Hard Floor Care – Maintenance of Marble Floors

In general, a marble floor requires little maintenance. While neglect will spoil its appearance, it will not normally impair its serviceability. When properly maintained, it is doubtful whether marble floors can be excelled by any other type for brilliance and timeless beauty.

Routine maintenance should be carried out with a solution of neutral detergent in water. Cleaning equipment should include mopping equipment or a floor polishing/scrubbing machine. If a machine is used, the pads should be of the synthetic type and not metal fiber, as splinters may detach and cause rust marks to appear on the surface of the marble floor.

Although permanent seals will protect a marble floor very adequately, there are several problems associated with permanent sealing. Many times the permanent seal will show a traffic pattern which is not easy to repair. Discoloration may occur, and the removal of the seal to correct the appearance is a costly, time-consuming job. The stripper will have to be a point and varnish remover or other strong chemical. The chemicals plus required agitation can result in serious damage to the once beautiful floor.

A better approach to maintaining marble floors is to use a program similar to that followed for regular tile floors.

For stripping, a conventional stripper is the product of choice. Any pads used for stripping should be gentle scrubbing pads. The black pad normally used for stripping could possibly scratch the marble surface.

Although not required, a sealer may be applied to protect the grout. The surface may then be finished with an acrylic polymer metal-linked polish. If your janitorial equipment includes a team of easily-applied products, you will save time, and when the floor finish is buffed/burnished, the maximum beauty of the marble floor will be there to enjoy.

For daily maintenance, a neutral type cleaner should be used on the finish or the marble itself.

A polished marble floor can be beautiful and enduring, but only with proper care and maintenance procedures.

SOURCE: MonsterJanitorial.Com

Procedure For Spot Cleaning Carpet And Fabrics

Recommended Supplies and Cleaning Equipment:

1. Water Based Spot Remover
2. Solvent Based Spot Remover
3. Aerosol Freezing Agent
4. Powdered Absorbent Deodorant
5. Spatula
6. Rubber Gloves
7. White Paper Blotting Cloths
8. Small Agitation Brush
9. Waste Bags
10. Chart for “Removal of Spots and Stains”

Identify The Spot:

If Not Removed:

If Still Not Removed:

Use water base spotter or solvent base spotter (depending on type of spot). Never use solvent base first!!!
Blot with a white cloth. Never rub a spot or stain!!!
Reapply spotter. Rinse with soap/detergent, water and blotting cloth. Never use hot water!!!
Let dry and vacuum.

Allow time to clean up and return the cleaning equipment to the storage area.

SOURCE: MonsterJanitorial.Com

Hospital Cleaning Service - What to Look For?

Select a service that specializes in the hospital cleaning to halt the spreading of infectious diseases, comply with all the necessary guidelines, and ensure your hospital looks its best. When selecting a hospital cleaning service it is best to hire a company that specializes in hospital housekeeping. Hospitals are not your ordinary office buildings; they are institutions which require intensely sanitary conditions to protect their patients from the spreading of bacteria and viruses.

The intent of hospitalization is to heal a patient rather than introduce them to new and dangerous diseases. That is why it so critical to hire a cleaning service that is highly rated and experienced in hospital sanitation. Your housekeeping selection will make all the difference when it comes to the success of your institution.

A cleaning service specializing in hospitals and health management institutions should be trained to properly sanitize and straighten up patient recovery rooms, exam rooms, operating rooms, X-ray rooms, emergency rooms, and MRI rooms taking special care to not tamper with expensive medical machinery and materials.

It should also important to remember that any cleaning service you decide to hire should be capable of suitably maintaining all waiting rooms, reception and admission stations, offices, cafeterias, and public areas. These are the sections that patients see first and this first impression usually weighs heavily in their opinion of the entire facility.

No one wants to check themselves or their loved ones into a hospital with dirty and foul smelling waiting room. It is for this reason that public areas should be given sufficient attention. Daily cleaning should be made to all rooms and periodic deep cleanings should be made periodically.

Hospitals are also dangerous areas and cleaning employees should be properly trained to handle blood borne pathogens and infectious diseases. The company should also provide programs for the management of bio hazardous waste products and recycling.

Hiring a cleaning service that focuses on healthcare facilities are more likely to meet current health and Safety, and infection control requirements as well as complying with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines.

