The pressure washer market has strengthened over the last few years, driven by increased demands for the cleaning of sanitary areas and outdoor premises. Sustainability has also risen sharply on the agenda of many businesses, encouraging the market to develop systems that help customers meet their targets without having to compromise on cleaning performance.
Climate change is an accepted reality. We can see its impact in the increased frequency of extreme weather events, in the heatwaves, flooding and bush fires. Delaying action is no longer an option and governments are legislating to tackle the problem. Lorcan Mekitarian, chair of the CHSA, offers some timely advice.
Ride-on and Walk-behind Scrubber Dryers
Ride-on and Walk-behind Sweepers
Vacuum Cleaners
Combination Scrubber-Sweeper Machines
Robotic Cleaning Machines
Carpet Cleaners
EC-H2O Chemical Free Technology
During the pandemic, the cleaning sector became very good at telling – and showing – the wider world what it does, 24-hours a day, to keep premises, transport systems – the general public – safe and protected. Not only did this help in restoring confidence to building users and travellers during and immediately after the pandemic, but it also helped raise the profile of the cleaning sector. Initiatives such as the formation of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Cleaning & Hygiene evolved from the heightened profile our sector received when it was seen as providing a ‘critical’ service.
A few months on and we seem to have forgotten the importance of positive messaging. I recently read an article concerning the sharp increase in escalator accidents the London Underground has witnessed since the pandemic, where ‘do not touch’ messaging stopped passengers from using the escalator handrails. Now we’re seeing ‘please hold on’ messaging plastered all over tube stations in a desperate attempt to encourage passengers to use the handrails and, in turn, reduce the number of people falling. But there’s much more to it than that. TfL, the operator of the London Underground network, has installed disinfection systems that continuously clean and sanitise escalator handrails but nobody knows about it. Where are the signs – ideally modern digital signage solutions – conveying the message that you can hold on because modern technology is being used to keep you safe? There are new solutions coming to market in a matter of months that will address this problem, combining advanced technology with clear digital signage designed to inform users that the escalator, lift or area they are using is being protected by advanced technology. This is the positive messaging that our sector
needs – reminding the public that the cleaning sector provides a cutting-edge and essential service that is constantly working to keep them safe.
As it becomes increasingly difficult to recruit cleaning staff the sector needs to compete with other apparently more glamorous service sectors to attract the best people. The use of cobotics will doubtless assist but the inevitability of the current recruitment crisis is that the public will see fewer people cleaning. Digital signage can play an important part in improving the perception and public confidence in using a facility – ‘although you might not be able to see a uniformed cleaning operative, here's a reminder of how we’re using technology to keep you safe’.
Let’s make sure that we continue to bang the drum, making a noise about our sector and the wonderful professionals that deliver a first-class service. BBC News might have lost interest, the government might have decided cleaning is no longer a vote-winner, but the public still want to know that everywhere they go and everything they touch is being protected and that their wellbeing is always front of mind.
I wish you a clean, tidy and healthy month ahead.
Neil Nixon, Editor Cleaning & Maintenance Magazine
INDUSTRY NEWS
In the news this month… Research shows 73% of FMs struggling to source labour, Cleanology launches industry fundraiser event, Singapore to host ‘world’s first global hygiene summit’.
CONTRACTS
We take a look at all the latest contracts awarded across the industry.
PEOPLE
Personnel news and new appointments from across the cleaning and FM sectors.
SPECIAL REPORT: A FRAMEWORK FOR A MODERN BUSINESS STRATEGY: THE CHSA’S ROADMAP TO SUSTAINABILITY
Climate change is an accepted reality. We can see its impact in the increased frequency of extreme weather events, in the heatwaves, flooding and bush fires. Delaying action is no longer an option and governments are legislating to tackle the problem.
SPECIAL REPORT: HOW ‘TALKING’ HAND SANITISER DISPENSERS HELPED THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES BOOST HYGIENE CONFIDENCE.
During the recently-completed Commonwealth Games staged in Birmingham, Dettol installed more than 100 ‘talking’ hand sanitiser dispensers as an innovative way to drive better hygiene behaviours using science-backed protocols.
SPECIAL REPORT: HOW BUSINESSES CAN FILL THE GAP LEFT BY UNDER-FUNDED PUBLIC TOILET FACILITIES
Matt Anderson, director of Velair, reports.
NEW PRODUCTS
An overview of some of the new products available on the market this month.
03 Editor’s Comment
A look at the cleaning sector this month.
13 BICSc Comment
‘Good manners cost nothing’ – but good standards are a different matter. Stan Atkins, CEO of BICSc, reports.
14 BCC Comment
What impact will the Glue Traps (Offences) Act have?
Ian Andrew, CEO of the BPCA, reports.
15 Contractor’s blog Lee Andrews reports.
SPECIAL REPORT: THE IMPORTANCE OF CHOOSING THE BEST QUALITY HAND SANITISERS
Sam Greaves, MD and fourth generation owner of The Cleenol Group, a manufacturer and supplier of commercial and industrial cleaning and hygiene products, reports.
FEATURE: PRESSURE WASHERS, STREET CLEANING & GRAFFITI REMOVAL
The pressure washer market has strengthened over the last few years, driven by increased demands for the cleaning of sanitary areas and outdoor premises. Sustainability has also risen sharply on the agenda of many businesses, encouraging the market to develop systems that help customers meet their targets without having to compromise on cleaning performance.
LABOUR sourcing is the top obstacle for FM professionals when providing cleaning services of the right quality, according to a new report by SoftBank Robotics EMEA, a leader in collaborative robotics (cobotics).
Nearly half (46%) ranked it higher than traditional barriers such as ‘cost margins’ (24%) and ‘demonstrating value’ (22%), with almost three in four respondents (73%) in total reporting that they ‘always’ or ‘regularly’ have difficulty sourcing labour.
To help guide FM in designing solutions that address the labour shortage and generate better outcomes for businesses, employees and consumers, SoftBank Robotics undertook a survey of FM professionals with the help of online FM resource i-FM in the spring of 2022 to learn how the current labour shortage is impacting the sector, the biggest challenges FM professionals now face and the challenges to technology adoption.
When asked about the biggest barriers to sourcing labour, the most popular answers in the i-FM survey were ‘changes to immigration’ (27%) and ‘employee expectations over pay,
benefits and working conditions’ (27%), followed by ‘cleaning industry image’ (18%).
At a time when new technologies could provide the solution to the cleaning sector’s labour sourcing woes, SoftBank’s research revealed a significant knowledge gap in its adoption. Despite 79% agreeing that realtime data for measuring cleaning services is important, one in three (30%) lack confidence or knowledge of what’s available.
When i-FM’s respondents were asked to name the biggest challenges in identifying and implementing new technology, the joint most popular answers were ‘cost’ and ‘demonstrating ROI’, both at 26%. Linked to these areas is the challenge of organisational buy, cited as a key barrier for 15% of FMs.
To offer an additional layer of context, SoftBank Robotics also surveyed 2000 employees on their expectations around cleanliness in the buildings they occupy, from offices and hotels to coffee shops and restaurants. The results revealed that 62% would like to know what a business is doing about hygiene and cleanliness when they
enter its premises, and 71% would like visual reassurance of cleaning regimes in the buildings they enter.
As a result, there appears to be a disconnect between employee expectations and employer aspirations. Stefano Bensi, general manager of SoftBank Robotics EMEA, said: “There seems to be a paradox at play. Demand for cleaning services has never been higher at a time of a soaring labour crisis. Additionally, increasing employee expectations concerning cleanliness and hygiene has resulted in the FM profession experiencing both a challenge and an opportunity. Forward thinking FMs are exploring a number of innovative strategies to stay relevant, including the adoption of cobotic technologies.”
You can download the report here: HTTPS://EMEA.SOFTBANKROBOTICS.COM/ CLEANING/WHIZ
CLEANOLOGY has brought together some of the biggest names in the cleaning and FM industry to support the launch of a new annual fundraising event in aid of The Hygiene Bank.
In September 2021, Cleanology held its first charity event which raised over £14,000 for The Hygiene Bank, a national charity that alleviates poverty by providing hygiene products to those in need. Due to the success of that event, the wide publicity generated and the amount of money raised through the raffle and auction,
CEO of Cleanology, Dominic Ponniah is looking to make a bigger impact this year.
