Supporting our community is really important to us at WAXIE Sanitary Supply, and last week WAXIE Ontario had the opportunity to help out the Casa Youth Shelter located in Los Alamitos, CA.

Casa Youth Center was established in 1978 and their mission: “The purpose of Casa Youth Shelter is to provide temporary shelter for runaways and youth in crisis, enabling them to come through the crisis with an increased personal strength and a sense of renewal while in a supportive environment, with family reunification as a primary goal.”

WAXIE donated three pallets of assorted paper products that will help them continue to offer services to teens and their families in their community.

You can find more information on the Casa Youth Shelter by going to their website: http://www.casayouthshelter.org/

Republished with permission from Windsor's Cleaning Tip of the Month eNewletter September 2013

Restorative cleaning is the final step in our PDIR cleaning process. This is the most labor and time intensive step. If you utilize PDIR in your facility you will reduce your dependence on restorative cleaning, ultimately saving you time, money, and chemical. As a reminder PDIR stands for Preventative, Daily, Interim and Restorative cleaning processes.

Why restorative cleaning?

Restorative cleaning is necessary when you need to bring your carpet or hard floor to close as possible to its original state. This step requires the most amount of time and resources of any of the four cleaning methods, but it is the most effective process at returning your floor surface back to like-new appearance.

What is restorative cleaning?

This process involves intensive deep extraction for carpets or stripping, finishing, and polishing for hard floor surfaces. For deep extraction the process is spray water and detergent, work it into the carpet, let it soak so the detergent can release the soils, extract, rinse, extract again and let it dry completely. For hard floors the restorative process is to strip away all layers of coating, clean the surface thoroughly, neutralizing it with the appropriate chemical, apply the correct coating, and burnish it to the desired level of shine.

What equipment is required for restorative cleaning?

For restorative carpet cleaning you want to use a spray extraction machine with the matching detergent. To assist in drying, use a portable air blower.

On hard floors, strip your floors with an automatic scrubber, a low-speed machine, or an orbital machine. If you use a low-speed or orbital machine you will need a vacuum or scrubber to pick up the dirt produced by stripping the floor. To burnish you will need a high-speed burnisher such as a Lightning 1500 or a Chariot 2 iGloss 20. Go green and use chemical-free stripping pads or rollers to strip your floors. Chemical-free stripping takes less time, makes less of a mess, uses no chemical, and reduces slip and fall accidents.

Windsor Restorative Cleaning Machines

The Chariot 3 iExtract 26 DUO is the only ride-on interim and extraction machine on the market! This machine is ideal for carpet extraction of large areas. The productivity of this machine allows you to cover as much area as possible. Item #573536

The Taz with Orb Technology excels at chemical-free stripping. Unlike traditional machines, the Taz driver orbits while it rotates, providing the highest level of mechanical action on the market today. Item #575800

The Storm is a low-speed machine that is great for stripping many layers of floor finish. This machine is built to last with a heavy-duty steel triple planetary gearbox and a 66 frame induction motor. Item #571174 (13"); #571175 (17"); #571177 (20")

The Chariot 2 iScrub 22 SP is a convenient stand-on auto-scrubber that is ideal for stripping large areas in a minimum amount of time. Go green and use the available chemical-free stripping rollers with this machine. Item #570944

Read More:
Machines & Equipment
PDIR: P is for Preventative (Cleaning)
PDIR: D is for Daily (Cleaning)
PDIR: I is for Interim (Cleaning)

By: Briana Smith, WAXIE Sanitary Supply

Global Handwashing Day is right around the corner, next week to be precise, on October 15th. Founded in 2008, Global Handwashing Day highlights the importance of good hand hygiene practices particularly focusing on children & schools. Their slogan is “Clean hands save lives” as many children around the world develop illnesses, such as diarrheal and acute respiratory infections, that can be prevented by washing their hands with soap and water.

One of the tools Kimberly-Clark Professional* uses as part of their The Healthy Schools Project* in promoting hand hygiene education for children in schools is glitter. The teacher puts a non-toxic glitter substance on a child’s hands and has them play with things for a short while. Afterwards, the class can find all of the objects and surfaces with the glitter, which shows them how easy germs can spread.

KCP and Disney launch The Healthy Schools Project* at Sutton Valence Prep School

But good hand hygiene practices are not only for children. How many people do you notice in the restroom, whether at work or out and about, who don’t wash their hands or just opt to rinse them with water? Studies have shown that handwashing is very effective at getting most bacteria, germs & viruses from hands if done properly. And all you need is soap, water, and 20 seconds, plus either a hand dryer or paper towels to dry your hands. Not much really, especially when you think of all of the surfaces your hands touch in the space of 10 minutes.

For me it’s something along the lines of (in no particular order): keyboard, computer mouse, desk, perhaps my face when I’m not paying attention, door handles, break room drawer handles, sink faucet, refrigerator door handle, refrigerator drawer compartment, hot water tap on the coffee maker (for my tea), etc. And that’s not including the items I touch in the restroom. Imagine all the other people at my work who are touching the same surfaces, knobs, drawer handles, etc!

In this day and age adults learn about the importance of handwashing in a way that is more reminiscent of CSI.

Today Tonight: How clean are your hands?

So, as Global Handwashing Day approaches, consider how important good hand hygiene habits are for everyone’s health! Perhaps take a moment or two to teach, or remind, your kids about handwashing. Consider your own handwashing habits - bored with singing Happy Birthday over and over again for the requisite 20 seconds, what about singing the chorus of your current favorite song twice? Write an article about handwashing tips & techniques for your company’s Workplace Wellness newsletter.