When searching for the right cleaning service for your hospital pay attention to the structure and efficiency of the management. This is a good indicator of the competence and proficiency of the entire group.

Question whether and how often management inspects the work of their employees. Inspection of the facility and employee performance should be done regularly and often. Management should also conduct customer satisfaction reports from among patients, hospital staff, and visitors, and make appropriate adjustments. A capable management is crucial to the success of any business and should be heavily examined before hired.

All of the employees, cleaners especially, should be properly trained in both cleaning and customer service. Cleaners are always running into patients, staff, and visitors while on the job and it is important that they are efficient, competent, friendly, and professional in their attitude and appearance.

In addition to these qualities, all employees and the company as a whole ought to be responsible and reliable. The cleanliness of a hospital is vital to the health and healing of it is patients and should never be neglected.

Atlanta commercial cleaning services specialize in the hospital cleaning to halt the spreading of infectious diseases. It complies with all the necessary guidelines, and ensures your hospital looks its best. Find out about the services they offer at http://www.atlantaofficecleaners.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Stratton

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Foreclosed Homes for Sale: 3 Types of Cleaning Services Banks and Realtors Scramble to Find.

Cleaning foreclosed homes has become one of the best businesses to start. Many who already own cleaning businesses are ideally suited to handle the cleaning of these properties before they can be resold. But too often, they lack the following.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRLog (Press Release) – Mar 10, 2009 – Cleaning foreclosed homes has become one of the best businesses to start in this economy. And, those who own various types of cleaning businesses are perfectly situated to handle many of the cleaning services these homes require before they can be put back on the market to be resold.

Following are three very common ones -- and why many cleaning business don't qualify for these contracting opportunities with banks, realtors and other lenders.

Foreclosure Cleaning Services to Offer Those Who Have Foreclosed Homes for Sale

Window Cleaning: Window cleaning is a much-desired service because many cleaning service companies don't have the skill or equipment to handle this type of job. This is especially true when it comes to cleaning windows from the outside and/or those that are high up (eg, on second or third stories of homes).

These require ladders -- and skilled professionals accustomed to scaling ladders. Because of this, many companies that can handle the internal cleaning of a foreclosed home, for example, won't even bother to bid on the window cleaning.

Another reason window cleaning may be bid out separately is for insurance purposes. Because of the inherent danger of this profession, banks, realtors and others who are readying foreclosed homes for sale again look for legitimate companies who have the right insurance.

Many "man with a van" type operations don't have it and most realtors and banks won't hire contractors who don't have proper insurance.

Pressure Washing: This is another service that requires a professional. Too much water pressure or the wrong cleaning solution can take the paint right off a house; or put a whole through vinyl siding, or discolor brick. And, this is also a profession that requires proper insurance due to the dangers (climbing ladders).

For all of these reasons, realtors, bankers and others who have a roster of foreclosed homes for sale look for professional firms to contract with.

White-Glove Cleaning: Many foreclosure cleaning companies offer what's known as a "broom swept" clean; they tend not to offer an in-depth, "white glove" cleaning service. When a realtor or banker is getting a home that has been foreclosed on in market shape, this is what exactly what they need though.

This is particularly true in the current real estate market because homes are standing empty for so long. Hence, sellers are looking for every competitive advantage they can get. And, one of the best ways to show a home in its best light is to have it sparkling clean.

Foreclosed homes for sale, as evidenced here, require a lot of cleaning -- inside and out -- to get them back into market shape. And sellers of these properties are scrambling to find qualified help -- with all the right paperwork in place (eg, insurance, business license) -- to get these jobs done.

If you own an existing cleaning service, you can make foreclosure cleaning one of your prime target niches, especially if you are a formal business entity.

