Greening a Facility

Recently, Harvard University’s Department of Public Health reported that the advantages of installing a floor with low volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be eliminated the first time the floor is buffed, polished, or refinished. What this tells us is that Greening a facility involves more than just environmentally preferable floors or chemicals. All the products used to build, clean, and maintain a facility contribute to its health—or lack thereof.
In addition to cleaning chemicals, the following equipment can help contribute to Greening a facility:

Floor Machines

When floors are buffed or polished, a thin layer of dust is generated as the machine actually “sands” the top layer of the floor’s finish to help produce a shine. This dust can become airborne, potentially harming the health of the cleaning professional as well as building occupants.

Additionally, the chemicals used to clean, strip, and refinish floors are some of the most powerful in the industry. High-quality floor equipment helps decrease the number of scrub, recoat, and/or strip cycles and by using less chemical helps make floorcare Greener.

Cylindrical machines that have passive vacuum systems to help trap contaminants before they become airborne tackle both dust and chemical use issues. And they are a growing trend in commercial floorcare equipment. More machines in North America, such as Tornado’s High Speed Glazer 2000, now have these passive vacuum systems, including easy-to-change filters and a deck shroud that helps trap dust and contaminants so they are not released into the air. The machine’s motor is used as a vacuum, collecting dust and debris and depositing it into filters.

Instead of a rotating disc, cylindrical machines have counter-rotating brushes at each end of the machine, which rotate at 1,000 to 1,500 rpm. They use less water and chemical than conventional floor machines, which helps to make them more environmentally preferable, and because the brushes turn inward, into the machine’s base, dust and debris are better trapped under the machine’s shroud and less likely to become airborne.

Carpet Extractors
One of the concerns related to conventional carpet extraction is the excessive amount of moisture that can be left in the carpet. This happens when the machine uses too much water or solution in the extraction process or the vacuum system is not efficient enough to remove the excess moisture.

This moisture can potentially damage the structural integrity of the carpet, shortening its life expectancy, and get trapped in the carpet’s matting as well. If the carpet is wet for more than 24 hours, the possibility of mold and mildew developing increases significantly.

However, newer, more advanced water extractors such as Tornado’s Marathon 2-100 Carpet Extractor can help eliminate all of these problems and help Green carpet cleaning as well. These extractors have improved, highly efficient dual-vacuum motors that help remove moisture from carpets more efficiently, cutting drying time significantly.

Vacuum Cleaners
Vacuum cleaners play a significant role in Green cleaning. All models, including uprights, backpacks, and canisters, can release dust and debris through the filter bag and other openings in the machine. This can harm indoor air quality, and the problem can grow worse as the machine ages and with the tough use and abuse it may experience in commercial cleaning settings.

Selecting more technologically advanced, high-filtration vacuumcleaners can minimize this problem. High-efficiency particulate absorbing (HEPA) machines have long been known to help. In addition, Greener vacuum cleaners are now true-HEPA, such as Tornado’s CV30 and CV38, which means that the filter has been tested and the user is assured of the filtering quality. On some machines, it also means that the entire casing is airtight, helping to prevent dust and exhaust from escaping. Both components help protect the indoor environment.

Fortunately, different certifying organizations, such as the Carpet and Rug Institute and Tandus, a major manufacturer of floor coverings, now evaluate vacuum cleaners as well as extractors. This helps consumers select the Greenest machines as well as the most efficient ones.

When discussing Green cleaning with your clients, make sure to go beyond just the chemicals. Green cleaning is a composite of products, tools, and equipment, such as the ones described here, that all contribute to indoor health and help protect the environment.