Floorcare Focus

EC J Floorcare focus A supplement to European Cleaning Journal

NOVEMBER 2017

CONTENTS

ECJ Floorcare Focus - November 2017 |

ECJ FLOORCARE FOCUS 3 Time to look up from the floor Foreword from Diversey president and ceo Dr Ilham Kadri.

7 Cleaning regime vital What type of floors present the greatest challenges for cleaners?

12 Repairing the damage How to protect hard floors, and how to repair them when damage is done.

16 The technology effect How have technological advances made the operation of machines simpler?

18 When only a mop will do How are mopping products developing in order to stay relevant?

20 The right pad for the job The role of the floor pad is at the core of efficient floorcare.

23 Ready to pull out the rug?

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Editor Michelle Marshall Features Writer Ann Laffeaty Advertisement Director Chris Godman Circulation Marie Payne

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European Cleaning Journal is published six times a year by Criterion Publishing Ltd. Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of material published in European Cleaning, Criterion Publishing Ltd and its agents can accept no responsibility for the varacity of claims made by contributors, manufacturers or advertisers. Copyright for all material published in European Cleaning remains with Criterion Publishing Ltd and its agents.

ISSN 0968-901X ©Criterion Publishing 2017

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FOREWORD

Time to look up from the floor Whether someone works in the cleaning industry or not, the cleanliness of the floor is often the first thing they notice when entering a building. A pristine floor significantly enhances our appreciation of any building and, for those not charged with the specific responsibility of maintaining this cleaning quality, it’s probably all that they see.

However, with our keen professional eye and the 24-7 commitment to clean that is typical of so many people in this driven industry, a clean floor represents so much more. It is clear evidence that a facility takes its duty seriously. That the health and safety of the building’s employees and visitors is of equally high importance.

This extends beyond the floor being one of the most demanding physical tasks, involving the biggest surface area to clean daily. As professionals we know the pride in a job well done. We also understand that the building service contractor is gaining respect and lifting our industry’s reputation.

Much as the floor is the starting point of a cleaning task, it is also more than a symbol. The floor is the microcosm, barometer and also the bottom line of our industry. As well as a visual indicator, it quickly exposes how we value people, the planet and profit. These are factors that we all have to balance in our daily professional lives.

The floor as a universal analogy helps us to describe the forces that are prevalent and how we as an industry respond. Diversey works with building service contractors globally, regionally and locally. This is key to ensure the highly responsive development of our products. The unsurpassed knowledge we gain is what guides our considerable contribution to the world of clean.

Simultaneous trends are impacting the industry. The ambitious are diversifying, expanding their portfolios and gaining size by entering new vertical markets. Others are staying on their floor; although this is not born of stagnation. Rather they prefer, or are poised to stay more local - focusing on their core business and customising their services solutions. The challenge for all is to decide whether to be a commodity player or a specialised, innovative one.

As cleaning professionals we’re aware that customer value is key. Delivering more efficient cleaning processes is the bedrock of success, involving daily analysis of the entire cost of cleaning from labour to supplies, to quality and capital.

Continued page 4

Floorcare Focus - November 2017 | ECJ | 3

FOREWORD Time to look up from the floor (continued)

SMART cleaning is the priority. Managing financial resources to achieve improvements through increased productivity - with both people and machinery - is vital more than ever to be profitable. Monitor your assets and aim for the lowest total cost of ownership and spend management. The cheapest option does not always deliver the biggest savings.

Tight margins and consolidation are the biggest challenges. A competitor will always cut costs and deliver their service cheaper. Differentiating on value creation and delivery is the only sustainable competitive advantage. And that is done through innovation.

Sustainability is the overriding challenge because it is no longer a differentiator, but a hygienic factor. Achieve true sustainability, or you won’t be in the game.

We have to guarantee employees’ welfare; their health and safety, and provide them with training and protection.

Reduce chemicals, water, energy and waste to have more efficient operations and enhance your profits. The serious difficulty is with regulatory compliance and the cost of being “green.” Find a way to do “smart” sustainability.

Digital cleaning can no longer be ignored and is growing exponentially.

Connected digital technologies are transforming the way we do business, deliver our value proposition, measure benefits, and manage our services.

Diversey’s Internet of Clean platform enables total transformation of the cleaning and hygiene operations in a facility. With all information and relevant data in one place, you can move from reactive to proactive and even predictive.

My personal crusade is to target from the floor up. The first thing we notice is the clean floor: the last is the cleaner who keeps it that way – they are effectively invisible. The contradiction is the better the job they do the more this is true.

The 70-70-70 rule refers to the female proportion of labour, the percentage of those with illiteracy or an inability to read the local language, and of the employees our industry turn over in a year. Exceptions aside, this is the sobering average.

Digitalisation may appear a long way from this often harsh floor of the profession but it’s a way to improve working conditions, build pride in the industry, and provide more added-value activities to cleaners; reducing this unacceptable churn of human capital for the long-term benefit of us all.

Dr Ilham Kadri, president & ceo, Diversey

Que l’on soit ou non un travailleur de la propreté, la première chose qui se remarque quand on pénètre dans un immeuble est la propreté de ses planchers. La vue d’un plancher immaculé accroît notre appréciation de l’immeuble et, pour celui qui ne s’occupe pas de nettoyage, c’est bien ce qui se remarque avant toute chose. Mais pour le secteur de la propreté, l’aspect immaculé d’un plancher représente bien davantage qu’aux yeux du visiteur de l’immeuble, explique le Dr Ilham Kadri, PDG de Diversey.

Floorcare Focus - November 2017 | ECJ | 4

Egal, ob jemand in der Reinigungsbranche tätig ist oder nicht, die Sauberkeit des Bodens wird beim Betreten eines Gebäudes häufig als erstes bemerkt. Ein makelloser Boden verbessert unsere Wahrnehmung eines jeden Gebäudes und diejenigen, die nicht gezielt für die Aufrechterhaltung der Reinigungsqualität verantwortlich sind, sehen wahrscheinlich nur das. Doch ein sauberer Boden sagt so viel mehr über die Branche aus, erläutert Dr. Ilham Kadri, President und CEO von Diversey.

Sia che le persone lavorino nel settore del cleaning o che ne siano estranee, la pulizia dei pavimenti è spesso la prima cosa che notano quando entrano in un edificio. Un pavimento immacolato rafforza sensibilmente il nostro apprezzamento per qualsiasi edificio e, per coloro che non hanno la specifica responsabilità di mantenere questa qualità di pulizia, è probabilmente tutto ciò che notano. Ma un pavimento pulito rappresenta molto di più per il settore, come spiega Dr. Dr Ilham Kadri, presidente e amministratore delegato della Diversey.

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MEETING CHALLENGES

Cleaning regime vital What types of floors pose the toughest challenges for cleaners? And what makes them particularly difficult to clean? Ann Laffeaty finds out.

Floor cleaning is a task unlike any other. Floors can be made of anything from concrete to wood and marble to linoleum. And the material used to make the floor will have a major impact on the cleaning regime.