This year’s event has been backed by six industry businesses: Bridge Recruitment, Cleenol Group, Darwin Clayton, Liberty Hygiene, Truvox International, and Zep. They will join Cleanology in welcoming industry representatives to the private dining room of the Ivy Restaurant in central London on 27 September 2022, where guests will enjoy networking, drinks and canapes, a lively auction, and raffle.
Cleanology CEO, Dominic Ponniah, said: “Last year was our first fundraising event, and we managed to raise a staggering £14,000. This year, with these fantastic sponsors on board, we plan to make an even greater impact. I am incredibly grateful to all our sponsors for getting behind this important cause.”
Tom Poynter, UK chairman of The Hygiene Bank, said: "We are thrilled to be working with Cleanology again to raise vital funds to tackle hygiene poverty. With the cost-of-living crisis pushing more of
us to make increasingly tough decisions, these partnerships with brands and corporates are more important than ever. Cleanology champions this collaborative approach to tackling hygiene poverty, enabling and empowering brands and corporates of all sizes to make a real difference to communities throughout the UK."
Dominic Ponniah welcomed the support of the six sponsors: “This commitment brings valuable extra funds, but we are also excited to be able to work collaboratively to tackle such an important issue. Figures show that one in three people have to go without hygiene essentials and, sadly, as the cost-of-living rises, we can only expect to see this number increase. The Hygiene Bank is really on the front line in supporting people through real crisis, and we welcome any companies that would like to join us to fight hygiene poverty.”
Tickets are £38 + vat each and available on Eventbrite, with all profits donated to The Hygiene Bank:
WWW.EVENTBRITE.CO.UK/E/383940886527
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THE Global Hygiene Summit 2023, organised in partnership with the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (Singapore) and in collaboration with the World Bank, is being hosted in Singapore on 15 and 16 February 2023.
The Reckitt Global Hygiene Institute (RGHI), a not-for-profit foundation that was established in 2020 with a multi-year $25 million grant from Reckitt, is focussed on plugging significant gaps in the health research space and improving access to information that will bridge epidemiology, public health and behaviour change. The Global Hygiene Summit will align with this aim by informing the global health agenda, stimulating discussion that could lead to the adoption of better and more sustainable hygienic practises globally.
The event is designed to create a forum for multi-level and multi-disciplinary discussions around hygiene science, behaviour, economics, and real-world experiences and outcomes. It will bring together scientists, politicians, the private sector, and civil society to generate impact through the intersection between health and hygiene - which is vital to safeguarding the physical and economic wellbeing of populations worldwide, through COVID-19 and beyond.
Professor Yee Sin Leo, executive director at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases, said: “Hygiene generally refers to conditions
and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases. Despite its intimate link to health, hygiene is ill-defined and often intertwined with socioeconomic status, and cultural beliefs and practices. Hygiene is a fundamental pre-requisite for sustainable public health and with our dual mission of clinical and public health, NCID is pleased to partner for this inaugural summit in Singapore. Leveraging on prominent stakeholders, this summit will elevate hygiene to the highest global agenda in promoting and sustaining health.”
RGHI is already funding a multitude of projects, with the first body of completed RGHIfunded research recently published in Nature Communications. The research produced by scientists at the Yale Center on Climate Change and Health and the Yale School of Public Health
focuses on the connection between long-term drought and diarrhoea among children under five in low- and middle-income countries.
“This kind of research is exactly why RGHI was established,” said Dr Simon Sinclair, RGHI executive director. “We need concrete data that points to a course of action that governments can take to better safeguard public health. The Global Hygiene Summit will create a positive and stimulating environment that aims to persuade the various hygiene stakeholders that working together will, ultimately, create a stronger voice for change. By articulating the shape and importance of the hygiene field and the value of rigorous science, and by creating positive changes in hygiene behaviours, the Global Hygiene Summit will convene a community of practice around hygiene that can effectively influence policy makers.”
In order to deliver a coordinated approach, the Global Hygiene Summit will use three themes across its programme: practice, policy and science. Planned plenary sessions include: Hygiene: a new approach for the 21st century; Global burden (on wellness) through the hygiene lens; Synthesising lessons towards an actionable plan for global hygiene; and Creating hygiene champions.
WWW.GLOBALHYGIENESUMMIT.ORG
RUBBERMAID Commercial Products LLC (RCP), part of the Newell Brands global portfolio of brands, has launched its brand sustainability vision with a roadmap outlining global, tangible pledges the organisation is making as it continues its journey toward operating as sustainably as possible.
Through its Love Sustainability Journey, RCP is creating transparent conversation around sustainable practices and goals. The Love Sustainability Journey charts a plan for progress.
“Our Love Sustainability Journey is the first step to engaging our customers regarding everything that Rubbermaid Commercial Products is doing globally to ensure we operate as sustainably as we can,’’ said Mike McDermott, CEO of the commercial group at Newell Brands.
As a global leader in the design, manufacture and delivery of cleaning, hygiene and waste management products, RCP has a
significant sustainability role to play at both ends of the process: protecting resources and reducing waste. Mapping a path across five key areas - products, certification and innovation, packaging, operations, and culture and education - the Sustainability Journey begins the important process of outlining
how RCP and other businesses can make incremental gains. Identifying quantifiable and clear targets is key to RCP’s approach. In addition to aligning itself with Newell Brands’ corporate citizenship goals, RCP is also committing to developing and tracking goals specifically related to its product portfolio, and the associated operations, packaging and certification. Mike McDermott continued:
‘’RCP has a heritage of developing highly durable products that stand the test of time. This equates to less re-manufacture, less transport and less storage than lower quality alternative products that frequently need replacing. All of which is better for the planet. We know, as a manufacturing business, we can’t stop there.’’
The Love Sustainability Journey is now available to download.
WWW.RUBBERMAID.EU
THE sustainability credentials of Tork manufacturer Essity have been recognised in a number of recent awards and accolades. The company is featured in the 2022 FTSE4Good global sustainability index and was awarded a Platinum Medal in the 2022 Ecovadis CSR Rating. This places Essity in the top 1% of all companies to be assessed by Ecovadis.
Essity also won joint first prize in the ‘SustainabilityBest Practice’ category at the European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards held in Brussels in April. The company was further recognised at this year’s Amsterdam Interclean with an
award in the ‘Sustainability and Environment’ category.
“Sustainability is at the core of our business strategy, so we are delighted to have been in receipt of these prestigious awards and accolades,” said Reneé Remijnse, Essity’s professional hygiene, sustainability communications director. “As a global leader in professional hygiene it is our mission to facilitate a sustainable life while you are away from home. And this we do by coming up with circular solutions, creating more from less and by improving the wellbeing of employees in the workplace.”
WWW.TORK.CO.UK
THE organisers behind the European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards have revealed that the awards event will take place in Dublin in 2023. The pan-European awards, which celebrate the service providers, manufacturers and distributors from Europe’s cleaning and hygiene sector, will take place on Thursday 5 October at The Round Room at The Mansion House.
Michelle Marshall, organiser of the awards programme, said: “After
an incredible event in Brussels earlier this year, we are delighted to reveal our plans for the 2023 event. Dublin is a fantastic city, and The Round Room at The Mansion House is really special. It promises to be a brilliant night, where we can bring our industry together once again, and celebrate all the achievements made during the coming year. Entries will open in September so stay tuned to hear more about how to enter then.”
WWW.ECHAWARDS.COM
HILLBRUSH has passed the auditing process and secured admission to the Cleaning & Hygiene Suppliers Association (CHSA) Accreditation Scheme for Manufacturers. Admission to the CHSA highlights Hillbrush’s commitment to maintaining standards and ethical trading as outlined in the CHSA’s rigorous code of practice.
Charlie Coward, manging director at Hillbrush, said: “We are delighted to have passed the audit and secured membership of the CHSA accreditation scheme. Membership signals our commitment to quality, ensuring that our customers can be certain it runs through our products and our business.”
Mike Stubbs, chairman of the CHSA’s accreditation schemes programme, said: “At the heart of the CHSA is its determination to maintain standards and ethical practices. This philosophy is embedded in our code of practice, signed by every CHSA member. With this in mind we are delighted to welcome Hillbrush into the accreditation scheme. The audit confirmed they meet the stringent requirements
of our accreditation schemes and comply with our code of practice. Their customers can be certain they get what they pay for and product that conforms to the specifications stipulated in the scheme.”