READ MORE:
Global Handwashing Day Official Website
Hand Hygiene Influenza
Hand Hygiene is as Easy as 1-2-3
The Healthy Schools Project*
Henry the Hand Foundation

Successful Potty Training – The incident that made me realize that hand hygiene education still has a long way to go (Blog article by Louise Taillon at Wood Wyant)

Originally published & reprinted with permission from CleanLink Online
By: Corinne Zudonyi, Editor

When Joseph Garcia, supervisor of custodial services at Mt. San Antonio College, Walnut, Calif., and president of the Cleaning Industry Trainers Guild, first began at the college, there was no rhyme or reason to the chemicals used throughout campus. The department would purchase products based mainly on price, and had even been known to incorporate free samples from distributors into their daily cleaning regimen.

“When I got here, they had been using anything and everything in terms of chemicals. I called it the flavor of the month,” he says. “Whenever the department signed with a new chemical vendor, we’d use that product. You could open the binder of material safety data sheets (MSDS) and there would be 500 pages to sort through.”

During that time, the department mostly used chemicals that came in gallon jugs or five-gallon pails. As new vendors came in, though, the department started experimenting with what Garcia calls “command centers” — wall-mounted chemical dilution systems. The goal was to get a handle on the chemical usage throughout campus.

“The first thing I wanted to do when I started was to streamline processes by using the same chemicals throughout campus,” he says. “The shift would improve safety, simplify purchasing and standardize cleaning processes.”

After testing a few portion-control systems that are available on the market, Garcia found a program that would work to meet the objectives at Mt. San Antonio. Five years ago, the college shifted to the use of preportioned chemical packets and Garcia comments that the shift has been a positive one.

In fact, he highlights four specific areas where he has seen benefits to the use of these chemical packets.

1. Simplicity and Low-Cost Setup

Using chemical packets means simply cutting the pouch and mixing it with appropriate amounts of water in either a bucket or handheld bottle. So assuming custodians have access to water source of any kind, set-up is simple.

According to Garcia, the only start-up costs associated with introducing the preportioned chemical packets came with training employees on the proper use of chemicals — the when, the where and the how much.

“The packets are color coded so training is simple,” he says.“We have three daily use chemicals we use on campus, but there is no guesswork involved in measuring or mixing. So we take one hour for each chemical to go over the Safety Data Sheets, proper application and proper use.”

He adds that all the instructions for use are printed on each packet, simplifying the training process even further. Nevertheless, Garcia does refresher training five to six times a year with the staff.

2. Accuracy

By mixing the contents of one chemical packet to a bottle or bucket, the custodial worker knows he or she has the correct chemical dilution to produce the best cleaning results.

“Prior to our portioning programs, the staff used the ‘glug’ method to measure out of the gallon jugs or five-gallon pails,” says Garcia. “It was nearly impossible to document whether the staff was correctly measuring, or budget for chemicals. Documenting preportioned packets makes that easy.”

Garcia has also seen a standardization in cleanliness throughout campus. When workers use the chemicals correctly, they’ll achieve the same level of clean no matter where they are on campus.

“I know the staff is using the exact measurement every single time,” says Garcia, “and they will get the same clean result.”

3. Accountability and Control

When using a preportioned chemical packet, managers know exactly how much product is being used for each job, and how many packets should be left at the end of a shift.

“We know how many chemical packets are required to complete cleaning duties,” says Garcia. “At the end of the shift, staff has to bring back the empty packets. By knowing what is necessary to clean, I know how and when to restock. It simplifies things.”

He adds that although some departments find that once custodians see the benefits to these chemical packets, they can sometimes “grow legs and walk off,” this isn’t an issue at the college.

“Because of our process of documenting chemicals — how much is needed when and where, and what was all used — it would be very difficult to get away with thievery,” says Garcia. “Our inventory is controlled.”

4. Mobility and Labor Savings

Chemical packets are small and easy to carry, meaning custodial staffs can take everything they need to complete their cleaning duties with them in one trip. When new chemical is needed, workers simply refill their bottle at the nearest water source and add one lightweight packet. This benefit saves both time and money.

“One of the chemicals we use is a germicidal detergent for the restroom,” says Garcia. Workers bring enough packets to clean each of the restrooms for that day and “that is all they use for spraying and wiping, toilet bowl cleaning and mopping.”

Multi-purpose chemical packets are used for light-duty jobs such as desks, white boards and glass, and neutral cleaners are added to mop buckets or autoscrubbers to clean floors. According to Garcia, the packets can easily be stocked on cleaning carts so workers have enough to complete all their cleaning tasks without having to return to the storage closets.

Managers comment that when custodial crews move quickly and efficiently through the building without retracing steps, they are more efficient. By carrying packets with them as they work, workers eliminate the downtime associated with going back and forth to a custodial closet to refill or restock chemicals. These efficiencies translate into savings on labor.

Overall, the use of preportion chemical packets at Mt. San Antonio College has been positive and Garcia doesn’t see the processes changing anytime soon.

“No system is perfect and everything has room for growth, but to look back at what we were doing five years ago, we have come a long way,” he says. “We have had no problems with the chemical packets, only great results and we look forward to continuing that success.”

Originally published & reprinted with permission from CleanLink Online

Everyone has a unique personality. But did you know that you and the people you work with each day also have unique germ personalities? A new quiz from Kimberly-Clark Professional* can tell you where you stand on the germaphobe spectrum as well as how the germ personalities (and hygiene habits) of co-workers, colleagues and others can impact your health.

With cold-and-flu season on its way, knowing your germ personality could be more important than you think. Whether you're a "Fearful Fanatic" or a "Proud Exterminator," if you're among the more than one third of the population who are germ anxious, you may want to prepare sooner rather than later.