Floors are also in constant use – and will often bear the brunt of ongoing abuse from heavy wheeled traffic, footwear or soil on the shoes. But what types of floors cause the biggest cleaning and maintenance challenges, and why?

The location of a floor has a significant effect on the cleaning and maintenance task according to Nilfisk’s group product floorcare manager Anders Sandstrom.

“The closer it is to the entrance, the more debris and dirt will be walked on to the floor,” he said. “The wear and tear will therefore increase and the level of cleaning will need to be stepped up. And a sufficient number of dirt and water traps will be required in order to limit the amount of dirt, debris and water that is brought in.”

The cleaning challenge is also influenced by the choice of flooring material and the way in which the floor is cleaned and protected, he said. “Other factors to consider are the amount of daily traffic and the floor’s location and size along with the type of dirt it attracts, the frequency of cleaning and the presence of furniture and other obstacles.”

“The desired look of the floor is also im-

portant since it can be a real challenge in high-traffic areas to produce a floor with a high shine,” added Sandstrom.

He says different environments require different floor cleaning solutions. “For example, in a supermarket there will be limited access to the floor area and most cleaning will need to be carried out outside of opening hours, perhaps in a limited amount of time,” he said.

“Foot traffic in hospitals and airports tends to continue 24/7 so the cleaning here will need to be done while the floors are still in use, and this may require safety precautions. And in an office there may be several different types of floor in one building which means that different tools may be required for cleaning and maintenance. So every environment has its challenges.”

Among the company’s latest products is the Nilfisk SC250 walk-behind scrubber dryer designed for use in shops, schools, restaurants, cafes, bakeries and fast food chains. This is said to combine a compact size with low noise levels which makes it suitable for daytime cleaning. For larger areas such as production sites, warehouses, supermarkets, airports and car parks the company offers the Nilfisk SC6000 ride-on scrubber dryer.

Hako’s application technology trainer and consultant Klaus Serfezi agrees the location of a floor tends to dictate the cleaning and maintenance challenge.

And he adds there are huge variations between the floor cleaning requirements in each environment.

Different properties “Whether it is in a hospital, a production hall, a warehouse or a logistics centre the floor will have different properties and experience varying levels of soiling,” he said. “There will also be specific hygiene standards that will need to be considered, particularly when cleaning the floors in a hospital or food factory.

“For example, in a hospital or nursing home there will generally be linoleum or PVC flooring which will attract a relatively

low level of soiling. Here it will be particularly important to provide non-slippery floors for maximum safety. In a warehouse or production hall, on the other hand, the type and level of soiling will be different and there will be other issues to contend with such as rubber abrasion marks left by forklifts, for example.”

Choose equipment carefully He says airport terminal buildings, supermarkets and offices also have their own challenges along with different types of dirt. “This means that in each case, the cleaning equipment needs to be carefully chosen to meet the requirements at hand,” he said.

According to Serfezi, one type of floor is not necessarily harder to clean than any other. “However, problems arise when floors with microporous surfaces are not treated properly,” he adds. “There is no one-size-fits-all solution - different types of dirt require different types of cleaning.

“In addition, time is generally still an important factor in the cleaning industry even when machines are used to do the job. Unfortunately it is often the case that the time required to provide professional cleaning is not sufficiently considered or inadequate cleaning equipment is used in order to cut costs.”

IPC’s business development manager Adriano Mariano agrees microporous tile floors can be among the most problematical to clean. “This is because water can penetrate into the pores of the stone and either cause discolouration or loosen the tiles and damage the subfloor,” he said.

“Restoration can be quite expensive here depending on the extent of the damage.”

He claims a good cleaning and maintenance regime can help to avoid any such issues. “Field tests have shown scrubber dryers equipped with advanced cleaning programmes plus special pads and the right chemicals can obtain effective results,” he said.

IPC’s CT81 machine is equipped with Advanced Productivity Control technology, Continued page 8

Floorcare Focus - November 2017 | ECJ | 7

MEETING CHALLENGES Cleaning regime vital (continued)

says Mariano. “This allows the operator to control the water flow and prevent excess water from being used,” he said. The company also makes microfibre floor mops that are said to be capable of dusting and mopping in one pass.

Prochem Europe’s sales executive Stuart Macmillan shares the general opinion that the location of a floor tends to dictate the cleaning challenge. “The nearer the floor is to the building entrance, the more foot traffic soiling and contamination is likely to enter the building,” he said. “This is why it is vitally important good quality entrance matting is in position and is vacuumed regularly. And on a hard floor, it is also important to dust mop frequently in order to reduce the level of grit and prevent wear and scratching.”

He says another factor that can have an impact on cleaning is the weather. “In Europe the weather plays a major factor in floor maintenance whether on a carpet or hard floor,” he said. “Rain, snow, ice and ice gritting can all cause major damage.

We cannot do anything about the weather but we can control its impact by means of proper maintenance and cleaning, particularly at entrance locations.”

Type of contamination The floor cleaning challenge depends on footfall and the type of contamination, he says. “I would say hospitals floors tend to

be the most challenging because here you have the added impact of stretcher wheels and body fluids coupled with the need for strict hygiene control,” he said. “And hospitals, supermarkets and airports have the added challenges of tyre marks from stretchers, trolleys and baggage respectively.”

The floors in schools can also present a problem, he says. “Here there will be a constant variety of soiling from sports fields, weather, food and chewing gum,” he explains. “Kitchens will have spillages of grease and oil which will be difficult to clean during operational times. However, this problem can be minimised using the correct cleaning products and procedures.”

According to Truvox International sales and marketing director Gordon McVean it is the intensity of traffic that dictates the floor cleaning challenge rather than the nature of the building. “For example, the extensive use of trolleys in airports, hospitals and supermarkets may cause scuffing on hard floors while the high degree of foot traffic will be another challenge,” he said.

“Some responsive cleaning is likely to be required during the day and it will be essential to minimise disruption and avoid slip risks to pedestrians from wet floors.

“Cordless battery powered machines come into their own in these situations, as do one-pass scrubber dryers that have

Le nettoyage de planchers est une tâche qui se distingue de toute autre. Un plancher peut être fait en une immense gamme de matières, allant du béton au bois, et du marbre au linoléum. Et ces matières auront un impact considérable sur le régime de nettoyage.

Quels sont les types de plancher à présenter le plus de difficultés aux agents de nettoyage ? Et quels sont les facteurs qui contribuent à cette difficulté ?

Floorcare Focus - November 2017 | ECJ | 8

Bodenreinigung ist mit keiner anderen Aufgabe zu vergleichen. Böden können aus Beton, Holz, Marmor oder Linoleum gefertigt sein. Und das Material, aus dem der Boden gefertigt ist, hat starke Auswirkungen auf das Reinigungsregime. Welche Bodentypen stellen das Reinigungspersonal vor die größten Herausforderungen? Und warum sind diese besonders schwer zu reinigen?

the ability to wash, mop, scrub and dry floors rapidly.”