The CHSA’s accreditation schemes for manufacturers of paper-based and woven products, plastic-based products, cotton-based products, cleaning and hygiene chemicals, and general manufacturers, together with the Accredited Distributor Scheme, give buyers the certainty that ‘what’s on the box is what’s in the box’. Buyers simply need to look for the accreditation scheme logos.
WWW.HILLBRUSH.COM
DAWSONGROUP has unveiled a new name for its fleet division, Dawsongroup emc, as it gears up for expansion into new sectors.
Following significant growth over the past 17 years, the firm - previously known as
Dawsongroup Sweepers - has renamed the business to reflect the diversity of its growing vehicle range. Dawsongroup emc has expanded into numerous sectors in recent years, offering a fleet of municipal, industrial and specialist vehicles to public and private sector companies. Since Dawsongroup acquired the business in 2005, it has grown beyond its roots as a sweeper company, and now its extensive range includes sweepers, tipper grabs, gully tankers, RCVs, hotboxes, tippers and caged tippers, suction excavators, and hook loaders.
The business has also recently made a multimillion-pound investment into alternative fuels,
PRINCIPLE Windows, the vertical cleaning division of Principle Cleaning Services, has become the second largest window cleaning operation in the UK. The division, which employs over 100 people and has a turnover of over £7 million, has a market share of 3.4% according to an industry report by IBISWorld.
Principle Windows has grown from humble beginnings in 2013 when it had four employees sourced from East London Business Alliance - a non-profit making organisation, which gives local people the opportunity to get back to work. It is now IRATA accredited and has a group of IRATA-trained abseilers, a five-strong
management team, a technical lead, and full-time safety and administrative support. Principle Windows also launched a centre of excellence facility in Stratford in 2019 and has developed bespoke, real time reporting through its drop marking platform.
David Saville, managing director of vertical at Principle Cleaning Services, said: “For our window cleaning operation to be the second largest in the UK in a highly competitive industry is significant, particularly when our portfolio currently only covers the London market. Although we operate in a mature sector with many operators, our strategy is to
bringing a range of zero emission electric road sweepers to market.
Paul Beddows, the company’s director of sales, said: “Over the past 17 years, the business has become about so much more than road sweepers. We have built a marketleading fleet, spanning a range of sectors in both the public and private sectors. Today, as we gear up to expand even further with new launches in the pipeline, we are delighted to unveil our new name, which perfectly reflects our growth story so far, and where we are going in the very near future.”
WWW.DAWSONGROUP.CO.UK
continue to grow organically through continued investment in our people, innovation, sustainability, and the use of technology to deliver even greater benefits for our clients.”
WWW.PRINCIPLECLEAN.COM
14FORTY , part of Compass Group UK and Ireland, has won a new contract with online retailer, N Brown Group plc, to provide catering, cleaning and security services across its three UK sites. The agreement is a multi-year deal and will see 14forty consolidate operations from three separate companies into a single contract, welcoming around 100 staff.
N Brown Group, which specialises in clothing and footwear as well as furniture and electronics, owns brands such as Jacamo, JD Williams and Simply Be. It has nearly 2000
employees working across its headquarters in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, as well as distribution centres in Oldham and Glossop.
Ken Mellis, head of workplace facilities and engineering at N Brown, said: “Our intention was to look at the market with a view of improving the service and bringing more innovation to our colleagues. 14forty successfully demonstrated the financial and operational benefits of consolidating the services, as well as its proven track record in this arena. We were also impressed with 14forty’s environmental credentials, with
its commitment to reducing waste and carbon emissions, and achieving Net
Zero status by 2030 which aligns with N Brown’s own ESG agenda. The company delivered a winning pitch, and its size means it has the capacity to take on more services for us if required. This clinched it for us, so we were delighted to award 14forty the work in its entirety.”
WWW.14FORTY.CO.UK
HYDRO Systems has been supplying Belmont Laundry with a Hydro Connect system since 2021. The system includes three tunnel washers, each equipped with a Hydro Tunnel Washer 10000 dispensing system, and four washer extractors equipped with a single Hydro Multi-Washer 10000 dispensing system. Following an initial trial
period, Belmont was so impressed with Hydro Connect that it insisted that it be included as an ongoing part of its chemical and dispensing package.
Belmont Laundry is a family run, independent commercial laundry founded over 30 years ago. When “Accessing data about your business is incredibly powerful,”
said John Goetz, global product manager, Hydro Systems. “Pinpointing operational processes that are underperforming, supporting predictive maintenance and enhancing your commitment to sustainability are crucial to drive the efficiencies required to remain competitive.”
WWW.HYDROSYSTEMSCO.COM
By using PCR (post-consumer recycled) plastic containers for our Natural range of cleaning solutions we – and you – are doing our bit for the environment. PCR reuses recovered plastics such as singleuse items found discarded on our beaches and in our countryside.
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effectiveness;
Our carefully formulated range of Natural cleaning solutions gives you the best cleaning results so you won’t be sacrificing effectiveness; in fact your customers will love you for your dedication to cleaner carpets and a cleaner planet.
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VECTAIR Systems, a leading innovator, manufacturer and supplier of aircare and hygiene products worldwide, has welcomed Chelsey Schwartz to its leadership team as vice president of marketing.
Founded over 30 years ago, Vectair Systems now delivers sanitary and scent solutions to more than 100 countries
In her new role, Chelsey will drive innovation and business growth. She brings global experience in the cleaning sector where she has a track record of successfully leading marketing
and business strategy, partnership growth and innovation development. She will be based in Minneapolis, USA.
Peter Lipke, CEO, Vectair Systems, said: “Chelsey is a great addition to our executive leadership team. She has a strong background in channel, strategy and co-leading global innovation efforts. Chelsey is also a great culture fit for us - our strong desire to solve customer challenges and work closely with our internal teams and customers will bode well for Chelsey’s leadership style.”
TENNANT UK has welcomed Peter Tye as its new country manager following the retirement of Nick Hayes. Peter joins Tennant from Renault Trucks UK and Ireland where he was the used truck and rental director.
A qualified accountant, Peter has strong commercial skills and experience in leading both franchised and owned multi-site operations, driving innovation and growth through focused
investment in people, customers, distribution networks, and new services.
Nick Hayes, who retired on 1 August after 12 years of service to Tennant, was actively involved in the recruitment of Peter.
Peter Tye said: “I’ve already met with a number of key people within Tennant Company and there is a collective expertise and passion that runs throughout the company. I’m very excited
OLIVIA Baker, Liam Shepherd and Rebecca Griffiths have been selected as the recipients of the Cleaning & Hygiene Suppliers Association’s (CHSA) 2022 Undergraduate Bursary. 14 young people have benefited from the bursary while at university since it was rejuvenated in 2016. Each receives £4500, £1500 being paid at the start of each academic year or the first three years if the degree is longer.
Applicants were assessed by a judging panel, led by CHSA vice president and treasurer, David Garcia, according to need, worthiness, endeavour, and overall performance. David
said: “The bursary is a highlight of our year. It’s exciting to meet the talented young people and hear about their hard work and aspirations for the future. Each one exhibited hard work and a determination to achieve. With 10 applicants for three bursaries, it was inevitable some would be disappointed. The final decision was incredibly challenging because we were impressed by everyone. All the applicants should feel amazingly proud of themselves. We wish the final three, and indeed all the applicants, every success at university and in their future careers.”
KINGDOM Cleaning has promoted a former apprentice to its group sales team. Sam Tregidgo, who joined Kingdom at just 16 years old whilst completing his NVQ level 2 business administration qualification, has been promoted to bid support administrator.
Over the past five years with Kingdom, Sam has gained invaluable skills and knowledge that have allowed him to progress into his
new role. Sam's new responsibilities include assisting with new bids for tenders and effectively providing administrative support to the sales team.
Group sales and commercial director, Jaimie Potts, said: "Since I joined Kingdom, Sam has stood out as someone who is incredibly enthusiastic about the business and future success. His continued progression and
Chelsey Schwartz said: “I’m thrilled to be joining a company known for its innovative spirit and continuing to bring that forward as we look to the next 30 years of the aircare and hygiene industry. I look forward to working with Vectair’s team of experts, digging into the needs of our customers and partners to develop innovative solutions that make their lives easier.”
WWW.VECTAIRSYSTEMS.COM
to be a part of such a recognised leader in the cleaning machine industry and I’m looking forward to being part of the team that delivers our products and services to our customers.”