That's because many of the people around you are "Unconcerned" (in quiz terminology), which means they may not have the best hygiene habits. As a result, they can spread germs to others via commonly touched surfaces in offices, hotels, schools, stadiums and other locations. These germ "hot spots" are breeding grounds for illness-causing bacteria -- including cold, flu and stomach bugs.

Consider these findings from Kimberly-Clark Professional studies that measured contamination levels at work, away from home and at school:
• At work: The break room topped the list of office germ hot spots and the average desk -- where many people eat their lunch -- was found to have 20,951 germs per square inch. Sink and microwave door handles were the dirtiest surfaces touched by office workers on a daily basis and high levels of contamination were also found on computer keyboards, water fountain and vending machine buttons. Practicing good hand and surface hygiene can reduce average hot spot germ counts by 59 percent.

• Away from home: Testing in six major U.S. cities revealed that more than 65 percent of gas pump and mail box handles and more than 40 percent of escalator rails and ATM machine buttons were highly contaminated -- potentially exposing people to illness-causing bacteria. Another study found that TV remotes and bathroom sink faucets were among the most contaminated surfaces in hotel rooms.  

• At school: Highly contaminated surfaces in schools include bathroom stall door handles, classroom desks and door handles. In fact, the surfaces that teachers touch have 10 times more bacteria per square inch than those touched by people in other professions.

Don't be caught off guard. Be prepared to take care -- especially given the severity of last year's flu outbreak, which was declared an epidemic by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There's a lot you can do to protect yourself, including sharing these tips -- not germs -- with family, friends and colleagues.

1. Speak up. Tell the people in charge -- at your office, your children's school, a hotel, or any place else -- that you care about staying healthy and ask them to stock up on supplies that can help break the chain of germ transmission. These include instant hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes and plenty of soap, paper towels and facial tissue. 

2. Lead by example. Wash your hands often. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Use disinfecting wipes to clean common surfaces, especially if they've been touched by someone who is sick.

3. Wash, wipe, sanitize. The HYGIENIFY! wash, wipe, sanitize protocol reduces the probability of infection from colds and flu in the workplace by about 80 percent, according to a Workplace Wellness Intervention Study. The use of disinfecting wipes can reduce the number of surfaces contaminated by viruses by 62 percent.

Remember: The "Unconcerned" people around you during cold-and-flu season can leave you unprotected. Make sure you prepare to take care of yourself in advance of cold-and-flu season. Research has demonstrated that if 50 percent of people follow the wash, wipe, sanitize protocol, the exposure to and probability of infection from common viruses is significantly reduced.

Read more:
Ask Sadie: It's Flu Season! How You Can Stay Healthy
Paper Towels vs. Hand Dryers
School Is In Session, So Are Germs
The Healthy Schools Project*
Workplace Wellness

2013 WAXIE Fest Ontario

By: Briana Smith, WAXIE Sanitary Supply

First off, we’d like to thank everyone for all of their hard work organizing, setting up, and making sure that WAXIE Fest was a success. We’d also like to thank our customers for coming out to check on the all the latest products & innovations in the industry.

We know that sometimes it really helps to be able to see the products in person — to be able to compare a couple of different floor machines, carpet extractors, paper towel dispensers, chemical dilution systems or products, etc. all in one place at one time.

WAXIE’s bee even showed up and made some awesome dance moves as it made its way around the show. 

To view photos of the event, check out the WAXIE Fest album on our Facebook or Google+ pages.

Featuring the Rubbermaid Commercial Products "Built to Last" Truck Tour

The Rubbermaid truck rolled into our Warehouse the day before the show with just inches to spare. They had many of their industrial, material handling & safety products on hand, as well as several of their new product lines including their Executive Series and Disposable Microfiber Mops & Cloths. Many ‘stations’ were set up so that you could move from one type of product line to another, and several Rubbermaid & WAXIE sales reps were on hand to assist customers with any questions they had. The inside of their truck featured an electronic information center. On one wall of the information area, one could walk up and check out the construction techniques of Rubbermaid’s Duramold technology up close, as well as seeing a variety of casters that are built for different uses.
 

Online Training Program

WAXIE’s Education & Training department had a booth and gave a quick informational seminar on the newly launched online training program. Those who attended the seminar or stopped by their booth were shown the various features of the program from the different training modules with tips, videos, and step-by-step instructions to the knowledge checks and multiple-choice or true-false questions 10 quiz at the end of each module. Some cleaning procedures even included a ‘when to use what’ option, such as when to use an autoscrubber versus mopping. Safety procedures, inspecting one’s work, and clean up procedures are a specific focus & are mentioned in every training module. Currently available in English, a Spanish version of the online training program will soon be available in the first quarter of 2014.

 

Cleaning Products & Innovations Out On the Floor

Other vendors had great displays as well where attendees could walk up and check out new products. The Anderson Company showcased their personalized logo mats in several types of matting materials making it easy to envision how one’s own company logo could appear on a mat, welcoming people into their building or facility. And boy, can they be colorful! Crown Mats also had a very nice display on their matting system in a variety of colors, textures and type of mats. Mats Inc had a fun display, complete with Halloween treats.
 
Nearby, Georgia-Pacific displayed an array of their automatic enMotion dispensers in their booth, making it easy to get a good visual of what dispenser may work best in someone’s restrooms. A little bit further down was the Zep booth, which featured a nice selection of their industrial cleaners, and Fresh Wave IAQ with their great natural odor eliminator products. Ecolab had a selection of their QC Dispensing System products available, while Diversey had their Command Center system of products. So lots of choices!
 
