years. We haven’t even had to repair a motor,” says Chuck Simonette, director of custodial services. Mesa Public Schools now owns over 200 backpacks. IBS Services Group shares a similar story.

“We bought one of the original backpack vacuums in production over 20 years ago,” says O’Mahony. “And we still use it on a daily basis. Sometimes, clients will ask us to use an upright vacuum with a beater bar because they think it will work better. I’ve never seen those vacuums last more than a year. You spend $200 or $250 dollars on a vacuum just to junk it a year later. We’ve never junked one of our backpack vacuums.”

The next time you need to buy a vacuum, add up all the costs, and find the perfect fit to power through jobs, go the distance, and improve your bottom line. ❑ Jessica Holmes is a freelance writer based in Boise, ID. For a free brochure that goes over cost analyses, efficiency studies, and other aspects of selecting a productive vacuum for different environments, go to www.Pro-Team.com and download the “Cleaning for Health and Productivity” brochure.