Every building and application has its challenges - but all are surmountable using the right equipment, according to McVean. “The greater challenge for cleaning teams is assembling the right balance of mechanical cleaning capabilities so that the operation is both efficient and costeffective,” he said.

“This will be determined by a range of factors including the scale of the facility, the floor type, the area of flooring, the size of the cleaning team and the budget.”

Some floor types demand special care, he adds. “Gym and dance floors, for example, tend to have a wood laminate finish and these sustain intensive use and scuffing,” he said. “However, these types of floors need to be cleaned with minimal wetting to reduce the risk of moisture that may penetrate the joints and lead to premature failure.

“Safety flooring, which is increasingly common in the healthcare sector, poses another challenge that defeats some traditional cleaning methods. This is particularly the case in hospitals that specify taurine-based cleaning solutions in place of potentially harmful chemicals. This makes it all the more important to agitate the floor to remove soils without abrading the surface. Similarly, tiled floors in kitchens and washrooms risk allowing a build-up of bacteria and soil in the grout lines.”

He says a scrubber dryer with cylindrical brushes is the answer in such environments. The Truvox floorcare range includes the Multiwash Pump/Battery; the Multiwash scrubber dryer and the Orbis range of single-disc rotaries.

The cleaning challenge may also be greater where regular maintenance has been neglected, according to McVean.

“Here the soiling may have been allowed to penetrate into the surface beneath the failing protective seal,” he explains. “More frequent cleaning will need to take place in order to ensure the floor maintains a presentable appearance. This is why a sound maintenance regime in line with the flooring manufacturer’s recommendations is fundamental.”

Il lavaggio dei pavimenti è un lavoro diverso da qualsiasi altro. I pavimenti possono essere di diversi materiali, dal cemento al legno e dal marmo al linoleum. E i materiali utilizzati per i pavimenti hanno un forte impatto sul regime di pulizia. Quali sono i tipi di pavimenti che rappresentano le sfide più difficili per gli addetti alle pulizie? E cosa li rende particolarmente difficili da pulire?

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PROTECTION AND REPAIR

Repairing the damage How resilient are today’s hard floors against daily wear and tear and more serious mishaps? ECJ considers how to protect hard floors - and how to repair them once the damage has been done.

We expect our floors to continue to bear our weight and cope with the heaviest of footfalls while retaining an attractive appearance. If this is to be achievable, we need to look after them.

Floorcare Focus - November | ECJ | 12

Floors receive a great deal of abuse. We walk on them, wheel cases over them and spill drinks on them. We also drop heavy equipment on them – and even occasionally flood them.

Yet we expect our floors to continue to bear our weight and cope with the heaviest of footfalls while retaining an attractive appearance. However if this is to be achievable, we need to look after them.

Floor damage can generally be divided into three main categories according to IPC’s business development manager Adriano Mariano. “The first relates to acute damage caused by a one-off incident,” he said. “This may involve the fall of a heavy object – during a relocation, for example. Accidentally dropping an item of furniture such as a wardrobe on a floor could write it off forever, however resilient that floor might be.

“The second category involves ongoing stress from foot traffic, heels, wheelchairs and trolley castors. The damage here might not be visible in the short term but will become evident after a month or so, particularly if maintenance has been neglected.

“And the final category relates to damage caused by cleaning errors. For instance, chemical detergents used on delicate wooden floors or tiles may remove the dirt but might also cause corrosion if they are too aggressive.”

He says damage to floors can take the form of marks, scratches, small holes, cracks or deep grooves. “In addition, the black marks caused by rubber may not constitute real damage but will make the floor look dirty,” he said. “Even the weather can be a problem since rain, wind and high or low temperatures may cause bulges, scraping and cracking to the floor.

And if any surface alteration results, the damage may not be repairable.”

According to Mariano, high-traffic floors in schools, airports and shopping centres tend to be the most susceptible to damage. “Hospital and factory floors are also at risk because aggressive chemicals may

be used in these types of environment in a bid to destroy the more resistant dirt,” he said.

“Cleaning with the right tools along with a daily or weekly maintenance regime can reduce damage and avoid the need for aggressive and potentially damaging treatments. And regular cleaning and maintenance will make the surface last longer and retain its shine.”

Head of floorcare product management at Kärcher Marco Cardinale says mechanical load causes the most damage to hard floors. “Particular issues include heavy footfall, grit and sand in the winter,” he said. “Damage may also be caused by a lack of doormats or by wheeled traffic with small rollers and high point loading.”

He says high-traffic floors that are directly accessible from outside tend to be the most susceptible to damage. “In shops for example dirt and water will be trodden in by customers,” he said. “And in thoroughfares between workshops and customer areas there may be a problem with dirt and oil being walked on to the shop floor.”

Other factors that can cause floor damage include standing water, strong sunlight and the incorrect use of cleaning agents, he says. However, he claims that any damage can usually be fixed depending on the challenge involved.

“Fine scratches or discolouration due to road salt can be repaired using diamond pads,” said Cardinale. “Salt deposits on surfaces can be removed either with acidic cleaning agents or mechanically. And deep scratches need to be sanded down – but these might be irreparable.”

He adds that floors can often be protected against damage before use. “For example, polishing with diamond pads seals the surface and makes it more hardwearing,” said Cardinale. “The crystallisation of calcareous floor coverings offers some protection against damage since it means any liquid spills will penetrate the surface more slowly. And surfaces may also be protected by impregnating or coat-

PROTECTION AND REPAIR ing them with stains or floor coverings.”

Damage can also be prevented by means of well-maintained “cleanwalk zones” combined with a cleaning regime that befits the volume of footfall, he said. ”These measures will minimise the levels of sharp-edged dirt particles being brought in from outside,” said Cardinale. “Roller technology offers a particular advantage here because cleaning will be simultaneously assisted by sweeping.”

Kärcher offers roller technology, diamond pads, melamine pads, crystallising agents and coating materials to help prevent damage to hard floors and repair it afterwards.

The likely type of floor damage will vary according to the building concerned according to Diversey’s European floor care portfolio manager Christoph Scheiwiller.

“In a warehouse it is wheeled traffic that is likely to cause most harm while in retail environments, foot traffic may cause the most wear,” he said. “And in a carpeted office the most damage to the floor pile may be caused by swivel chairs.”

But it is the dirt itself that will cause the most problems to the substrate, according to Scheiwiller.

“Outdoor dirt such as sand, dust, asphalt and other abrasive materials may cause visible or micro-scratches to the surface,” he said. “This will act like sandpaper, dulling the gloss and making the floor more difficult to clean. Other damage could be caused by scuff marks or black heel marks from foot traffic while in a healthcare environment, heavy hospital beds may make dents in the floor - particularly if these

beds have small wheels and the floor has a soft substrate.”

Embedded dirt may eventually lead to discolouration, according to Scheiwiller.