Issued By: Yuwanda Black

Shortcut: http://prlog.org/10196582

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Floor Sealing/Finishing Article

SEALING/FINSIHING

1. Always us a clean mop head designed for applying floor finishes and mark the mop handle appropriately so that this mop is not used for any other purpose.
2. Soak mop head in warm water and wring out thoroughly. Water shall fill mop fibers, thus saving finish.
3. Put a plastic garbage can liner in your mop bucket to assure that your finish shall not become contaminated from previous chemicals, which may have been used in the mop bucket. This shall assist in faster cleanup later.
4. Dip mop in the bucket of finish and tamp the mop head lightly in the wringer. You want the mop to be full of finish but never dripping. A gentle twisting of the mop handle will also cause excess finish to be removed.
5. Start applying the finish in a corner of the area furthest from your exit point and begin by outlining along baseboards. When doing larger areas where the finish may have an opportunity to dry before you can return for a parallel run, seek to establish an outline that will be consistent with the floor tiles.
6. Fill in the area between the outlined edges, applying finish with a smooth overlapping stroke. We recommend that all finishes be applied in medium to thin coatings. Re-wet the mop with finish as necessary and make sure that the finish is being applied evenly.
7. Continue applying finish, covering each area before the adjoining area is dry. A smooth and even application will assure that all the pores in the floor are properly filled for lasting protection.
8. After the first coat has dried (normally 15 to 25 minutes, but this shall depend heavily on the humidity and air flow) apply a second coat in the opposite direction, following procedure outline above.
9. Subsequent coatings should be applied as above. Be sure to allow proper drying time between coats. If multiple coats are to be applied at one time, the first two coats should be applied 6 to 8 inches away from walls, partition, display cases, etc. Successive coats are the applied to the entire floor.

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Carpet Cleaning Article

PURPOSE

To clean and preserve an attractive carpet.

Procedure

1. Vacuum carpet thoroughly and pre-spot.
2. When using spray method (with pressure tank) spray small area of carpet with properly diluted shampoo.
3. Attach pad holder, with bonnet pad centered, to rotary machine.
4. Follow same pattern as on rotary shampooing method.
5. Keep pad clean by washing in clear water and wringing or change pads if they are too dirty.
6. When using wringer bucket method, diluted shampoo is applied by soaking pad and lightly wringing it before replacing under machine. Clean water can be used in a second bucket for cleaning soiled pad. Pre-soak pad in shampoo after cleaning and wringing.

EQUIPMENT AND MATERIAL NEEDED

1. Rotary Floor machine with pad holder
2. Bonnet carpet cleaning pads
3. Spray tank or wringer bucket.
4. Proper Chemicals

 

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HEPA Filtered Vacuum Cleaners

What to look for when making a purchase.

This information is brought to you by Absolute Air Cleaners and Allergy Products Inc.

First, some quick history about vacuum cleaners!

The first vacuum cleaner was invented and Patented in the USA by Robert Taber in 1869. MR. Taber invented this wood and canvas hand pump controlled vacuum cleaner in his Chicago, Illinois home. He called it The Whirlwind.

The first electric motor-operated vacuum cleaner with a cloth dust filter bag with cleaning attachments was put on the market in 1908 by who else, The Hoover Company in New Berlin Ohio.

In the 1940's HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters were invented to filter out radioactive dust particulate contaminants in bomb shelters during the atomic bomb tests. These filters were designed to capture particles down to 0.3 microns in size at efficiency ratings of 99.97%. This standard is still used to this day for HEPA vacuum cleaners and HEPA air cleaners for asbestos and lead abatement. However HEPA vacuum cleaners are now used everyday in homes and businesses to clean and remove household dust and allergens to improve the indoor air quality you breathe.

HEPA Vacuum cleaners come in two basic styles,

upright and canister. The upright HEPA vacuum stands by itself and is a single unit, some with or without an attachment hose to clean hard to reach areas with specialized vacuum tools. All upright vacuum cleaners tend to leak more dusty air back into the environment. Also since the rug beater bar is permanently attached to the case of the vacuum cleaner, the vacuum cleaner is almost worthless if the beater bar fails.

HEPA canister (Better Overall Choice) vacuum cleaners have a smaller mostly more powerful, compact designed case that will roll along and follow behind you as you vacuum the floor, carpet, furniture or upholstery. A long hose is attached to canister vacuum cleaners so you can reach those hard to get areas with the many vacuum tools that are available for them for easy cleaning of most any surface. The rug beaters, also known as power nozzles, are detachable from the canister type vacuum cleaner units. They are often much more powerful then the ones found on uprights. This is because they are powered by their own separate electric motor. If a power nozzle breaks down on a canister vacuum cleaner, the vacuum cleaner can still be used to clean many different kinds of surfaces while the power nozzle is being repaired or replaced.