WWW.UK.TENNANTCO.COM
WWW.CHSA.CO.UK
appetite to develop made this appointment very easy. I'm delighted that Sam is now part of the group sales team. Sam is a shining example of what can be achieved through selfmotivation and dedication. With a great team behind him and the backing of Kingdom, who are committed to investing in their people, he has progressed into a major role.”
WWW.KINGDOM.CO.UK/CLEANING
I went to an average secondary modern school (for boys). The headmaster and his original team of teachers all had exacting standards which they maintained. So, for example, if you walked around the quadrangle anti-clockwise rather than clockwise, prefects would give you 100 lines and woe betide you if you cut across the quadrangle - walked diagonally - that was 300 lines! Literally, everybody knew where they stood and the school motto by the way was ‘Manners maketh the man’.
I can remember on warm summer days in the late 1960s, at morning assembly, you were fortunate if Mr Morgan, the headmaster, having read the weather forecast in that day’s edition of The Times newspaper, gave permission that ‘today boys, you may remove your school tie if you wish’.
People say those standards no longer apply in this day and age and they are probably correct, but what standards do apply? Usually, it’s a standard of the lowest common
denominator and, unfortunately, that is not good enough when it comes to cleaning and hygiene standards.
As I have written about before, there is now a woeful lack of public conveniences in this country, so if you are out shopping in an unfamiliar town, often you have to buy a cup of tea or coffee to access what are generally known as ‘away from home’ toilets. Generally, but not always, the standard of cleaning leaves a lot to be desired. They are usually unisex/ disabled toilets and I often feel for disabled and female users and even more for the parent who is using the baby change facilities. You will often see a food hygiene rating of 4 or 5 stars on the door - let’s face it you never see one with 1 or 2 stars - but they obviously do not inspect the customer toilets. Where is the standard here then?
It is a known fact that graffiti attracts graffiti and litter attracts litter, so where have all the litter bins gone? Often at transport termini,
for example, it is stated that there is reduced capacity for waste bins due to security issues. However, the train service I use to travel to and from London has waste bins in every carriage so draw your own conclusions. I feel I must state though that my train operator has an onboard cleaning operative whose main task is to empty the litter bins and pick up loose litter. This operation maintains an acceptable level during the course of the operating day.
Often a way of reducing costs is to reduce frequencies of cleaning - in other words, it is not how clean you want something to be, it is how dirty you are prepared to accept it. Also, to be factored into this is the lifetime cost and replacement. Taking one line from our mission statement, ‘preserving assets’ should be seen as an investment not a cost.
For further information, please visit: WWW.BICS.ORG.UK and the BICSc Virtual Training Suite at BBS-VIRTUAL-TRAINING. THINKIFIC.COM
‘Good
GLUE traps are trays coated with sticky adhesive and used to catch pests. Having been at the forefront of the battle to keep glue traps for professional use, the BPCA has heard all the arguments for and against them.
It’s fair to say most glue trap misuse comes from amateur users and not professionals, so we agree that stopping amateur use of rodent glue traps can only be a good thing. But as public health professionals we had to consider the implications a total ban would have.
Pest professionals use glue traps for the rapid control of infestations on sensitive sites, like hospital wards and care homes. These are often sites with extremely vulnerable people, who are more at risk from diseases carried by pests, such as Salmonella and Listeria. This is why we lobbied for a licensing system to keep these tools in the kits of professional pest technicians.
Our concern was that if you remove a fast and effective tool from the toolkit, we might end up with more rodent activity in those sensitive sites, particularly around food. No one wants an extra helping of rat poop in their porridge!
Skip to April this year and the Bill became law, after receiving Royal Assent. But our lobbying was successful and glue traps will still be available to professionals under a licensing scheme in England. We are still in conversation
with the devolved nations. Government ministers in Scotland and Wales are calling for an outright ban. No ban is being considered in Northern Ireland currently.
The Glue Traps (Offences) Act will ensure licences to use them are only issued to professional pest controllers on ‘an exceptional basis’. Anyone found to have used a trap without a licence could face up to six months in prison and/or an unlimited fine. The ban will come into force by April 2024.
Currently glue traps are still on the shelves, with a lead-in period of two years set by the Government, giving them time to create the licensing system and take glue traps off sale for the public. However, there are still some concerns that we share with our members.
The details of the licensing scheme have yet to be decided and we have a considerable interest in making sure that the system is workable. What do we mean by that? As mentioned, glue traps are used in situations where rapid control is needed, before infestations get out of control. For example, one breeding pair of rats has, on average, around eight kittens per litter, two litters in two months and within a year, with no control measures in place and the kittens now breeding, you're looking at over 1000 rats.
You can see why time is of the essence, and if licences are issued on a case-by-case basis, this could render glue traps useless. You’ve now got an established infestation that’s going to take much longer to control and people’s health will be at risk.
We’ve always understood the concerns of animal welfare groups on the subject of glue traps, but professional pest controllers need to have the tools to protect public health and that has to be our priority. They’re right - in the wrong hands, these can be nasty tools with potentially disastrous consequences for non-target and target species. But a licensing scheme that works is now critical in order for our industry to continue to protect the health of the general public.
Could your organisation lend support to the BPCA? We’re on the lookout for allies to put up their hands and support the continued use of glue traps for professionals. Please reach out to me to start an informal and confidential conversation: ian@bpca.org.uk
WWW.BPCA.ORG.UK
The BPCA is a member of the British Cleaning Council. The views of Council members are their own.
STAN Atkins of BICSc is one of many leading lights to write recently about dignity and respect for cleaning staff. The two issues are directly related, of course. You could say that dignity is a sense of self-respect and comes partly from others respecting you. The problem is that it is very easy to undermine. It relies to an extent on acknowledgment and recognition by others and it angers us, as contractors, when we hear about staff whose achievements or contributions are belittled, or who are undeservedly made to feel undervalued. To change the attitude of the ‘perpetrators’ is an uphill task. Sadly, there is always going to be a section of society who lack the grace or awareness to recognise the work of cleaning staff. All you can say is that, thankfully, there is a slowly growing number out there who do take the time to acknowledge our teams.
Nonetheless, this is an important issue and is core to one of our industry’s fundamental challenges – how to raise the profile of cleaning as a distinct, professional industry in which people feel encouraged to develop careers.
It is a two-part challenge. The first is easy to address and is entirely within our own hands. The root of disrespect for cleaning staff is often a perception that
they are unskilled and it falls to us to ensure that this is not the case by ensuring all staff receive the training needed to complete their current role and then to progress up the ladder. Software-based training such as UhUb, or training resources available from City and Guilds or BICSc, mean there is no excuse nowadays for not making training accessible to 100% of staff at all levels of a company.
The second part of the challenge is trickier, however. There still seems to be a perception at high levels within the UK establishment that cleaning does not merit a seat at the table of recognised, let alone critical industries. Despite the hard work done to establish the All-Party Parliamentary Group, I am of the understanding that it has proved mightily difficult to get an official apprenticeship in front-line cleaning skills approved by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (although at the time of writing it is hoped that good news may be forthcoming on the use of the Apprenticeship Levy to fund wider training in the autumn). This has continually felt like a rebuffal of the idea that cleaning is a skilled occupation and is reinforced, so we hear, by the Government’s reluctance to engage with the industry
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on the controlled admission of foreign citizens to work in the UK as cleaning operatives in the aftermath of the Immigration Act.
If it does become possible to use the full Apprenticeship Levy to fund front-line training, as I sincerely hope is the case, it will be a major boost. At the moment, contractors are effectively paying twice for training and upskilling – once through the statutory Levy contributions and a second time to pay those who actually deliver the training, but who are not Levyaccredited training organisations.
The results of such a change in the way the Levy can be used would, in my opinion, have three positive effects: firstly to offer a variety of recognised awards to all cleaning operatives, supervisors and managers, which would increase the self-esteem of the employee; secondly to free up some of the ever-dwindling budgets of contractors, allowing them to be invested in pay rates, employee welfare schemes and ESG initiatives; and thirdly, to improve upon the image of the cleaning industry by giving us the ability to demonstrate the unquestioned professionalism of our many employees.
WWW.DOCCLEANING.COM
Climate change is an accepted reality. We can see its impact in the increased frequency of extreme weather events, in the heatwaves, flooding and bush fires. Delaying action is no longer an option and governments are legislating to tackle the problem. The Plastic Packaging Tax came into force this year. Next year the EU will implement the Non-Financial Reporting Directive, which will require organisations to report on environmental issues, and in 2024 the UK government will introduce Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging.