American Paper Converting represented the WAXIE Clean & Soft lines of paper products & dispensers with a display showing how many wood chips it takes to produce a pack of multifold towels versus how much recycled paper it takes to produce a pack of the WAXIE-Green multifold towels. 3M’s booth featured their Scotchgard floor finishing system, as well as other industrial cleaning products and supplies.

Hand hygiene was the prominent focus at the Kimberly-Clark Professional booth, where attendees could find out more information on The Healthy Workplace Project*, The Healthy Schools Project* and the new Scott 24 Hour Sanitizing Spray. Remember to follow the protocol of HYGIENIFY! Wash, wipe, sanitize when washing your hands to break the transmission of germs! As you can see, we were having fun.

Heritage Bag had great information on WAXIE’s DuraStar& KleenLine trash can liners, as well as a prize wheel. A few of the prizes that someone could win included lip balm, a hat or a briefcase. Across from their booth was the BigBelly Solar Compactors, which make trash collection & recycling much easier and efficient. The WAXIE bee even demonstrated the proper technique! 

Windsor had some of their more popular machine models, including the Chariot, out and available for test drives. The chrome on one of NSS’ floor machines was super shiny! Advance had quite a large selection of their product line for attendees to check out, including ride on and walk-behind autoscrubbers. ProTeam& Workshop were represented as well, next to Unger’s window cleaning equipment. WAXIE even had a Demo Equipment Blowout Sale near the front, for those looking for a great deal. We also have several rentals available in our Service Center, as well as leasing options for all machines.

The hospitality booth was nice & refreshing with a variety of sample amenities. This was one of the more popular booths, as people seemed excited to test out samples of Vervé & Ecossential Spa lines of products.

Last up, but not least, was the WAXIE Solution Station, Floor Care, Bioactive Maintenance Products& WAXIE-Green Premeasured Packets booths where attendees could check out some of WAXIE’s most popular cleaning products. Several good questions were asked as people were looking at the WAXIE-Green line of Solution Station products, including why there wasn’t a disinfectant amongst the options. Disinfectants cannot be classified as “green” products, as the nature of a disinfectant is to kill viruses & bacterial. So currently, no disinfect can be third-party certified as a “green” disinfectant. For more information, you may want to read “Green and “Disinfect” – Do They Go Together?

Other vendors showing products included:AEP, Bobrick, Clorox, Diamond Wipes, Diplomat Coffee, Havells Lighting, Panasonic, Vapor Tec, World Dryer and Golden Gate Paper.

Festival Fun & Games

No festival can be complete without some fun games & prizes. Attendees could try their hand at several carnival games, such as: glass bottle ring toss, hit the milk bottles with a baseball, shoot some hoops, and mini one-hole golf. There were over 200 prize winners. Then came the raffle prizes by the Rubbermaid truck as the lunch buffet was wrapping up. Prizes included three TVs, an ipad, cameras, gift cards, a blueray disc player, a Samsung tablet, a color Nook and a two night vacation package to Morongo Casino. The vacation package to Morongo Casino consisted of a two night stay, golf, dinner for both days and spa gift certificate. Woohoo!

Hope that everyone had fun learning about new products, or old favorites that they forgot about. Let us know if there are any questions you still have on any products, the Online Training Program or anything else. We’d be happy to help. It was great getting a chance to see everyone and talk about what concerns you have with cleaning, supplying, training, etc.

Also, a huge shout-out to Jim with Antelope Valley School District for his 35+ years cleaning experience. It was great talking with you about drains, mops and cleaning supplies at the WAXIE Solution Station products booth!

Originally published & reprinted with permission from CleanLink Online: Clean Link Minute
By: Mickey Crowe

An office area is different enough from entrances and common areas that we will address them separately. Oftentimes these areas are exposed to more traffic and soiling than most offices. If you utilize the 80/20 Rule you will need to identify those areas that capture more soil and require more effort to maintain. 

Following are some points to consider:

1. Move furniture or other items as directed using care not to scratch surfaces.  
2. Take more time vacuuming carpeted areas to allow pick up and also be more thorough in covering the area wall to wall. This applies especially to mats and entrances or high traffic lanes.
3. Promptly address spots on carpet as soon as possible to reduce the chances of it becoming a stain. Identify the spot type, choose appropriate chemical, spray and blot turning cloth over to allow soil to wick into cloth.
4. Inspect and dust mop hard floor surfaces taking note as to the type floor (Vinyl Composite Tile with finish or granite as an example). Use a microfiber dust mop when possible and be sure to sweep up debris.
5. Place appropriate warning signs for any wet work being performed.
6. Inspect and remove gum, heel marks and other abrasions when possible before damp mopping.
7. Damp mop utilizing a neutral detergent that will not damage finish or stone surfaces which can be susceptible to harsh acids or alkalis.  
8. Clean and return all equipment to storage area for the next day’s use. Ask your supervisor to take a digital picture of how the closet, cart, barrel should look and then make sure that you keep your area and equipment clean, stocked and up to standard.

These steps will vary according to the area so feel free to adjust tasks and sequence as needed. The goal is a clean area. 

Read More:
Ask Sadie: The Importance of Workplace Safety
Ask Sadie: Treating Carpet Stains Tips & Techniques
Matting's Role in Proper Floor Maintenance
Synthetic Floor Care
WAXIE-Green Encapsulating Carpet Care

By: Keith Schneringer, LEED® AP O+M, Marketing Manager, WAXIE Sanitary Supply

America Recycles Day is November 15!

Each year since 1997, the Keep America Beautiful organization has celebrated November 15 as “America Recycles Day”.

What is America Recycles Day?  

