Tools Of The Trade Choose the options that best fit your operation. Photo courtesy of Rubbermaid Commercial Products Hard Floor M Myriad options abound when it comes to hard floor care product choices. While in the most basic sense their functions have remained unal-tered, there are more offerings from more compa-nies today than ever before. By serving select markets with tools to ease the trade, manufacturers are able to satisfy ever-increasing consumer demands for more efficient and cost-effective products and solutions to time-less tasks. By: Aaron Baunee, Associate editor Start At The Entrance According to industry studies, upwards of 90 per-cent of the soil inside a facility is tracked in from outside. Studies have also concluded that 30 to 36 feet of matting is required to remove 99 per-cent of soil from occupantsʼ shoes. An effective matting program is an essential tool in combating soil and other contaminants that add to your hard floor care regimen. Matting also adds to the overall health and safety of a building. “Now, in the age of the green building, quality door mats serve many functions,” states Erika Wilde, owner of Wilde Mats and Matting. “First and foremost, matting serves its age-old function: It stops dirt and keeps it out of the building. But, matting also plays a role in reducing indoor pollu-tion like pollen, spores and other indoor irritants. Additionally, matting keeps customers from slip-ping on a wet entryway. The common door mat has become a multi-tasking wonder.” Implementing a matting system can help your facility earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) points, and, according to Ron Gustafson of Superior Manufacturing, todayʼs availability of color and customization options gives matting an advertis-ing and aesthetic function as well. Comfortably fit your hard floor tools to match your cleaning workers. for more info Visit www.cmmonline.com and type in search keyword: Hard Floor . For more information on related products, visit www.cmmonline.com , select SUPPLIER SEARCH from the main navigation bar, and enter keyword: Floor . Tradition Marries Technology No matter how hard we try, the inevitable will always happen: Dirt will enter a building and it will have to be cleaned. There is little variation in the techniques imple-mented to clean dirt. There are, however, different tools that can be used. For smaller, confined areas, an age-old mop — utilizing new-age technologies, of course — will properly perform the task. “Microfiber is a much greener cleaning method than traditional terry cloth rags or cotton string mops,” notes Chris Olenski, senior product man-ager of hard surface cleaning for Rubbermaid Commercial Products. “It not only lasts over six times longer than cotton cloths or mops, but also reduces chemical usage by as much as 95 per-cent.” By incorporating green technologies like microfiber mops into your hard floor care pro-gram, you can not only increase worker produc-tivity, but also help improve building occupant health. 32 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • April 2009
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