Important Design Information:

There are different designs of HEPA canister vacuum cleaners available to you. The most common is a case made of plastic with a disposable paper dust collector bag to catch the dust from your home and into the vacuum cleaner. Be aware that many of these so-called HEPA vacuum cleaners can and do leak dusty air through air gaps in their UN-PRESSURIZED plastic cases and around the openings that surround the HEPA filter itself. The dirty air can then pass through the exhaust side of the vacuum cleaner and back into your indoor environment to breathe and react to! Another important fact to know is, both HEPA and non-HEPA vacuum cleaners pass the airflow from the vacuum cleaner tools being used and then into the unit. The dirty air is then passed into the dust containment bags located inside of the vacuum cleaner's tank and then onward to the motor where the air is then forced out of the vacuum cleaner through the exhaust side of the vacuum cleaner.

The common problem is, when the dust bags containing the dirt become about one third full, the fine dust particles plug the pores of the paper dust collector bags. This restricts a tremendous amount of airflow to the motor, which will cause the vacuum cleaner to lose suction while putting a strain on the motor, reducing its life. This restriction of airflow to the motor can cut the cleaning ability of the vacuum cleaner up to 80%! That's why most people end up replacing their costly, less than half full paper dust collector bags far too often. And their vacuum cleaners as well!

A simple way to prove that your present vacuum cleaner is leaking dust and allergens back into your indoor environment for you to breathe over and over again is to simply place your vacuum cleaner into that beam of sunlight that shines through your window every day. Turn on your vacuum cleaner and look into the beam of sunlight. You will most likely see tens of thousands of dust particles combined with other allergens pouring from your unsealed vacuum cleaner and into that beam of sunlight. You will then know that your vacuum cleaner is not sealed and that's™s why your furniture is already dusty just after all of that vacuuming!

Important INFO On Water Filtered Vacuum Cleaners

There are 6 or 7 brands of vacuum cleaners on the market that use water to trap dust particles instead of a proper government certified HEPA filter. We have found these water vacuum cleaners to be inefficient, heavy and bulky. For years the companies that produced water filtered vacuum cleaners boasted how they were superior to HEPA vacuum cleaners and all others. This was until a few independent testing laboratories tested them with laser particle counters to prove that they leaked a whole lot of dust back into the air! Now some of these same companies are adding replaceable HEPA filters into the exhaust side of their water vacuums. This defeats the entire concept about water being a better filter and the dirty water vapor mixed with air blowing into the HEPA filters may promote mold and bacteria growth in the HEPA filter itself! Also water vacuum cleaners are heavy, bulky and it can be a real mess filling them with tap water and then dumping the moldy, smelly, dirty water from the units every time you operate them! Most water filtered vacuum cleaners offer chemical fragrances to add into the water to cover up the moldy odor they release into the air that your breathe while vacuuming. Many people with allergies or asthma will react to these chemicals! Also it is another added cost to operating these units on top of the cost of replacing the HEPA filters. We recommend that you stay away from water- filtered vacuum cleaners!

Vacuum Cleaners That Have Ultraviolet {UV-C} Lights In Them

The latest vacuum cleaner on the market with far-fetched claims is the HALO UV-ST, the HALO SV-UV and the HALO UVX upright vacuum cleaners. These HALO vacuum cleaners claim to be able to kill bacteria, flu virus, fleas, dust mites and even lice with an ultraviolet UV-C light that is mounted on the bottom of the vacuum cleaner. When we first saw this vacuum cleaner come onto the market, we thought right off that it would not perform as advertised. We went to the HALO factory website and saw all kinds of scientific facts about how UV-C lights were able to kill all kinds of bacteria, and viruses. However we also read this. QUOTE: "It is important to note that Halo vacuums will not kill all germs instantly. However, the research and data show that Halo vacuums will instantly kill the organisms exposed to its UV-C light." In other words the Halo's UV-C light cannot kill what the UV-C light can't shine on, which is a very large amount of your carpeting! Then we saw a test done by the folks at Popular Mechanics Magazine in the February 2008 issue, where they tested the HALO vacuum cleaners for the ability to kill E Coli bacteria in a laboratory environment. As we guessed it flunked the test, as it was not able to kill all of the E Coli bacteria. The reason was simple! The ultraviolet light was not able to penetrate deep enough into the fiber of the carpeting. Plus the shadows made by the carpet lint itself shielded the carpeting from the UV-C light. So we are now shedding some light {pun} on the HALO vacuum cleaner to keep you informed. If other brands of vacuum cleaners with ultraviolet lights come out onto the market, we expect them to produce the same results when tested for the same reasons. It's a cool concept, but one that is mostly all show and NO GO!

