CM/Spotlight: Floor Care Increasing Productivity Is The Driving Force For Finding The Right Vacuum By: Hollis Welsh G Hollis Welsh is a Boise, Idaho-based freelance writer focused on the cleaning and facilities maintenance industry. Vacuums and innovations mentioned in this article are offered by ProTeam. ProTeam, the orig-inal innovator of the light-weight backpack vacuum, currently manufactures 19 different vacuums for all cleaning applications. With a three-year warranty on parts, labor and the motor, and a lifetime warranty on molded body parts, the long-term benefits of ProTeam vacuums are hard to beat. Learn more at www.pro-team.com. Green cleaning is undeniably at the top of the list of what is important in todayʼs JanSan industry. With data out the roof on the number of air-borne allergens we breathe in daily, and the increasing costs associated with asthma and other allergies, finding the most effective ways to combat these very real issues is top priority. As EPA data shows, indoor air pollutants that cause asthma and allergies are up to five times higher than outdoor levels. Product Technology Keeps Us Safe Therefore, maintaining a healthy level of indoor air quality (IAQ) is essential — especially consid-ering that we can spend up to 90 percent of our time inside. In all, asthma costs the U.S. $10 billion annual-ly in direct health care costs and lost productivity. To counter this expense, companies are look-ing to manufacturers of products that incorporate high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters into their machines. This level of filtration is especially critical when it comes to vacuums, as cleaning with a high quality, well-sealed vacuum that has an effective filtration system, such as HEPA, is one of the most efficient ways to achieve optimum stan-dards of indoor cleanliness and combat airborne diseases. As building occupants, concerned parents, maintenance workers and government agencies increase the standards for greener cleaning prac-tices, 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 todayʼs cleaning equipment man-ufacturers. Vacuums that incorporate a quality HEPA filter effectively rid indoor air of 99.97 percent of con-taminants on surfaces down to 0.3 micron in size. for more info Visit www.cmmonline.com and type in search keyword: Floor Care . For more information on related products, visit www.cmmonline.com , select SUPPLIER SEARCH from the main navigation bar, and enter keyword: Vacuums . Tough Choices Call For Smart Selections However, the need to clean deeper and more effi-ciently in todayʼs real world landscape is married to the need to do more with less. Facilities managers are facing very real obsta-cles as budgets get cut and expectations for cleaning intensify. A key to productivity is worker comfort. www.cmmonline.com 35 Photo courtesy of ProTeam.
CMM – Archives Apr 2009: 35