Businesses in our sector are responding, but they face complex and difficult challenges. The cost of fuel and raw materials is soaring, and a lack of available talent is limiting growth in some sectors of our industry. Managing the commercial reality of running a business in our competitive industry in the context of these challenges leaves little space for developing and implementing an effective sustainability strategy. But we can’t ignore it. Collectively, we must meet the targets of COP 26, which include global net zero by the middle of the century.
An authentic sustainability story is also now important to long-term success. Increasingly able to spot greenwashing, stakeholdersincluding shareholders and customers - are demanding genuine sustainability strategies. Today’s employees are also looking for meaning in their work. True sustainability at the heart of the business can be a magnet for talent and inspire loyalty.
Our Roadmap to Sustainability has been designed by our members for our members. It offers a practical framework they and others in the sector can use to progress towards ethically and environmentally sustainable practices, policies and procedures, whatever their starting position.
At its core, ethical and environmental sustainability is about creating products or services that are not wasteful at any point in their lifecycle, from inception to the end of life. Our Roadmap, therefore, is founded on the principle of treading lightly in all areas of the business, including the social dimension.
Experts from within our membership have some simple advice for organisations wanting to adopt this approach. The guidelines are:
1. Be transparent and authentic.
2. Take it one step at a time. Don’t be intimidated by what might feel like a huge challenge or get hung up on perfect.
3. Measure what you can. It will help you increase your accountability.
4. Certification counts. It proves your commitment.
5. Lead by example and persuade others in your supply chain to adopt sustainable practices.
6. Celebrate your successes.
The Roadmap to Sustainability framework is built on five pillars - product, packaging, transportation, social value, and corporate environmental impact. To help get people
started, we have identified a general approach, accompanied by some practical guidance, for each pillar.
Pillar 1: Product, as it is received, used and disposed of by the end user. Design and develop products with the following principles in mind:
1. Aim for a circular economy. This includes thinking about the recapture of resources at the end of the lifecycle.
2. Consider the whole lifecycle of the product at its inception. This includes responsible sourcing and resourceefficient production.
3. Don’t use what you don’t need. Produce more with fewer resources.
4. Re-use wherever possible.
Pillar 2: All the packaging of a product, throughout the supply chain. The ultimate goal is a minimalistic approach. Less is definitely more, both in terms of the amount of packaging used and the resources required for its production:
1. Think laterally. Be clever with the design to reduce the packaging.
2. Talk to your colleagues, up and down the supply chain, about over-packaging.
3. Design the packaging to simplify the waste stream. Make it as easy as possible for people to get the packaging into the right stream.
4. One packaging material is not better than another by definition. What matters is whether or not it can be re-used and, if not, the availability and efficiency of the recycling options. This includes making it as easy as possible to recycle.
Pillar 3: Transportation, encompassing the movement of raw materials and delivery of product to the end user. This pillar is complex so keep it simple if you are at the
beginning of your sustainability journey:
1. Design the product to optimise palletisation and vehicle usage to transport more in the same space.
2. Where possible, swap to ‘compressed’ products. For example, the number of pallets could be reduced significantly by swapping from ready to use to concentrated formulations.
3. Reduced emission transport options are preferred. This includes, for example, transitioning to electric vehicles and optimising loads and delivery routes.
4. Collaborate with customers to ensure full pallets and vehicles. If they need persuading, become a thought leader. Understand their resistance and work with your suppliers to develop the well-evidenced arguments you need to overcome it.
5. Develop your strategy for migrating to electric vehicles by 2030.
Pillar 4: Social values, including mental wellbeing and personal development. Most businesses do far more than they realise in this area:
1. Pause, notice everything you are doing already and celebrate it.
2. Empower your team to do more. It can really boost retention, offering opportunities for personal and career development.
3. Seek partners who share your ideals.
Pillar 5: Corporate environmental impact covering waste, emissions and water. This area can feel intimidating, so start with a few basics:
1. Review your waste stream. Can it be streamlined? What waste currently goes to landfill? What needs to change to reduce the volume?
2. Think about the water you use. Do you collect and use rainwater? Are you using grey water, the water collected from sinks and manufacturing processes etc.
3. Set annual targets for reducing your energy usage.
4. Talk to your partners. Share ideas and approaches.
A panel of experts from within our membership answered some of the questions being posed by our members. How do I avoid greenwashing?
Always look for certification. You want to see the evidence backing up any claims. If it sounds too good to be true, it is. It is important to be informed. If you are aware of the developments in the market you will have the context you need to reflect on and evaluate claims. Finally, the Seven Sins of Greenwashing, easily available on the Internet, is a fantastic resource.
How do I research and identify sustainable suppliers and manufacturers?
Always look beyond the product specification to the manufacturer or supplier themselves. Find out if they have a plan to achieve net zero emissions and are formally reporting on progress. Seek third party accreditation/recognition. For example, look at the EcoVardis rating. It takes a holistic perspective.
In UK and EU, medium to large companies will be required to formally report on environmental issues and governance. The EU’s Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD) comes into effect in 2023. Smaller companies will not be covered by this regulation, and it is not always possible to accredit initiatives, so look at the stories the company is telling. This is particularly important for smaller companies that may not have the resources to complete the larger accreditations. What steps are they taking to, for example, reduce packaging and increase recycled content? Look at their website and social media channels for the information. In the absence of formal certifications giving assurance, for example, that 30% of the content is recycled material, secure legally binding letters confirming the product specification.
Customers can resist change – how do you manage this?
They want the product they know and trust in the format they know and trust. They want same day delivery and can resist minimum order quantities. It feels like our hands are tied.
Everyone is on a three-step journey. Step one is gaining certification. Step two is looking for sustainability to add value to the business and step three is turning the attention to saving the planet. Resistant customers are at the beginning of the journey.
We can all be thought leaders. Work with your customers to understand their resistance and priorities, then work with your suppliers to develop the well-evidenced arguments you need and reach a compromise.
For example, if your new solution produces less waste and uses fewer bins there will be less cleaning so cost savings. Quantify the reduction in C02 achieved by adopting minimum order quantities and moving away from same day delivery.
Education counts. Many people will be unaware of the impact of simple switches. For example, 55 pallets of ready-to-use trigger sprays may equate to one pallet of concentrate. Always look holistically. For example, sustainable products might be more expensive, but they may be future proofed against impending new taxes.
Is the aim to reduce the materials used in manufacturing/packaging or to use more biodegradable materials and packaging?
The focus is on recycling as the sustainable alternative for products and packaging. However, using recycled materials leads to higher C02 outputs in manufacturing than if the materials were all virgin. Either way, it all eventually ends up in landfill. Is the aim to reduce the materials used in manufacturing and packaging or to use more biodegradable materials and packaging?
There are misconceptions. New research shows up to 75% less energy is used to make a bottle of recycled plastic versus virgin plastic and reusing plastic and blending it with virgin will reduce C02 emissions when compared with solely using virgin plastic. When examining the whole lifecycle, the carbon footprint of plastic options can be lower than alternatives. For example, mixing bioplastics in the waste stream with plastics can prohibit the recyclability. The priority is always to reduce and opt for lightweight options where possible. Less is always more.
What about the micro plastics being put into the water system when washing materials that have been manufactured from recycled plastic bottles, for example microfibre cloths?
A lot of work is being done to examine the impact of micro and nano plastics on the organism. We do not know enough to make a judgement now. The EU will introduce legislation regarding micro plastics and we can expect new standards for water filtration systems.
For further details about the CHSA’s Roadmap to Sustainability please visit: WWW.CHSA.CO.UK
During the recently-completed Commonwealth Games staged in Birmingham, Dettol installed more than 100 ‘talking’ hand sanitiser dispensers as an innovative way to drive better hygiene behaviours using science-backed protocols.
Reckitt, the manufacturer of Dettol, was announced in April as the official hygiene partner of the games. The Dettol Pro Solutions programme created bespoke hygiene protocols for the benefit of spectators who came to enjoy the 12-day event. The dispensers, in tandem with other components of the hygiene protocols designed for the games, were designed to encourage spectators to practise good hand hygiene.
The dispensers were produced in partnership with SDI Displays Ltd and
featured an eye-catching design to help grab the attention of attendees. The dispenser has a voice activation feature that delivered ‘thank you’ messaging to people as they sanitised their hands and also a counter to show how many times the unit had been used.