It is a day dedicated to promoting recycling – a day focused on educating and motivating people to divert more waste from the landfills– and a day to ask people to strive to make their recycling efforts bigger and better for all the other days of the year.

Recycling – A Look Back

Recycling isn’t a new idea – as a matter of fact, people have been recycling for as long as history has been recorded. However, our ancestors didn’t look at recycling, reducing, repairing or reusing as a choice – it was an economic necessity!

Beginning in the 20th century, recycling of scraps to support the country’s efforts in World Wars I and II, as well as to help citizens subsist during the Great Depression, led to spikes in waste diversion.  

Then a post-war surge of improved economic conditions for American citizens throughout the 1950's and 1960's resulted in rising incomes and a comparative abundance of affordable mass-produced goods. This rise in easily available products and consumption-driven activities led to higher living standards, but it also led to an increased tendency for people to discard and replace items more readily, as opposed to reusing, repairing or recycling them. As a result, recycling rates hit rock bottom.

A heightened awareness of the impact that our collective activities have on the environment (1970's) combined with the realization of that there is an increasing shortage of available landfill space in our urban areas (1980's) highlighted the need for everyone to increase diversion rates.

And that brings us to today. As a result of more focused efforts to recycle since the 1970's, diversion rates have steadily climbed. And thanks to everyone’s participation, there are real and significant accomplishments which can be celebrated. Yea us!

But even with these gains, we can do better!

Recycling – A Look Forward to Zero Waste

What does the future hold for recycling?
Two words: Zero Waste.

What does Zero Waste mean?

According to the Zero Waste International Alliance, “Zero Waste is a goal that is ethical, economical, efficient and visionary, to guide people in changing their lifestyles and practices to emulate sustainable natural cycles, where all discarded materials are designed to become resources for others to use. Zero Waste means designing and managing products and processes to systematically avoid and eliminate the volume and toxicity of waste and materials, conserve and recover all resources, and not burn or bury them. Implementing Zero Waste will eliminate all discharges to land, water or air that are a threat to planetary, human, animal or plant health.”

In short, zero waste is a philosophy which looks at the complete life cycle of a product, so that it is designed in such a way that it can be manufactured and then used, reused, repurposed and/or recycled, and then never be sent to be discarded in a landfill or incinerator.

Several municipalities and universities have stated zero waste goals – examples close to home include City and County of San Francisco and UC San Diego, but there are many others.  

Striving for zero waste is a laudable goal – but how will it be accomplished?

Composting – A Key Contributor to Achieving Zero Waste

While there isn’t a definitive game plan for accomplishing the goal of zero waste, most observers agree that composting needs to play a role.

Composting is frequently described as “nature’s way of recycling”, and is a biological way of breaking up organic matter such as food waste, coffee grounds, landscape waste, and paper (among others) into a useful soil amendment.

The EPA encourages composting as a way to divert waste from the landfill, and describes composting as “collecting organic waste, such as food scraps and yard trimmings, and storing in under conditions designed to help it break down naturally. This resulting compost can then be used as a fertilizer.”

All organic matter will decompose naturally – if given enough time.  Nature has been generating compost from time immemorial, but without the right balance and mixture of conditions, this process can end up taking a very long time, and may or may not end up producing a byproduct which is particularly useful.

Over the years, humans have figured out the best formula for producing optimal conditions for composting to occur – by combining the right mix of compostable organic matter, microorganisms, temperature, air, water, location and time, the process can be almost be described as “managing the team of decomposers.”

The EPA states that “organic materials continue to be the largest component of municipal solid waste”, and it is estimated that yard trimmings and food waste account for over 28% of the waste that is generated each year.  

According to the EPA, “more food reaches landfills and incinerators than any other single material in municipal solid waste (MSW)” and “in 2011 alone, more than 36 million tons of food waste was generated, with only four percent diverted from landfills and incinerators for composting.”

America Recycles Day – Today, and Everyday

Reduce.  Recycle.  Compost.

Keep these thoughts in mind on this America Recycles Day – and check out the links below for links to articles and resources which you may find helpful or interesting (and hopefully both)- thanks for reading!

The Urban Quest for Zero Waste
Composting in a City – Are You Kidding?
Beyond Recycling: The Future of Waste
A World Without Waste
How To Establish a Recycling and Composting Program
Initiate a Recycling Program

Originally published & reprinted with permission in Housekeeping Solutions on Clean Link Online
By J. Darrel Hicks, BA, REH, CHESP

According to best practices, you should strive to minimize contamination of cleaning solutions and cleaning tools. Bucket solutions become contaminated almost immediately during cleaning, and continued use of the solution transfers increasing numbers of microorganisms to each subsequent surface to be cleaned. Cleaning solutions should be replaced frequently.

A variety of “bucket” methods have been devised to address the frequency with which cleaning solutions are replaced. This best practice will reduce water consumption, save trips to the closet to exchange dirty water for clean, and eliminate spreading germs. Simply set up a bucket with clean solution at the beginning of the shift and then put 15 to 20 clean cloths in the solution.

You must always start with a clean cloth when you wipe or disinfect a surface. Fold the cloth in half and half again. As you wipe each new area, unfold the cloth to an unused portion. This method provides you with eight clean surfaces with each cloth. Add more clean cloths as necessary to complete your day.

Studies have demonstrated that the number of times a surface is wiped is more important than the type of disinfectant used. This is because it’s always best to remove “bad bugs” rather than depending on the disinfectant to kill them. For best results, wipe the surface three times before moving on to another section or the next thing to be wiped. The mechanical action of wiping the surface three times removes soil.