“Discolouration may also result from sunlight on a floor that is not resistant to UV light,” he said.

But he believes most scuff marks, black heel marks and micro scratches can be repaired using today’s modern methods.

“However, more serious issues such as UV light discolouration, chemical damage or cracked stone will require the services of a floor restoration company,” he said.

Prone to damage Floors in the retail sector are among those most susceptible to damage, according to Scheiwiller. “High visitor frequency, the use of shopping trolleys and the restacking of shelves cause a range of impacts on the substrate,” he said. “Visitors bring dirt in from the road via their shoes while shopping trolleys will often have dirt embedded in their wheels.

And forklifts, pallets and other heavy equipment may damage the substrate during restocking.”

Troubleshooting is a never-ending topic in the floorcare industry, says Scheiwiller.

“Often there will be much discussion as to how best to repair a floor, but my recommendation would be to focus on the root cause and fix it permanently,” he said.

For example, he says floor matting would be a good solution in an outdoor car park where salt has been allowed to build up. “A matting system will remove salt from shoes and from wheeled traffic,” he

said. “It would also help to have staff on hand with mops or wet vacuums to prevent salt from building up around the entrances.

“Another common cause of floor damage is when alcohol-based hand sanitisers are allowed to drip on to conventional floor finishes. Here the solution is to strip away those areas that are particularly prone to hand sanitiser damage and recoat them with a more durable floor finish. The sanitiser could also be replaced with a more gelatinous product, or a drip tray might be installed.”

He believes daily cleaning to be the most important maintenance procedure. “If you keep a floor clean you should be able to keep it in good condition with only the occasional interim maintenance procedure such as spray buffing or burnishing,” he said. “This will greatly increase the time between deep cleaning procedures.

“A floor finish or sealant will protect the floor from dirt while reducing the risk of slip and fall accidents and helping to maintain a high quality image for the facility.

And repairing these types of layers is easy using an interim maintenance procedure such as a spray buffing or burnishing.”

Diversey offers Taski IntelliPad diamond-impregnated floor pads which are said to improve the gloss and clarity of both coated and non-coated floors. One IntelliPad can be used for both burnishing and daily cleaning, according to Scheiwiller.

Foot and wheeled traffic constantly wear away the protective seal from the surface of a hard floor according to Truvox Continued page 14

Floorcare Focus - November 2017 | ECJ | 13

PROTECTION AND REPAIR Repairing the damage (continued) international sales and marketing director Gordon McVean.

“If this protective seal is allowed to become too degraded the underlying material will become exposed to wear, abrasion, discolouration from stains and sunlight plus attack from chemicals,” he said. “At this point it must be removed and replaced. This will significantly reduce the risk of damage and premature wear while also maximising the lifetime value of a hard floor.”

Truvox offers a range of floorcare equipment including rotary polishers, burnishers, scrubber dryers and vacuums. These include the Multiwash scrubber dryer which can wash, mop, scrub and dry hard floors as well as short-pile carpets and

escalators, and the Orbis range of highand low-speed rotaries that can be used for buffing, burnishing, maintenance tasks and finishing.

An annual cleaning and maintenance plan is fundamental to avoiding damage and minimising it when it occurs, says McVean.

Les planchers sont assurément malmenés. On leur fait subir le piétinement d’employés, l’aspersion de boissons renversées, et le passage de caisses de bureau. Ils supportent la chute d’équipements lourds, quand ils ne sont pas occasionnellement inondés.

Et pourtant nous comptons sur le maintien de leur bel aspect malgré le martèlement constant de nos pas. ECJ se penche sur les moyens de protéger des sols durs et de les réparer lorsqu’ils deviennent endommagés.

Böden müssen viel aushalten. Wir laufen auf ihnen, rollen Kästen und Koffer über sie und verschütten Getränke auf ihnen. Außerdem lassen wir schwere Gegenstände auf sie fallen – und manchmal überfluten wir sie sogar. Dennoch erwarten wir von unseren Böden, weiterhin unser Gewicht zu tragen, selbst mit der höchsten Passantenfrequenz fertig zu werden und gleichzeitig ein attraktives Aussehen zu beizubehalten. Das ECJ untersucht, wie Hartböden geschützt werden – und wie sie nach einem Schaden repariert werden können.

Appropriate matting “This should cover all aspects of floorcare from entrance matting to specifications for cleaning products and equipment to be used,” he said.

“Appropriate entrance mats that are themselves cleaned regularly will limit the amount of grit and soil that is tracked through a building and across the floor,

Floorcare Focus - November 2017 | ECJ | 14

limiting wear and staining. And the flooring manufacturer’s instructions should be borne in mind when drawing up the plan along with type and level of traffic. This will also determine the routine cleaning schedule plus the intervals between stripping and re-sealing.”

McVean concedes that it is tempting for some facilities to cut back on maintenance work due to tight budgets or because the floors are in constant use. “However it is essential to maintain the condition of the floor in the medium term,” he says. “It is also important to remember that the act of cleaning itself wears away the protective seal on hard floors, so reconditioning is unavoidable if the appearance and quality of the floor are to be sustained.”

I pavimenti subiscono parecchi maltrattamenti. Ci camminiamo sopra, ci trascinamo valigie con ruote e ci rovesciamo bevande varie, inoltre ci facciamo cadere sopra pesanti attrezzature, e occasionalmente li allaghiamo. Però pretendiamo che i nostri pavimenti continuino a sopportare il nostro peso e che sopportino i passi più pesanti e allo stesso tempo rimangano in perfetto stato. ECJ prende in considerazione come proteggere i pavimenti duri e come ripararli dopo che il danno è già avvenuto.

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ok AG

INNOVATING FLOORCARE

The technology effect How have technological and other developments in terms of digitisation, connectivity etc in recent years made the job of operating floor cleaning machines easier/more effective from the operator’s point of view? How have controls become more ergonomic and user-friendly and how has operation, service and maintenance been simplified through more ‘connected’ machines? Anton Soerensen, senior vice president for R&D at Nilfisk, writes for ECJ.

It’s no easy task working in the commercial cleaning industry. As an owner, there is a need to hire and retain the best employees, secure the right equipment for each job, reduce costs, and exceed customer expectations. As an operator, there is a need to constantly improve cleanliness and productivity, enhance safety, protect the environment, and ensure that cleaning tasks are non-disruptive to building employees and guests.

And today more than ever, there is a need for both owners and operators to have a firm grasp on the technologies that can bring success—understanding what technologies are available, recognising which technologies will best serve their customers, and knowing how to use those technologies to their fullest potential.

While the cleaning industry has not historically been recognised for its innovation, today’s most desired and high performing cleaning equipment does, in fact, include technological advancements that benefit cleaning professionals, facility managers, employees, customers, and building owners alike and that address everything from water and detergent usage and pick-up, intuitive and easy to use controls, unprecedented soil removal, and more.

Following are just a few of the technologies that are positively disrupting the cleaning industry today.