Dettol Pro Solutions distributed more than 100 ‘talking’ hand sanitiser dispensers, over 2000 posters and 2800 hand sanitiser dispensers along with hygiene kits and training for staff at the games to reinforce good hand hygiene habits. Hand hygiene is regarded as one of the most important hygiene measures adopted by people postpandemic, with 38% out of 14,000 people surveyed agreeing. The team of scientists and microbiologists behind Dettol Pro Solutions leverages the effectiveness of
behavioural science for its targeted hygiene protocols to drive better public hygiene behaviours, therefore helping to reduce the spread of bacteria and viruses which may spread quickly in crowded environments.
Ahead of the opening ceremony for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Katy Slater, regulatory director for new growth platforms at Reckitt, said: “The ultimate aim of our hygiene protocols for the games is to ensure commonly touched surfaces and hands are hygienically clean through the event, and to encourage athletes, spectators, volunteers and suppliers to adopt better hygiene behaviour. Those at the games will know that Dettol’s standard of hygiene has been met, so they can focus on enjoying the incredible sport they’ve travelled from all over the world to see.”
Katy Slater continued: “We want good hand hygiene to feel like second nature to anyone partaking in the games, and for it to feel seamless so that the sport remains front and centre. There are multiple ways that our team and the team from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine - with whom we worked closely whilst developing our protocols - make this happen, and the behavioural science associated with something like talking hand sanitiser dispensers is one of them. Personal responsibilities like hand hygiene are critical interventions in helping to reduce the spread of bacteria and viruses, and the time and place that people sanitise or wash their hands is vital too – as our targeted hygiene methodology shows. Research has shown that from one contaminated high-touch surface such as a door handle, viruses could spread to 14 people so it’s important to remind people of hygiene behaviours coming out of the pandemic - especially at a large-scale event like the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. We’ve found that introducing a disruptive cue into an environment - like a voice speaking to you out of a sanitising
dispenser - may be able to interrupt habitual neurological patterns to effect and then sustain behaviour change. Making a behaviour as easy as possible to do increases chances of success, hence it’s not enough to just instruct people to wash their hands - it’s more about ensuring they have the opportunity to do so and are reminded, encouraged, motivated or nudged to take action at the most appropriate moments.”
Also speaking before the Commonwealth Games, Professor James Logan of the London
Dust Capacity: Cloth dust bag 1.5 litres, Dust Capacity: Paper dust bag 2.0 litres, Suction Power 25 / 55 / 100 / 195 W, Net weight 4.1 - 5.3 kg. Increased suction power, low noise level, 4 power modes, LED job light, Dust type - Dry, Filter type: HEPA filter, Power mode pre-selection with mode memory function, Telescopic pipe with lock - A locking mechanism has been added to the connection of the bending pipe to minimise the chance of the bending pipe from falling off, T-nozzle (Hard flooring/carpet mode switchable), Anti-close mechanism for paper dust bag installation. (when the filter bag/dust bag is not installed in the cleaner the front cover does not close completely), Comfortable harness design, the mesh material is used for the back surfaces that touch shoulders, back and waist. With a handle convenient for carrying.
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School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and CEO of Arctech Innovation, added: “Building on our successful scientific collaboration at COP26 last year, we are proud to have once again partnered with Reckitt to develop a range of robust hygiene interventions and cleaning protocols that will help ensure thousands of athletes, staff and spectators implement good hygiene practices at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games this summer.”
WWW.RECKITTPRO.CO.UK
Approximately 70% of healthcare workers and 50% of surgical teams do not routinely practice hand hygiene according to the WHO and further studies have shown that a well-established and practised hand hygiene routine can drive reductions in hospital acquired infections. It is on the back of this sort of information that the WHO annually runs its World Hand Hygiene Day with the ‘Save Lives, Clean Your Hands’ campaign, this year on 5 May. Supported by over 20,000 healthcare establishments across the world, the campaign aims to highlight the importance of hand hygiene in healthcare by ‘bringing people together’ in support of hand hygiene improvement globally.
The last two years, though, have made us all much more aware of hand hygiene and the importance of it, outside the healthcare environment too. From schools and offices to restaurants and hotels, from office blocks to trains and buses and planes. What we need to consider is how we manage to maintain the same level of conscious personal hygiene habits when there isn’t the pressure or the publicity around it driven by a pandemic and how we combat some of the disadvantages that dissuade us from over washing.
Washing our hands primarily removes dirt, grease and unwanted micro-organisms and, as such, most hand soaps are developed using 'detergency' as a key performance parameter. The downside is that detergency removes both unwanted dirt as well as the skin's natural protection which needs other ingredients such as emollients to help repair its protective capacity. As we have seen over the last couple of years during the pandemic, the more these soaps are used, the more stress is put on our skin, often resulting in dry and cracked hands.
Our skin produces unique lipids, it is colonised by natural and beneficial resident microorganisms, creating the skin
microbiome, which we need to keep our skin healthy. Our skin is not sufficiently equipped to cope with daily hot showers or baths or chlorinated water.
Over the past two years, the significant increase in the use of hand soaps, as well as alcohol-based gels, means that our skin has been subjected to types of surfactants and cleansers that strip it of its natural oils, putting excessive stress on it. This stripping of natural oils, which leads to redness, sensitivity and dryness, is called trans epidermal water loss and causes the skin to lose moisture. It has also been found that some of the bacteria that live on the skin help prevent dermatitis, and that people with eczema are deprived of these good bacteria. Eczema also makes the skin somewhat ‘permeable’, making it more
vulnerable to the effects of an irritant such as hard water, for example. This leads then to a natural hesitancy to wash our hands as regularly as we should.
Add to this the potential for confusion from all the various options we have from a hand care point of view. From hand washes or hand soaps, through antibacterial products, to alcohol based and non-alcoholbased sanitisers and hand rubs, to barrier creams and moisturisers, the list and the choice is seemingly endless, tarnished by the unscrupulous merchants who muddied the arena with their methanolbased sanitisers early on. Check out the Cleenol white paper on how to pick the correct hand sanitiser – www.cleenol.com/ blogs/news/70-alcohol-vs-alcohol-freenavigating-guidance-on-hand-sanitisers.
At the end of the day, all we need to remember is what our grandparents used to drum into us as children - wash your hands after visiting the bathroom first and foremost! Using a combination of hand soaps and hand rubs during the day, and especially after bathroom breaks or smoking and before meals, will help contain most hand/mouth borne infections and help us play our part in saving lives with clean hands.
WWW.CLEENOL.COM
After a successful return to London in November 2021, the Cleaning Show will be back in 2023, taking place from 14–16 March at ExCeL, London.
Organised by the British Cleaning Council and Quartz Business Media, the Cleaning Show has become the ultimate destination for the cleaning and hygiene sector to connect, learn and discover new products, services and suppliers.
ORGANISED BY:
At the outset of the pandemic, the desire to ensure spaces were cleaned in an effective manner led to a demand for cleaning equipment across the board. This demand drove pressure washer sales throughout the pandemic, beginning at the start of 2020 until the end of 2021, as sales greatly outperformed those of 2019. There were many factors behind the increased sales ranging from the increased focus on cleaning to more domestic customers purchasing professional equipment.
As users looked to improve hygiene in sanitary areas and outside of premises, there was a huge demand for hot water pressure washers in particular. With the added bonus of high temperatures that can kill pathogens and bacteria whilst washing them away, hot water pressure washers saw year on year growth as more users turned to them to tackle their cleaning needs.
This was particularly felt within the agricultural industry that relies on the ability to effectively eradicate pathogens to protect livestock and harvests. Between 2020 and 2021 there was a 25% increase in demand within the agricultural sector as more farmers switched from cold water to hot water pressure washers.
A similar increase in demand was felt within the automotive sector with a 40%
increase in sales from 2020 and 2021. This was caused by an increase in the number of sales of the compact HDS machines (HDS 6/12 C and HDS 5/12 C in particular). These larger hot water pressure washers come with built-in fuel and detergent tanks, helping to speed up cleaning times whilst maximising the full potential that comes from using hot water to loosen dirt and oil when cleaning vehicles.
Whilst sales grew within these sectors, it was not the case across all industries. As many industries were affected by stayat-home measures that forced closures of industrial sites, the demand reduced as some facilities were left unused. Despite this, demand is expected to increase as we continue to progress out of the pandemic as more businesses continue to focus on ensuring that their working environments are well maintained and kept safe for users.