The same technique can be used when mopping. Set up the clean bucket with clean solution at the beginning of your shift. Put eight to 10 clean, dry mops in the solution. (Add more clean mops as necessary to complete your day.) Each time you mop a new area, reach into the clean unused mops and put one on the handle, wringing it into the bucket of clean solution.

When you are done mopping an area, place the soiled mop in a bag so it is not inadvertently mixed with clean tools. Never put a dirty mop or cloth into a bucket of solution. That way, you won’t be contaminating the cleaning solution or the unused mops or cloths with the soil you have collected.

Cleaning cloths and mops should be laundered after use each day’s use and allowed to dry before re-use to help minimize the degree of contamination.

Read More:
Cleaning Frequencies: Who Cleans This and How Often?
WAXIE-Green Microfiber
Workplace Wellness: Learn What You Can Do to Stay Healthy

By Barbara Shapiro, Sales Administrator, WAXIE Sanitary Supply

On the morning of Saturday, November 16th, several of WAXIE’s Tucson employees, their guests, and employees from other organizations volunteered their time at the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona.

The WAXIE employees helped pack emergency food boxes for Southern Arizona residents. The volunteers spent three hours packing over 2600 boxes of food, which weighed a total of 40,000 lbs! This opportunity proved to be a rewarding way for our employees to get involved in fighting hunger, and a great way for them to meet other like-minded individuals.

Some facts about Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona:
•    They distribute enough food for 62,800 meals a day
•    For every $1.00 donated, they can distribute nearly $9.00 worth of food
•    Their programs assist people within 23,106 square miles of Southern Arizona

For more information on the Community Food Bank please visit: http://communityfoodbank.com/

Originally published & reprinted with permission from CleanLink Online
By: Mickey Crowe

Office cleaning will vary according to whether you utilize zone or team cleaning. Although team cleaning is almost always more productive, some customers and situations require zone cleaning. Zone cleaning is when a person is responsible for cleaning the entire floor or area by themselves including trash collection, vacuuming, dusting, etc. Team cleaning is when a team of four (or more or less) perform certain specialist functions in the same area. 

Following are the suggested steps for a zone cleaner to clean an office area:

1. Prepare your cart or barrel for cleaning by making sure that you have all of the supplies and tools necessary to do the job. Be sure that you have access to and are wearing correcting any required PPE’s (personal protective equipment) which also means you need to have read and understand the MSDS information.

2. Check your schedule or organize your route so that you begin in an area and methodically clean a section/area/room at a time. It is recommended your supervisor has provided a job card listing the route (Example: Room 102, then 104, then waiting area, etc.) with time requirements for how long it should take to perform the required tasks.

3. Inspect trash can(s) and empty into barrel while replacing any torn or soiled liners as needed. If a recycling can is present, empty it into the recycling section of your barrel. You may leave a few extra liners in the bottom.

4. Inspect and dust the assigned areas for the assigned day (Quadrant Cleaning). Always dust from high to low using a clean microfiber duster or sleeve. When possible, use a dust cloth made of microfiber being sure to use the correct color.

5. Damp wipe any surfaces that are soiled using either an all-purpose cleaner or disinfectant as directed. Identify touch points such as light switches and other surfaces that need disinfecting.

6. Inspect and clean any glass partitions, doors that have finger prints or show signs of dust. Be careful to use appropriate cleaner for Plexi-glass surfaces that can be damaged by ammoniated window cleaners.

7. Vacuum carpet or clean hard floor surfaces by dust mopping and damp mopping. Assuming that you are using an upright vacuum cleaner, use care in bumping furniture as well as capturing all the visible soils. If you are utilizing Quadrant Cleaning, thoroughly vacuum assigned areas. Dust mop and damp mop as directed.

As I wrote this it occurred to me that we have left out “empty ash trays” since most areas are non-smoking today. 

Read more:
Ask Sadie: The Importance of Workplace Safety
Carpet Care Surface vs. Deep Extraction – What's the Difference?
Eight Tips for Keeping Facilities Clean
How to Read a Product Label
PDIR: I is for Interim Cleaning

Originally published & reprinted with permission from CleanLink Online
By: By Stephanie S. Beecher, Associate Editor 

The makers of away-from-home hand soaps are taking cues from retail shoppers to create high-end, spa-inspired hand cleansers for the commercial market.

Driven by the popularity of retail chains such as Bath & Body Works, and the numerous luxury soap offerings lining shelves at department stores like Target, soap manufacturers are using select fragrances, moisturizers and other natural ingredients to appeal to the changing predilections of the broader public.

“Manufacturers are moving away from institutional smells and feel,” says Chris Martini, director of marketing at Central Sanitary Supply, Modesto, Calif. “I think what’s happening from a retail standpoint is that the consumers want products that, more than anything, smell really good and leave their hands feeling really good.”

In the home market, spa soap products are a multi-billion dollar business. During the past few years, the demand for luxury and artisanal goods has spiked across personal care areas. This trend continues despite its higher price tags; some consumers are willing to shell out more than $15 for a 16 oz. bottle of luxury hand cleanser. As spa soaps become a staple item on the retail side, distributors say building owners can expect the demand for these products to rise on the commercial side, as well. 

After all, the buyers of personal hand soap are the same people who work at and visit the facilities serviced by the nation’s building service contractors, Martini says.

“People want the same stuff in their work environment as they do in their home environment,” he adds. “Now, the commercial side is catching on.”

Luxury Spa Soaps Are Nature-Inspired

In the past, it was a priority for BSCs and building owners simply to supply and maintain hand soap quantities in facility restrooms. Today, selecting the right type and quality of soap greatly affects visitors’ image of a facility, especially in upscale environments.