Water and solution systems While neither disc nor orbital floor scrubbers are new to the cleaning industry, the systems that control and regulate water and solution usage as well as the technologies that power the scrub deck itself continue to evolve to improve cleanliness, safety, sustainability and operator productivity.

Using excess water when scrubbing is simply wasteful and presents a safety hazard. And using too much chemical is environmentally unsound. Having to make multiple passes and repeatedly stop to dump and fill a solution or recovery tank is time-consuming. But today’s more ad-

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vanced scrubbing technologies allow the operator to automatically switch between chemical-free, water-only, or varying degrees of detergent use; change down pressure; change flow rates based on machine speed; and rotate an entire orbital scrub deck. As a result, operators can effortlessly transition between different floor types and address varying degrees of traffic and dirt patterns; improve productivity by reducing dump and fill cycles as well as multiple cleaning passes; and deliver more consistently clean floors.

Ensuring an operator has as many of these technologies as possible on one machine further heightens their ability to clean effectively, productively and safely.

Autonomous equipment As with many new technologies, ground breaking work was done in the military arena that has laid the groundwork for commercialising driverless cleaning machines. Take the mapping technology from the military, and add the increased capabilities for computing power in a smaller footprint made possible by smartphones, and combine those with lower cost optics and sensors, and you have the recipe for driverless applications.

Without question, robotics offers the potential to help owners overcome the never-ending struggle to increase productivity while reducing costs. But autonomy, which elevates robotics from mechanical cleaning to independent operation, also addresses the need to improve the level of clean.

While a robotic machine will automatically do what it is programmed to do, an autonomous machine will go a step further and respond intuitively to its environment with components and systems that can be readily applied across industries.

By combining state-of-the-art optics with cutting edge navigation and operation software, an autonomous machine provides the operator with the freedom to address higher level cleaning tasks, such as break rooms, windows and stairways that might otherwise be overlooked. So

INNOVATING FLOORCARE by adding autonomous equipment as an ‘extra member of the cleaning crew’ it is not a question of man versus machine but rather a man-machine collaboration – where repetitive cleaning tasks can be carried out by autonomous machines in order to free up resources for the operators. By restructuring how the cleaning crew operates it is possible to harness the benefits of autonomous cleaning.

In addition, because autonomous machines share the workload, their use has the potential to improve operator morale and reduce turnover and hiring and training costs.

Connectivity and telemetrics Data drives business decisions in every sector of the economy. Consumer preferences drive retail product selection; customer satisfaction drives online banking functions; accident rates drive automotive safety features. Harnessing and leveraging data through telemetrics is now a business tool within the commercial cleaning industry as well.

Telemetrics is the automatic measurement and wireless transfer of data. Within the cleaning industry, the data is collected from a piece of cleaning equipment and transferred to a computer. Data measured can include such information as where a machine is currently located, who is operating the machine, what a machine was programmed to do, if a machine is

En quoi les évolutions technologiques et autres, notamment en termes de numérisation et de connectivité, ont-elles facilité et/ou rendues plus efficaces, du point de vue de l’opérateur, l’usage de machines de nettoyage des planchers ? Dans quelle mesure leurs commandes sont-elles devenues plus ergonomiques et conviviales et comment leur exploitation, leur service et leur entretien ont-ils été simplifiés par une « connectivité » accrue ?

operating optimally, how many minutes a machine ran, and how much water and/or detergent a machine used.

The data in itself has limited value.

However once collected and analysed it can be used to document when and for how long the cleaning was carried out giving owners and operators the ability to better measure labour and supply costs and validate cleaning compliance.

At the same time the data enables operators to perform ‘predictive maintenance’. For instance by gathering data from the battery of the machine, operators are able to replace or repair the battery before a failure occurs and thereby avoid machine downtime.

So in essence the first fleet management systems which are currently available on the market are able to monitor machine usage, gather and analyse data and allow owners and operators to make decisions based on facts. This will for many be a significant first step towards optimising their cleaning programme and ultimately lower the total cost of clean and provide for more efficient and effective cleaning.

However we are likely to also see a development within fleet management.

Because telemetrics and the intelligent use of data have been evolving radically in recent years. Now, not only can a machine communicate wirelessly with an opera-

Inwiefern haben technologische und andere Entwicklungen im Hinblick auf Digitalisierung, Konnektivität usw. in den letzten Jahren den Betrieb von Bodenreinigungsmaschinen vom Standpunkt der Bediener leichter bzw. effektiver gemacht?

Wie haben stärker „verbundene“ Maschinen dazu beigetragen, dass Steuerelemente ergonomischer und benutzerfreundlicher sowie Betrieb, Service und Wartung vereinfacht wurden?

tor or owner via computers, phones and tablets, but the building itself can. Infrared cameras and optical sensors placed in a room have the ability to wirelessly relay information on traffic patterns and usage rates. This kind of interconnectivity between a building’s rooms, its cleaning staff and its cleaning equipment has the potential to dramatically influence operator productivity and cleaning efficacy by arming operators with the knowledge necessary to be proactive rather than reactive; to plan cleaning routes; and to focus time, resources and equipment on providing the appropriate level of clean.

Already now, we are seeing the first examples of ‘intelligent office buildings’ where data from the car park is connected to the number of plates prepared in the canteen and where traffic patterns and data is intelligently used to control the heating and ventilation in the building. So by tapping into various data sources and combining this with machine data, operators and owners will be able to plan and predict the need for cleaning.

Just as technology has revolutionised how consumers communicate, shop and wash their dishes, it has revolutionised how cleaning operators and owners deliver the cleanest and safest floors in the most productive and cost-effective way possible. And as with consumer technology, the best is likely yet to come.

Negli ultimi anni, gli sviluppi tecnologici e altri sviluppi in termini di digitalizzazione, connessione ecc. come hanno reso più facile/più efficace il lavoro di operare le macchine per la pulizia dei pavimenti dal punto di vista dell’operatore? Come sono diventati più ergonomici e facili da usare i controlli e come sono stati semplificati operazioni, servizio e manutenzione utilizzando più macchine “connesse”?

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MOPPING

When only a mop will do More and more floor cleaning operations are now carried out using machines. But are there still applications where only a person with a mop will do the job best?

And how is mopping technology developing in terms of both materials and tools in order to stay relevant for today’s cleaning requirements? Floor Loos at Greenspeed writes for ECJ.

Machines and tools do indeed have to be used, but they can never substitute a motivated, professional workforce.

Maintaining floors has been essential since time immemorial. Over the years people have worked to develop lowmaintenance flooring which is easier to care for. By and large, this has been achieved. Even so, we cannot prevent the protective coating or the product itself from wear and tear altogether, which is why we have to make sure that our floors are safeguarded against contamination as much as possible. Maintenance has to be performed more often to prevent us from having to use aggressive substances to remove build-up of dirt.

Prevention is still better than cure.

Regularly mopping floors helps to prevent dirt from building up and sticking to the surface, which saves both clients and cleaners an unpleasant task later on.