When it comes to selecting which machines to purchase, there have been a few standout areas that customers are increasingly looking for during the buying process. These range from innovative solutions to support users, to more sustainable operating modes to help reduce the amount of energy that the machines are using.
The EASY!Force trigger that Kärcher has developed has proven to be one innovation
that customers continually gravitate towards. The trigger is designed to provide a more ergonomic solution for the end user that can prevent downtime caused by injury. The trigger works by using the flow rate of the water and the pressure it gives off to push the trigger into the palm of the user, activating the pressure washer. This removes the requirement to hold down the trigger, which is key for cleaning over long periods of time where repetitive strain injury is a common issue.
Other solutions we have seen customers gravitate towards are machines with our eco!efficiency modes built-in. Eco!efficiency is a pre-set mode, in a wide range of our machines, that reduces energy and water consumption by up to 20% during use. This reduction enables users to get closer to meeting their sustainability goals without impacting on the quality of the clean that they are delivering. With more customers looking for a way to reduce water and energy usage, we are in the process of looking at ways to expand our current offering to better support our customers.
Another way that we can help them with this is through the expansion of our battery universe platform. The platform contains over 18 machines across a range of different sectors that can all be powered by the same 18V or 36V
batteries. These batteries can be moved from one machine to another depending on what is required at the time of use. For instance, car cleaners could go from using the HD 4/11 C Bp pressure washer, that runs off a 36V battery, to clean the outside of a vehicle before using the Puzzi 9/1 Bp Pack spray extraction cleaner to do an intensive clean of the interior upholstery. To move from one machine to the other, the user simply needs to unclip the battery and place it into the next machine.
Offering dynamic opportunities to incorporate batteries as part of a wider cleaning regime will enable users to greatly reduce the environmental impact that they are having. With more cleaning expected than ever before, providing solutions that offer customers genuine return on investment and enable them to be more efficient will be key.
As we continue to develop our next generation of pressure washers, we are increasing our focus on developing more sustainable machines that maximise cleaning opportunities for the end user. We are already looking to introduce more variants of our battery powered pressure washers, to meet growing demand across
all sectors, and are busy focusing our efforts on meeting the growing demand from businesses to meet their varying needs. The pressure washer market over the last few years has continued to hold strong due to increased demands for the cleaning of sanitary areas and outdoor premises.
As demand continues to grow for more sustainable options within the cleaning industry, it is important that we continue to focus on ways to help our customers meet their targets without having to compromise on cleaning performance.
WWW.KARCHER.CO.UK
TAL Clean is an affordable, easy to implement digitalised solution in order to meet the challenges facing contract cleaning services providers. Through the use of QR codes we are able to make cleaning visible, measurable and auditable to all stakeholders. Ensuring your clients satisfaction and confidence in using your companies services.
Supply chains have been severely disrupted at the hands of Brexit, the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
Paul Beddows, sales director
Dawsongroup emc, explains how municipal fleet managers can navigate these extreme supply and demand issues.
The current supply chain woes have hit the fleet sector badly in 2022, with long delays, availability issues and rising costs causing major problems for many businesses and local authorities delivering vital municipal services like street cleaning.
Problems initially arose after Brexit, when we started to see significant import issues, challenges accessing parts and lorry driver strikes. Then the pandemic hit and vehicle shortages and delays only intensified. The war in Ukraine has also exacerbated the situation, pushing up energy and material costs, with the price of steel now astronomically high.
However, despite these issues, demand has remained the same, leaving municipal fleet managers with a challenge on their hands. How does a local authority or business that relies heavily on its vehicles stay operational and deliver the task at hand, when faced with these complexities?
Here are our top tips for overcoming the currently uncertainty in the supply chain:
1. Switch your asset management approach
If you own your assets, you have little room for adjustment when it comes to
fleet management, but contract hire gives you flexibility. You have more options to switch vehicles as your requirements change, ensuring that your fleet is always fit for purpose. Due to the buying power of the Dawsongroup, and our forward planning process, we can purchase bulk amounts of stock so we are ready and waiting to support new and existing customers. This gives our contract hire clients the pick of the most prestigious specialist vehicles on the market, even when other providers are struggling with vehicle availability. This flexibility means that we can fit around the client’s requirements, to ensure we are always meeting their needs at any given time. This approach significantly de-risks ownership, protecting budgets with just one monthly payment and no costly upfront overheads.
Keep your vehicles in good condition, and increase their lifespan, through regular servicing and maintenance. This not only ensures that the asset remains in a good condition for future customers, but
it also retains a higher end-of-contract value. We have a team of manufacturertrained engineers that provide support to our customers across the UK. We perform regular vehicle inspections and services to keep our machines in outstanding operational order and we have the full audit trail and vehicle history to back this up. We fix our maintenance costs within our weekly rental rate and our high standards of service and maintenance ensure that the residual value is at its highest at the end of the vehicle's life.
As a customer-focused company, we offer monthly, quarterly or bi-annual review meetings to discuss service performance and review any out of contract costs. We can also provide you with weekly and monthly KPIs to help you keep on top of operations. This way, we can ensure that you are getting the best solution for your business and can continue to improve our already high standards of service.
We anticipate that these supply and demand issues will continue to have a knock-on effect for at least the next 12 months, and even when they are resolved, we expect there to be a major backlog, sparking even more of a shift towards contract hire.
If recession does hit in the coming months, contract hire will be a valuable option for fleet managers, enabling them avoid the initial outlay of investing in a depreciating asset. They can benefit from regular monthly payments that keep them operational and on the road, whilst protecting their budgets.
Taski Sprint Spitfire from Diversey is a ready-to-use heavy duty cleaner that is ideal for removing graffiti and other stains from most alkaline resistant hard surfaces. Its powerful formulation is based on a mix of detergents and solvents that quickly and efficiently removes mineral and vegetable oils. It is also particularly efficient for removing stains such as ink, marker, pencil, lipstick, black heel marks, smoke films, greasy food, and other tenacious marks.
For light soiling Taski Sprint Spitfire is sprayed onto a cloth or sponge and applied to the stained surface. It can be left for a short while and agitated if required before the affected area is simply wiped clean. For tougher stains the product is sprayed directly onto the stained area, scrubbed to speed up the cleaning process and allowed to act before wiping clean.
Taski Sprint Spitfire is supplied ready to use in 750ml spray bottles for convenience. It is easy to apply, does not require rinsing,
except on stainless steel surfaces, and dries quickly without leaving streaks or traces. The formulation is freshly fragranced to create a pleasant odour which means it is suitable for public areas and enclosed spaces.
When graffiti is present on sensitive surfaces the Taski Wipeout Sponge from Diversey offers a chemical free cleaning option. This innovative spot cleaning pad removes stains from surfaces using water alone. The specially designed white polymeric foam cleaning pad is soft, gentle and flexible which means it can be used on many surfaces safely without the risk of scouring or scratching.
Taski Wipeout Sponge is especially suitable for cleaning surfaces such as plastics and ceramics where strong chemicals, abrasive materials or scouring powders could cause damage. Potential applications include removal of minor graffiti on buses and trains, clearing accidental permanent marker from whiteboards and cleaning stubborn spots from ceramic cooker hobs. No sprays or cleaners are necessary because the pad is simply rinsed under a tap, squeezed to remove excess moisture and then rubbed gently over the mark to remove the stain quickly and easily. Rinsing with clean water regenerates the pad which can be used again and again until the white foam has worn away. It can then be disposed of safely.
WWW.DIVERSEY.COM
Matt Anderson, director of Velair, reports.
The British Toilet Association (BTA), a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the promotion of toilet hygiene, has reacted critically to news that Westminster is urging councils to reopen public toilets –but failing to provide the necessary funding. As the BTA points out, there is evidently a great deal of confusion around this point, as there is ‘no legal requirement in place to force local authorities to provide or run public toilets’ despite ministers’ insistence on toilets reopening around the country.
Urgent steps need to be taken to address this confusion. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s been widely reported that the lack of available public toilets has caused a great deal of distress and discomfort, especially for those with medical conditions that require quick and easy access to such facilities. One Guardian investigation undertaken last summer revealed that the pandemic-era closure of public toilets resulted in people dehydrating themselves or relieving themselves in public spaces – neither option being good for public health.