“(In the past) the soap was clear, or slightly off-white in color, which is very bland,” says Laura Craven, director of marketing, Dade Paper, Miami.

In a healthcare facility, a featureless, clinical-smelling soap may comfort visitors who are concerned about infection control, but in an upscale office building the same smell may convey an unwelcoming feel. Instead, luxury hand soaps are being offered in bright, translucent colors like pastel pinks, purples, blues and greens with warm, natural scents.

“Customers have changed expectations,” says Keith Schneringer, marketing manager, WAXIE Sanitary Supply, San Diego. “Everybody is stepping up their game and making soaps that are in different colors and scents, where people aren’t feeling like they are in a clinic or a gas station.”

While there isn’t an exact description for  “luxury,” “high-end,” or “spa-inspired” hand soap, as opposed to traditional options, manufacturers generally consider spa soaps to encompass natural ingredients, appealing colors and pleasant scents. Soaps with added moisturizers and emollients — such as Aloe Vera, Vitamin E and other natural oils — add to the value of these products. The soaps tend to come in a higher quality form, such as foam, and are typically meted from sleek, modern soap dispensers, adding to the upscale image.

Traditionally, BSCs were encouraged to stay away from colorful, scented soaps; overly fragranced hand soaps could be off-putting to users and discourage them from washing their hands. Moreover, it was difficult to find a fragrance or color to appease all building occupants and visitors. But today, it appears that manufacturers have grasped consumers’ changing preferences and discovered a sensible balance.

Unlike previous fragranced hand soaps, which could smell overpowering or “engineered,” according to Martini, today’s manufacturers draw their inspiration from nature.

“You are seeing more premium scents, things such as lavender, eucalyptus — fragrances that you might normally find if you literally went to the spa, or to a resort,” Martini says.“Most of the formulas that are being made are a bit more mild, slightly toned down, so they are not as predominant as consumer soaps. They are all formulated to have a more natural scent.”

Read More:
Cleaning Frequencies: Who Cleans This & How Often?
Paper Towels vs. Hand Dryers
Workplace Wellness: How You Can Take Action

Originally published & reprinted with permission from CleanLink Online
By: Kassandra Kania

In order for enzyme-based cleaners to work correctly, custodial staffs need to be trained on the proper procedures for handling and using these products.

“Enzymes have a very short life cycle,” notes Cadell. “They are kept dormant in a suspension agent until they are diluted with water, at which point they need to find a food source quickly, or they will die.”

Once the enzymes are activated, they need to be applied directly to the surface that needs cleaning.

“These are not the type of products you can toss into your mop water,” warns Cadell. “They’ll start to attack things inside the mop, because the first place the enzyme touches and finds its food source is the first place it’s going to attach and eat.”

Cadell recommends spraying the enzymatic cleaner close to the area being targeted — within a foot or less for grout lines.

If custodians are using enzymatic-based cleaners on touch points, distributors encourage managers to train staff to target those areas first, and then move on to urinals, toilets, and finally, floors.

“We suggest workers clean the entire restroom with the bio-enzymatic cleaner, and then the last thing they do is mop the floors with it,” says Crisafulli. “Workers should start with dry processes — always working from high to low — and then work their way from the farthest point in the restroom to the door.”

Because disinfectants will attack enzymes, distributors advise custodians to disinfect before using enzymatic cleaners.

“Some managers train their people to go in and spray enzymes to take care of odors and then use disinfectant on top of that,” says Cadell. “In these cases, they’ve killed the product before it’s even had a chance to work.”

The last area to be cleaned with the enzymatic cleaner is the floor. In addition to training custodians on daily procedures, Crisafulli advises them to do a restorative-type cleaning on floors every three months using an enzymatic cleaner.

“If we have a lot of odor complaints, we’ll do an evaluation and find that it’s usually because of the floors,” he says. “We’ll encourage departments to do a deep cleaning or scrubbing with the enzymatic cleaner and then do a heavy wet mop with the enzymatic cleaner for three or four days in a row. That way we know the surface is going to stay wet for 24 to 36 hours, and the enzymatic cleaner will continue to break down the odor-causing bacteria.”

While the industry has been slow to adopt enzymatic cleaners, Flieler predicts that sales will pick up over the next year due to safer blends, wider availability and more general knowledge.

“It’s common sense,” he says. “Bio-enzymatic cleaners are safer to use, safer for the environment and safer for human health. They continue to clean well after the initial application, and you displace those potentially disease-causing bacteria. Once we introduce people to these products and explain what they are and how they work, they never go back.”

KASSANDRA KANIA is a freelance writer based in Charlotte, N.C.

Read More:
A Bioremedial Approach...What Are Microbes?
Eight Tips for Keeping Facilities Clean
FAQs About the Differences Between Disinfecting & Sanitizing
PDIR: R is for Restorative (Cleaning)
The Difficulty of Keeping Restrooms Clean

By: David Wax & Briana Smith

We’re excited to share that on Sunday, November 17th, 2013 Danny Howard, a long-time friend of David Wax, competed in and completed the 2013 IRONMAN Arizona Triathlon. He represented WAXIE (unbeknownst to us) in the cycling portion of the race with WAXIE’s blue & yellow colors and logo on his jersey.

The Triathlon started out with a 2.4 mile swim in Tempe Town Lake, which progresses into a 112 mile bike course through the Sonoran Desert, and then ending in a full 26.2 marathon run around Tempe Town Lake and Papago Park. Danny completed the courses in a very respectable time 13:52:10 (hr:min:sec).

A CPA in the Los Angeles area, Danny trained over the past year in preparation for the Phoenix-based event. We salute Danny Howard on his well earned achievement and for wearing WAXIE's colors with pride.