Hardened, built-up dirt makes cleaning more difficult and takes more effort to get rid of.

There is now much focus on using machines and even robots to make maintenance less of an arduous task. The use of scrubber dryers on large-scale surfaces that cannot easily be cleaned by hand is recommended, as is the use of robots.

Despite these machines now being more advanced than ever, which allows them to move around obstacles and people with ease, they still have their limits. Corners and edges are an obvious example here – this includes the edges of walls and the edges of other obstacles such as plant pots. Technological advances mean that a solution to this problem can be expected in the near future.

For smaller surfaces and areas such as staircases, it is virtually impossible to use a machine (even if it is small). These surfaces have to be cleaned manually.

This has its advantages when looked at in terms of efficiency. For example, a human can move a wastepaper basket to clean under it and then put it back where it was.

A cleaner can also adapt their work to certain surface types and put extra effort into cleaning them, or use specific cleaning products.

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Different types of flooring also require different types of maintenance. There is more to it than just hard or soft floors.

Looking at hard floors alone, there is a huge difference between the approach required for natural stone floors compared with, for instance, linoleum. The maintenance methods used also differ from floor to floor. There is a risk of this knowledge being lost along with specialist floor maintenance. The standardisation of floor maintenance with machines can never replace this expertise. It is now increasingly important to highlight this expertise and use it as an asset in order to acquire jobs. Machines are also often powered by batteries, which must be recharged. Then there is the issue of how to process waste batteries. This requires the involvement of a specialist company.

Different techniques As mentioned previously, machines are used to carry out work which is thought of as monotonous and boring. It is a way to make cleaners’ lives easier and to prevent their work ethic from deteriorating due to boredom. Work should be made more rewarding wherever possible. When it comes to mopping by hand, the challenge is to make sure that ergonomically sustainable materials are used. This must be assessed and adapted on an ongoing basis.

For example, working with string mops weighing 350 to 500 grams – which become slightly heavier when they absorb water – and filling up buckets that hold between 10 to 20 litres of water and carrying them around is far from ergonomic.

It is also questionable how hygienic this manner of cleaning actually is, as these types of mop are not especially effective at collecting dirt. In contrast, the use of clean, flat microfibre mops and with an innovative ergonomic microfibre system is proven to be effective. The question then is whether to invest in this type of system on a large scale.

It is fair to say that cleaning has a traditional background. Nevertheless, the

MOPPING days of kneeling on the floor scrubbing it with sand, soap and soda are now far behind us. This is why we should be careful not to be too resistant to innovations and instead encourage new inventions. The key aim here is to strike a balance between mechanical cleaning (where this is an option) and manual cleaning. It is likely that a combination of the two is unavoidable.

Human involvement Floor maintenance continues to require human thought and actions based on this.

Disruptions can be resolved without too much preparation and machines will never be able to determine what kind of maintenance is required or at what time. This requires staff training and education, which in turn requires more investment. All companies (and particularly cleaning companies) should view Les opérations de nettoyage de plancher font de plus en plus appel à des machines. Mais existe-t-il encore des applications qu’une seule personne munie d’une serpillère serait mieux à même d’accomplir ? Et quelles sont les évolutions techniques des matériaux et outils du balayage humide qui permettraient de rester à la hauteur des exigences de nettoyage d’aujourd’hui ?

this investment as their capital. This will enable floor maintenance knowledge and experience to be safeguarded for the future.

It should also be done using environmentallyfriendly products for the benefit of future generations. It is high time for cleaning to be considered a specialist profession which adds value. Machines and tools do indeed have to be used, but they can never substitute a motivated, professional workforce. www.greenspeed.eu mmer mehr Bodenreinigungsarbeiten werden jetzt mithilfe von Maschinen ausgeführt. Aber gibt es noch Anwendungen, bei denen nur eine Person mit einem Mopp die Arbeit am besten erledigt? Und wie entwickelt sich die Mopptechnologie, sowohl in Bezug auf Materialien als auch Werkzeuge, um für die modernen Reinigungsanforderungen relevant zu bleiben?

Sempre più operazioni di pulizia dei pavimenti vengono ora eseguite utilizzando delle macchine.

Ma ci sono ancora degli impieghi per i quali solo una persona con un mop esegue meglio il lavoro? E come si sta sviluppando la tecnologia dei mop sia in termini di materiali che di attrezzature in modo da essere sempre pertinenti alle esigenze delle pulizie di oggi?

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FLOOR PADS

The right pad for the job Just how important is the role of the floor pad in effective and productive floor care, and how vital is it to choose the correct pad for each application? Anette TherĂŠn at pad specialist Twister Cleaning Technology offers guidance on the right pad for each job, and takes a look at the most significant technological developments in recent years.

The role of the floor pad is at the very core of effective and productive floor care, and the right choice of pad for an application can prove to be a door opener to new business and partnerships.

Most professionals in the floor cleaning industry will concur that when it comes to floor care, the quality and efficiency of the cleaning process has a lot, if not everything, to do with three important factors - the equipment and products used, the person performing the cleaning and the time invested in the cleaning process.

With these three main factors in focus, as well as an overall increased interest in sustainable solutions, the floor cleaning industry is facing a great deal of complex challenges. The right pad and cleaning method can end up saving millions - not only translated from labour hours, but additionally in consumable cost savings and handling of consumable waste. When packaged as a sustainable solution, the right pad in the right place can win government tenders and corporate contracts thanks to the added green values, and even lock out competitors from competing for the same.

The role of the floor pad is therefore at the very core of effective and productive floor care, and the right choice of pad for a specific application can prove to be a door opener to new business and partnerships.

Key factors to look for in a pad Most customers will start by looking at the financial aspect, but looking at cost savings from a price point of view can prove to be misleading. The life span of the product and complexity of a system will most likely have a bigger impact on the total cleaning cost and productivity than the price per unit. In many cases a complex system may also deliver below average quality results, simply because the risk of human error during the cleaning process is too big.

Simplicity reduces risk of errors Simple, easily implemented methods and products fitting a wide range of floor types will lower the risks of producing unsatisfactory results. With a high turnover of staff in the cleaning industry, simple products with simple instructions that are

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quickly introduced and easily understood, have a better chance of resulting in effective and productive floor care.

The market is in no way saturated with products and we still see new pads being developed by manufacturers but we also see that the main selling point in most cases is whether the product will simplify a cleaning process, or if it adds a new step to an already implemented method.

The right pad - a problem solver In some cases the right pad for the job can be the key to solving a problem – whether the problem is a specifically sensitive environment or a floor with difficult cleaning properties. In some cases the right method can save an entire floor from being replaced, meaning great cost savings as well as green savings.

New development and trends Most new trends in the industry focus on problem solving and sustainability issues. The mega trends are primarily focused on cost and chemical savings, apart from sustainability as a whole.

