Spotless floors don’t come easy. In most facilities, it takes a fleet of equipment to keep everything spic and span underfoot. Choosing that machinery is always difficult, but it’s even more of a challenge when you add sustainability into the buying guidelines. There are no green certifications specifically for floor maintenance equipment, so how does
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Green cleaning programs are becoming commonplace and, in some parts of the country, even standard practice. More buildings than ever are earning LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, and BSCs are joining the environmental movement in droves. When it comes to “going green,” microfiber plays a critical role. Made from a polyester-nylon blend,
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Controlling odors is a baseline expectation for housekeeping and facility management, but it can present a complex challenge. In the past, foul odors could be easily masked with a strong air freshener or other scented product. It’s not so easy these days. Many facilities now place an emphasis on environmentally friendly and green cleaning methods
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When it comes to service oriented businesses, location is often an important consideration. Many businesses can only cover a certain service area, so requests that come in from outside that boundary may not be particularly useful. On the other hand, bringing in business from within that area is critically important. That is why many businesses
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When you think about protecting the environment, sound is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. But noise pollution is a serious issue with genuine health, safety, and quality-of-life implications for everyone in a building. Environmentally friendly facilities are a hot topic, and programs to reduce waste, cut down chemical use, and improve
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Green cleaning is constantly evolving. A few years ago, the push was toward more natural cleaning products that use “friendlier” chemicals. More recently, the focus is shifting toward chemical-free cleaning. But is it really possible to achieve the results you want without using chemicals? Some experts argue that the phrase “chemical-free” is misleading. Strictly speaking,
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The most important liquid in any cleaning operation is plain old water. We use it in almost everything we do, usually without a second thought. That’s changing. Earlier this year, the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report named water shortages as the number-one crisis facing the planet in the next decade. As the summer temps
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Just two decades ago, very few people in the janitorial industry had ever used (or even heard of) cylindrical floor machines. Traditional rotary buffers with a single disc were the standard tool of choice for floor care. Times have changed. Today, cylindrical brushes are more popular than ever. The change is due in large part
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The push towards greener buildings has been gaining steam for decades. At this point, many people expect facilities to do their part to preserve the planet. While facility managers often understand the environmental and economic benefits of a sustainability plan, knowing where to start can be a challenge. That’s where the U.S. Green Building Council’s
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Words and phrases like “sustainable,” “green initiative,” and “zero waste”—once used mostly by eco-conscious extremists—are now part of the common vernacular. Cleaning up the planet is a common goal today, and the janitorial movement is leading the charge. Reducing waste is one important way BSCs, senior housekeeping staff, and facility managers can reduce the negative
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