This report is 100% free and you are welcome to reprint it on your website to share with your readers as long as you include the resource information links to the website{s} shown above.

Hepa Filtered Vacuum Cleaners

What to look for when making a purchase.

This information is brought to you by Absolute Air Cleaners and Allergy Products Inc.

http://www.aircleaners.com/hepa.phtml

Full article could be found at:

AirCleaners.com December 2008

This report is 100% free and you are welcome to reprint it on your website to share with your readers as long as you include the resource information links to the website{s} shown above.

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Green Cleaning Article

Harvard University office for Sustainability

Green Cleaning Program

This information is brought to you by Harward University office for Sustainability

What is Green Cleaning?

Green cleaning is defined as cleaning to protect health without harming the environment. Green cleaning is a widely accepted movement that uses procedures and products to make cleaning for the health of building occupants, janitors, and the environment a primary concern.

Cleaning Chemicals and Health Problems

It has been found that some widely used cleaning products have serious adverse effects on the health of building occupants and janitors. The average person spends about 90% of their day indoors, where air pollution from diverse sources such as cleaners, upholstery, and carpeting can be up to 100 times greater than outdoor air. Short term health problems caused by exposure to hazardous cleaning products range from eye irritation and coughing to chest pain, vomiting, cramps, and diarrhea. Long-term effects may include liver and kidney failure, birth defects, emphysema, brain damage, and even cancer. 11.6% of work-related asthma comes from cleaning products. In addition, people who suffer from multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome, a disease that is not fully understood or recognized by the medical community, feel that low level exposure to chemicals, such as cleaning products, cause them to feel sick.

Cleaning Chemicals and the Environment

Cleaning products can also harm the natural environment. There are over 70,000 chemicals being used today, and fewer than 2% have been thoroughly tested for their effects on human and aquatic life. Cleaning products are responsible for approximately 8% of non-vehicular emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds, which can trigger respiratory problems such as asthma, contribute to smog formation, and inhibit plant growth. Chemicals in cleaning products contribute to the toxic waste stream when they are disposed of. Chemicals such as alkyphenol ethoxylates are endocrine disruptors that are slow to biodegrade and have shown up in the endocrine systems of fish, birds, and mammals. Other chemicals cause algal blooms in water bodies, which in turn kills aquatic life.

Paper Products

Green cleaning is not just about chemical substitution, paper products also play an important role because their production process can harm the environment and human health. Paper products supplied by cleaning companies have negative impacts on the environment and human health. Paper products that are bleached in the traditional method with chlorine create dioxin, a toxic chemical that does not break down and accumulates in the environment, harming both humans and wildlife. Chlorine bleaching also uses large amounts of water that then becomes polluted wastewater, further burdening the environment. Paper products further burden the environment through their use of virgin trees that are then used one time and disposed of. By switching to unbleached or non-chlorine bleached, recycled content products that have minimal packaging or using energy efficient hand dryers, the effects on the environment can be minimized.

Green cleaning aims to eliminate or reduce these potentially harmful toxins and carcinogens and aims to minimize resource consumption through product substitutions and procedural changes. Green cleaning emphasizes the environmental sustainability of cleaning operations and overall building health and does not solely evaluate building cleanliness based on appearance.

Sources: Green Seal, Center for a New American Dream, WWF Canada, Seventh Generation, E Magazine

Original Article could be found at: http://www.greencampus.harvard.edu/greenclean/

Harvard University Office for Sustainability December 2008

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How to Strip & Wax a Floor Article

In order to bring yellow looking dirty floor back to its original condition you will need to strip the floor. Simply waxing the floor won't help in this case as it will only add some shine to the floor but will not remove old stains and dirt underneath it.