Among the more noteworthy technological developments in the industry that fits the bill are floor pads suitable for a number of applications that can be used without involving chemicals and still perform as well, or even better, than the traditional chemical based methods. Diamond floor pads are the most well-known and most used, ranging from restoration, chemical free honing and stripping, to daily cleaning and buffing of floors. They basically cover all bases.

Sustainable solutions For the environment and the cleaning staff, as well as visitors in public areas, this is a positive development in many ways. Problems like not getting the chemical dose right - whether in daily floor cleaning, or when stripping a floor - may have many negative implications for the staff, the visitors and for the businesses.

If a cleaning solution is too diluted, surfaces do not get cleaned properly, which can result in unhappy users and inefficien-

FLOOR PADS cies as the cleaning has to be carried out again. In sensitive environments such as hospitals and schools, there is a possible risk of increase of illness and spreading of bacteria – both serious consequences.

In areas with patients with respiratory issues, the use of cleaning agents can be a big problem. A floor pad specifically designed to clean without chemicals will resolve many problems in these areas.

Obviously from a cost point of view, using too much chemicals is just as bad - expensive, inefficient and leaving sticky residue on the floor, making the environments less safe for everyone.

All these factors drive development in the floor pad industry to look very closely at ways to reduce chemicals, or exclude them altogether when possible. The main focus for chemical free cleaning is in daily cleaning where simple routines and fewer possibilities for errors, as well as cost savings, will have the biggest impact.

Chemical free Other welcome trends in the industry are chemical free stripping and restoration procedures for worn down floors. Often this means using diamond technology paired with more rigid pad materials.

These cleaning and restoration pads are specifically designed to prepare floor surfaces for further upgrading.

The rigid stripping and restoration pads have proven to be veritable floor savers and present a unique possibility to

Quelle est l’importance du tampon de nettoyage dans le soin efficace et productif de planchers et comment choisir le tampon qui convient pour chaque application ? ECJ propose des orientations et examine les évolutions technologiques les plus significatives des dernières années.

revive an etched and dulled down floor by bringing it back to a polished, high gloss look again.

During this process the surface can be gradually restored back to perfect finish without added costs: as the rigid pads simply replaces the daily cleaning pads during the surface preparation phase.

Following the finished preparation phase, daily cleaning pads can be reintroduced and the end result is thereafter maintained with the same diamond technology, but now transferred to a daily cleaning pad.

This means daily cleaning routines are never disturbed or changed. The whole procedure can be performed without the use of chemicals - cutting time and costs, keeping the floors available during the process and healthy for both visitors and cleaning staff throughout the entire restoration. This is obviously a dream scenario on busy floors with high traffic like a retail environment or a public airport.

a floor that will be easier to keep clean and the quality of the floor can be upheld with less effort and less aggressive methods.

When reducing invasive steps, such as restoration and periodic maintenance procedures, the lesser the total wear on the floor will be over time. This saves money, keeps the floor available and prolongs the life span of the floor, or in some cases prolongs the life span of applied floor coatings. The latter is just as important since coating a floor is both costly and means involving harsh, alkaline chemicals, while making the floor unavailable during the process.

In the end, what is most important is to be able to adjust to realities in a customer environment. A problem floor or a floor with a lower cleaning frequency might need a pad with better cleaning capabilities or a new methodology, rather than a polished surface. The truth still holds that a dirty floor will always wear down faster in the end.

Choosing the right pad

Where does this leave us?

The choice of the right pads and cleaning methods will also have a big impact on the total life span of a floor. The more aggressive the methods, the shorter the life span for the floor. This is one of the reasons behind the trend of multipurpose pads both cleaning and polishing in the same daily cleaning procedure.

A floor with a mechanically densified surface from daily micro-polishing, means

In a complex world with high turnover of employed cleaning staff, one of the core factors for good floor cleaning results is simplified cleaning methods with fewer error possibilities. To maintain healthy environments both for cleaning staff and visitors, we need to reduce chemical usage and we need to address sustainability on a bigger scale. This means accounting for life span of floors and floor coatings, as well as total waste management when choosing the right pad for an application.

The core factor for effective and productive floor care can therefore be described in one word – simplicity.

This does not necessarily mean the industry will experience a decrease of new pads being developed - rather the opposite. The market needs range to address the many challenges we face in order to uphold clean and healthy environments.

The conclusion to draw is rather choosing the right floor pad and method for an application should simplify implementation and the possibility to maintain good, consistent cleaning results. Because as we all know, the key to good productivity is business as usual and that, as well as great quality results, is what a good floor pad should be able to deliver. www.twisterpad.com

Wie wichtige ist die Rolle, die Bodenpads bei einer wirkungsvollen und produktiven Bodenpflege spielen, und wie wichtig ist es, die richtigen Pads für jede Anwendung auszuwählen? Das ECJ bietet Ratschläge für das richtige Pad zum jeweiligen Job und betrachtet die wichtigsten technologischen Entwicklungen der letzten Jahre.

Che importanza ha il ruolo dei dischi per pavimenti nella cura efficace e produttiva dei pavimenti e che importanza ha scegliere il corretto disco per ogni applicazione? ECJ offre consulenza sul disco adatto per ogni lavoro e prende in esame gli sviluppi tecnologici più significativi degli ultimi anni

Floorcare Focus - November 2017 | ECJ | 21

CARPETS

Ready to pull out the rug?

Carpets were once the last word in luxury flooring. But are hard floors gradually replacing them in upmarket hotels, restaurant and offices around the world, asks Ann Laffeaty?

“Design trends may change but there will always be a demand for the texture, colour and sense of luxury that carpets can bring to interior spaces.”

Fitted carpets were once considered to be the height of luxury. When man-made fibres were first introduced in the mid20th century it meant carpets could now be made from materials such as nylon and polyester. And they suddenly became much more affordable than the previous woollen products.

“Wall-to-wall carpeting” became a status symbol: a term that was synonymous with comfort and good living. And any office, hotel or shop that installed a fitted carpet was making a statement that nothing was too good for their customers.

But those were the days when the main alternative was cold, hard linoleum. There are many more options on the market today such as wood, vinyl, marble, tiles, terrazzo and laminates. And hard floors are now available in a growing number of styles and designs while also becoming easier to clean and maintain all the time.

Suddenly, hard floors are cutting-edge and carpets seem outdated in comparison.

So, does this mean that the carpet era is finally losing its magic?

Prochem’s sales manager Phil Jones thinks not. “The carpet industry is still buoyant,” he claims. “There are many specialist manufacturers out there producing bespoke quality floor coverings that contain fibres such as wool, bamboo and viscose. And carpets are still highly popular in areas such as the UK and Western Europe.”

He concedes that Mediterranean facilities often opt for hard flooring due to their climate. “Warm temperatures can make a carpet covering redundant,” he said. “Also, hard flooring is often considered to be easier to clean and maintain.

But those who opt for a hard floor in the hope of a problem-free future will find they lose the texture – and the love - that a carpeted floor can offer the property.