In the absence of any firm moves on behalf of Westminster or local authorities to reinstate public toilets, it falls to businessesespecially large, multi-purpose, high footfall businesses like shopping centres - to ensure that their restrooms are fit for purpose.
Such businesses can fill the gap left by limited public toilet funding. Investing sensibly in high-quality sanitation technology will not only attract and retain consumers - especially those that cannot find facilities elsewhere - but will also demonstrate the cost-effectiveness and better environmental impacts of the latest facilities.
The value that good restroom facilities add to a business can be substantial. Leaving aside the cost-effectiveness of newer devices for a moment, it’s worth remembering that
investment in strong facilities correlates with customer satisfaction. In a Finnish study of 455 respondents, it was found that 66% of customers will recommend a shopping venue provided its cleanliness levels meet a sufficiently high standard, with 30% of respondents adding that clean bathroom facilities matter in a shopping centre setting.
It would be a mistake to imagine that upgraded bathrooms are solely for the benefit of the customer, however - in fact, utilising the latest sanitation technology is the definition of a win-win situation. Touchless taps and waterless urinals, for example, are both becoming more prominent. In a pandemic scenario, the lack of touch points associated with touchless technology is very welcome, of course, but both pieces of technology also reduce water costs by limiting the amount of wasted water.
A similar story can be told of the selfcleaning toilet: a relatively new innovation that not only reduces water wastage but also ensures a consistent level of cleanliness without additional expenditure on cleaning operatives.
Today’s hand dryers, meanwhile, can be exceptionally cheap to run, with some of the best costing as little as £6 in energy usage per year.
Clearly, the time is ripe for businesses to invest in the latest sanitation technology. At a stroke, companies can increase their attractiveness to consumers while lowering their running costs in terms of water, power and human labour.
Of course, given the current climate, there are more reasons to upgrade bathroom facilities than money alone. The current climate is, in fact, on the public’s mind in a very literal sense. Climate change is becoming more and more difficult to ignore, with the UN recently declaring a ‘code red for emergency’ - a stark warning of environmental catastrophe. According to a poll from YouGov, 68% of British adults aren’t confident that the government is able to meet its emissions targets by 2035 - implying that consumers are conscious of organisations that do embrace environmentally sound decisions. As such, water reduction from touchless taps and the use of hand dryers with a yearly carbon emission as low as 52kg will not go unnoticed by a public increasingly aware of environmental impact.
Since the pandemic customers feel a heightened awareness of hygiene standards, and they expect, for example, hand dryers equipped with HEPA filters and antimicrobial technologies as opposed to bins overflowing with paper towels.
It’s clear that the BTA is absolutely right to call for funding and support for public toilets. However, in lieu of government support for these facilities, businesses like shopping centres can absolutely fill that gap, allowing for an inclusive day out for people with certain health conditions while providing an experience that is safe, environmentally conscious and cost-effective.
WWW.VELAIR.CO.UK
KÄRCHER UK has launched its latest steam cleaner, the SG 4/2. The compact and easy to use steam cleaner features a water tank, steam generator and storage space for accessories, all housed in a unique all-in-one box design. The easy-to-transport, shockresistant case weighs just 7.5kg and features extra storage space for accessories, ensuring the SG 4/2 Classic is ready-to-go when it is needed. The control panel makes the steam cleaner easy to use, with 4-bar steam pressure available within just three minutes. The built-in VapoHydro function supports those looking to move towards detergent free cleaning as it flushes stubborn dirt away with hot water.
The accessories include a steam scraper and a flat brush, plus a point jet nozzle or hand nozzle and a microfibre cleaning cloth. The attachments can be used to clean surfaces such as tiles or steel, as well as delicate materials such as ceramic or glass. The steam cleaner also comes with RM 511 decalcifying agent for initial treatment of the steam cleaner.
WWW.KARCHER.CO.UK
TORK Vision Cleaning - Essity’s digital washroom management system - has achieved GBAC STAR registration. GBAC STAR –issued by the Global Biorisk Advisory Council - is the cleaning industry’s only accreditation regarding outbreak prevention, response and recovery. It helps to establish optimal standards and procedures while also offering expert-led training and assessment of readiness for bio-risk situations.
Tork Vision Cleaning uses people-counters and connected washroom dispensers to provide real-time data on cleaning requirements. This allows cleaning teams to stay ahead of the game and anticipate situations in which enhanced cleaning or extra checks might be required. In order to be registered, Tork Vision Cleaning needed to meet specific requirements and had to demonstrate advantages over existing offerings in terms of efficacy, cost, health, and safety. Essity was also required to show scientific evidence that the system could make an effective contribution in preventing the spread of COVID-19 or other diseases.
WWW.TORK.CO.UK/VISIONCLEANING
FOR the professional catering and hospitality businesses providing celebratory food, drinks and parties in December, the festive season has already begun. Early planning is essential, so Jangro has announced that its 2022 Christmas Supplies Catalogue is now available to help businesses get ahead.
Jo Gilliard, CEO at Jangro, said: “Last year, pubs, bars and restaurants missed out on £3 billion in sales over the festive period as the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant kept the public at home, resulting in a second ‘lost Christmas’ for financially embattled proprietors. Now all restrictions have lifted, there are high hopes for December 2022. Christmas is officially on and is set to be bigger, better and more festive than ever! Therefore, preparing early is crucial. Not only to ensure you offer the best possible experience, but also to avoid any additional pressures at what is one of the most hectic times of the year for bars and restaurants.”
WWW.JANGRO.NET
Jangro gets into the Christmas spirit
MAKITA has expanded its range of 40VMax XGT vacuum cleaners. The VC008G Brushless Backpack Cleaner and CL003G Brushless Vacuum Cleaner have both been designed to offer greater flexibility, productivity and ease of use for cleaning professionals.
The 40VMax XGT Brushless Backpack Vacuum Cleaner (VC008G) delivers up to 195 Watts of suction power and a twolitre dust capacity in a compact machine. The cleaner includes a HEPA filter to remove 99.97% of particles of 0.3 microns or more for a cleaner indoor environment. It features a telescopic pipe with a locking mechanism for a secure connection to the flexible pipe section, as well as a T-nozzle with a hard flooring and carpet mode selector. The VC008G also has a mechanism to prevent the dust bag compartment closing when the bag is not installed correctly.
The 40VMax XGT Brushless Vacuum Cleaner (CL003G) is a compact cordless stick vacuum cleaner that delivers up to 100W of power and a sealed suction of up to 20 kPa. A new cyclone unit integrated onto the cleaner’s main body, and positioned above the extension pipe, gives the cleaner a more compact design. The new cyclone unit also separates more dust from the air to minimise filter clogging.
Both the VC008G and CL003G have four power settings with a mode memory function for easy operation. The efficient brushless motor included in both cleaners eliminates friction and wasted energy to deliver more power and longer run-times per battery charge.
WWW.MAKITAUK.COM
JANGRO has launched a new catalogue, dedicated to the commercial caterer and hospitality sector. Available now in a compact A5 size, it is packed with many new sustainable choices. These include disposable food packaging, cutlery and drinkware that are made from recycled materials, and are also compostable, biodegradable or recyclable.
It caters for everything required within commercial kitchens, including kitchen hygiene supplies, which are essential to avoid cross-contamination and the risk of foodborne illness. The catalogue covers all chemicals, paper products and cleaning products, including the new ntrl range, Jangro’s innovative line of natural and more sustainable cleaning products. All ntrl products use raw materials that are derived from plantbased extracts - their natural formulas are 100% biodegradable, contain zero petrochemicals, and can reduce the product’s carbon footprint by up to 85%.
WWW.JANGRO.NET
EDITOR
Neil Nixon neilnixon@quartzltd.com 07957 713316
SALES DIRECTOR
Paul Sweeney paulsweeney@quartzltd.com 01737 855041
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
Michelle Andrews michelleandrews@quartzltd.com 01737 855086
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Carol Baird
carolbaird@quartzltd.com 020 3602 1186
MANAGING DIRECTOR
Tony Crinion
CEO
Steve Diprose
CO-CHAIRMAN
Paul Michael
DIGITAL MEMBERSHIP ENQUIRIES
Elizabeth Barford elizabethbarford@quartzltd.com 01737 855028
PUBLISHED BY
Quartz Business Media
Quartz House 20 Clarendon Road
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www.cleaningmag.com
ISSN: 1473 723X
Online ISSN: 2755-5011
© Quartz Business Media, 2022
All rights reserved. No
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