And many boutique hotels still choose carpets for the benefits they offer such as sound-proofing and the fact that they are deemed to be warmer and more comfortable underfoot.”

According to Jones, carpets can actually be easier to maintain than hard floors.

“The darker colours that tend to be chosen for public buildings will effectively hide the dirt, and this enables the facility to leave longer intervals between cleaning cycles,” he said. “Also, the choice of colours and patterns offered by carpet manufacturers vastly outstrips the range available from hard floor producers. And company logos or crests can be woven into the design of a carpet more easily which is a major benefit in environments such as hotels, golf clubs and spas.”

Easier to clean He adds that carpets can be easier to clean than hard floors when a regular cleaning regime is instigated from the outset. “Advances in cleaning technology enable large carpeted areas to be cleaned both quickly and efficiently,” he said. For example, Prochem’s S745 PROCAPS soil encapsulating spray cleaner is a maintenance product for use on wool carpets and rugs. It is said to maintain the attractive appearance of a carpet if sprayed on regularly and brushed away after a 20-minute drying time.

According to Jones, many hard floors incur a higher initial cost than soft floor coverings. “The true impact of cleaning a hard floor surface is not always appreciated until the flooring becomes soiled,” he said. “Ingrained soil in tiled grouting and a greater surface visibility of soil are two of the negative aspects of hard flooring. And noise levels also tend to be higher with a hard floor.”

However, he says carpets require specialist care along with a clear understanding of their properties. “They are great to have and can be easily maintained with only a basic level of training and the use of quality cleaning detergents,” he said.

He believes the carpet market to be as strong as ever. “The underfoot texture of a quality carpet is still the feeling many clients desire,” he said.

Carpeted floors tend to be more popular Continued page 24

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CARPETS Ready to pull out the rug? (continued)

in northern and central Europe than in the south according to Kärcher’s head of global sales Bettina Biebl.

“We do see a trend – in hotels in particular – towards providing a mix of carpeted areas and hard floors,” she said. “However, this is only the case in certain sectors. The number of hard floor options is increasing all the time, but this doesn’t appear to herald an end to carpeted floors.”

She says the ease of cleaning depends entirely on the kind of carpet or type of hard floor. “With the right maintenance programme you can effectively clean any floor, though it might have an impact on the amount of time you need to invest,” she said.

Carpets are safer and warmer and provide a higher level of insulation than hard floors while also absorbing noise and providing a “feel-good” factor, she says.

Disadvantages of hard floors on the other hand are that they may be slippery when wet and can lead to heat loss.

According to Biebl there are four distinct phases to a good carpet maintenance regime: preventative maintenance, which involves stopping the dirt from entering the facility; interim maintenance; restorative maintenance; and intensive cleaning.

“Some of these steps only need to be performed a few times a month or year but each of them protects and extends Il fut un temps où les moquettes étaient considérées comme un luxe. Mais vers le milieu du 20ème siècle, l’introduction de fibres synthétiques a permis de produire des moquettes en matériaux tels que le nylon et le polyester. Grâce à cette transformation, elles sont rapidement devenues moins chères que les produits précédemment fabriqués en laine. L’usage de moquettes, c’est-à-dire de tapis « mur à mur », prit une figure de symbole. Mais il se pourrait que les sols durs soient aujourd’hui en train de les remplacer dans des hôtels, restaurants et bureaux à travers le monde.

the life of your carpet investment,” she said. Kärcher offers a range of sweepers, vacuums and spray extraction machines for use on carpets.

Hard floors have made great inroads in the flooring industry – particularly in the hospitality sector according to Truvox international sales and marketing director Gordon McVean.

Whole-life approach “However the sleek, modernist design they produce is not without its challenges,” he said. “The reality is that carpets still have a huge appeal since hard floors can produce a clinical and noisy environment.”

Both hard and soft floors require a similar level of long-term maintenance, he said. “Carpets need deep cleaning while hard flooring needs stripping and resealing,” says McVean. “We advise clients to take a whole-life approach to their floor which means considering both the capital and running costs along with all aspects of the cleaning and maintenance plus any equipment required.”

The Truvox range includes products for daily vacuuming, spot and responsive cleaning and periodic deep cleaning. The company’s Cimex-Encap system uses a polymeric solution to encapsulate oily and sticky soils that can become embedded in carpet pile.

Teppichböden galten einmal als Gipfel des Luxus.

Nachdem Mitte des 20. Jahrhunderts Kunstfasern eingeführt wurden, konnten Teppiche daraufhin aus Materialien wie Nylon und Polyester hergestellt werden. Und das bedeutete, dass sie plötzlich viel erschwinglicher waren als die zuvor aus Wolle hergestellten Produkte. „Teppiche von Wand zu Wand“ wurden zu einem Statussymbol. Doch werden sie allmählich in gehobenen Hotels, Restaurants und Büros rund um die Welt von Hartböden ersetzt?

Floorcare Focus - November 2017 | ECJ | 24

McVean believes the carpet is here to stay. “Design trends may change but there will always be a demand for the texture, colour and sense of luxury that carpets can bring to interior spaces,” he said.

Global applications leader for Diversey Axel Schmitz has observed a gradual replacement of carpets with hard floors in hotels, restaurants and offices. “Hard floors now come with a range of mill finishes and offer a long life plus maintenance-free cleaning,” he said. “There is also a much wider variety of colours and structures available along with many more design options than there used to be.”

He believes the cleaning and maintenance of hard floors can be carried out more productively and effectively than carpets. “This is particularly the case in the healthcare sector where it is easier to disinfect hard floors,” he said.

Diversey offers products for daily and periodical cleaning as well as vacuuming, spot cleaning, dry foam cleaning, encapsulation cleaning and spray extraction products.

Opinion seems to be split regarding the popularity – or otherwise - of carpets.

However a recent study revealed that carpet accounted for a healthy 41.2 per cent of the commercial flooring market in the US last year. On the other hand the study, carried out by BCC Research, also claimed that demand for hard floors was increasing in line with improvements to hardwood durability and surface technologies.

A UK report in Contract Flooring Journal also reported increasing interest in the hard floor sector with laminates cited as a strong driver for growth. However, this report also noted that demand for carpet had stabilised after a period of steady decline and claimed that carpet still accounted for 56 per cent of the UK’s contract flooring market in 2016.

So, despite strong competition from the hard floor sector it appears that carpet remains a highly viable option. And as manufacturers of both carpets and hard floors strive to improve their offerings it means the customer will have more choice - while the floorcare sector will remain healthy across the board.

La moquette era una volta considerata il massimo del lusso. Quando le fibre sintetiche vennero introdotte per la prima volta a metà del 20° secolo si è potuto produrre le moquette con materiali tipo il nylon e il poliestere. Immediatamente le moquette diventarono molto più economiche di quelle prodotte in lana.

“Moquette ovunque” diventò uno status symbol. Ma i pavimenti duri stanno gradatamente rimpiazzando la moquette in hotel di lusso, ristoranti e uffici in tutto il mondo?

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