Thank you to Alex Zimmer & Danny for sharing photos!

To read more about the IRONMAN Arizona Triathlon:http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/americas/ironman/arizona.aspx#axzz2n6Pwon2O

To see the course maps for the 2013 Athlete Guide for IRONMAN Arizona:http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/americas/ironman/arizona/athletes/athlete-guide.aspx#axzz2nmRAjPDV

By: Barbara Shapiro, Sales Administrator, WAXIE Sanitary Supply

WAXIE Tucson volunteers with the clay "beads" they created for Ben's Bells

Several WAXIE Tucson employees volunteered for two hours on December 21, 2013 to create clay “beads” of different shapes and sizes for Ben’s Bells. Ben’s Bells is an organization that was originated by Jeanette and Dean Maré shortly after their 3-year-old son, Ben, suddenly passed away. With the support of friends, the Marés were able to cope with their grief by creating something beautiful in order to focus on spreading kindness throughout the community.

Volunteers create wind chimes that consist of flowers, beads and a bell at the bottom that are distributed randomly throughout the community and to individuals that have been nominated to receive a “bell” for acts of kindness. The Marés also develop outreach programs for schools and businesses that promote kindness and have a store at their work studios and online.

Close up of the clay "beads" that will be made into wind chimes

For more information: www.bensbells.org

By: Briana Smith, WAXIE Sanitary Supply

I always enjoy reading yearly Top 10 lists, as they give a good snapshot of the year in review. It's also rather fascinating to see what posts have been popular, and which topics have been interesting or important to people. Sometimes they are even a good indicator on what topics will continue to be of interest in 2014, for instance Workplace Wellness, Healthcare Acquired Infections (HAIs), green cleaning, and cleaning education & training.

So these are our Top 10 blog articles of 2013 based on the number of views. What do you think of the list? Was there a topic that you think should've ranked? What do you think will be important in 2014? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

By: Fred Capriotti, Sales Manager and Healthcare Vertical Market Leader for WAXIE Ontario & Palm Springs

On January 7, 2014 the WAXIE Healthcare Vertical Market Leaders, co-hosted with Clorox, commenced the first of 12 meetings for the Inland Empire Chapter of APIC, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. APIC is the leading professional association for infection preventionists with more than 15,000 members. Their mission is to create a safer world through the prevention of infection. This will be achieved by ensuring that individuals are better cared for and by promoting better health at a lower cost. The Inland Empire Chapter of APIC has approximately 89 active members in the Inland Empire and High Desert.

Most APIC members are nurses, physicians, public health professionals, epidemiologists, microbiologists, or medical technologists who:

• Collect, analyze, and interpret health data in order to track infection trends, plan appropriate interventions, measure success, and report relevant data to public health agencies.
• Establish scientifically based infection prevention practices and collaborate with the healthcare team to assure implementation.
• Work to prevent healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in healthcare facilities by isolating sources of infections and limiting their transmission.

John Giles, WAXIE’s Corporate Account Director – Healthcare, was one of the guest speakers and spoke about the Healthy Measures™. Healthy Measures is a program that is designed to reduce HAI related incidents and improve patient satisfaction scores, focusing specifically on surface disinfection and hand hygiene. This results-driven program provides a scorecard, based on a site analysis, to establish a baseline from which to measure progress. Then a joint action plan is developed, and an implementation process is created that will move the facility ever closer to current best practices, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control, the Association for Healthcare Environments, and by APIC itself.

Following the lively Healthy Measures discussion, Catie Reeves and Corey Fox from Clorox who completed a study done on pathogens and how long they're able to survive on soft surfaces (like fabric privacy curtains). Hospital privacy curtains, and other types of soft surfaces, are frequently and rapidly contaminated with potentially pathogenic bacteria because microorganisms tend to thrive on  soft surface materials. Adding a cleaning routine to address soft surfaces as part of the daily facility’s regular infection prevention practices may help reduce the transmission of HAIs.



Clorox provided recommended solutions on the cleaning & disinfecting of soft surfaces.

Steps you can take include:

• Routine laundering of privacy curtains, linens, employee uniforms and other soft surfaces in your facility.
• Use of an EPA-registered product to kill bacteria on soft surfaces between laundering and on soft surfaces that are unable to be laundered.
• Healthcare professionals practicing good hand hygiene during and between patient care.

The group was very engaged and we look forward to having APIC’s next meeting here in Ontario on February 4, 2014. One can attend an APIC meeting as a guest, but to attend meetings regularly you must be a member (APIC Membership Info).

WAXIE Vertical Market Specialists are APIC members and supporting the education of better sanitation & health within the community is important to us at WAXIE.



Read More:
APIC - http://www.apic.org/
Cleaning Frequencies: Who Cleans This and How Often?
Clorox Resource Page on Soft Surfaces - http://www.cloroxprofessional.com/industry/health/knowledge-expertise/soft-surfaces/
FAQs About the Differences Between Disinfecting & Sanitizing
Healthy Measures Program - http://www.healthymeasuresonline.com/wps/portal/healthymeasures/generalinfoAnon

By: Fred Capriotti, Sales Manager and Healthcare Vertical Market Leader for WAXIE Ontario & Palm Springs

WAXIE Palm Springs recently hosted a vendor appreciation luncheon to thank all of the vendors who helped make 2013 such a success.

We work hand-in-hand with our vendors to give all our customers in the desert and valley regions the best service possible, so we consider them to be a great part of our success. These close relationships have allowed us to schedule more “ride alongs” where our vendors join our Sanitary Maintenance Consultants to meet with our customers. When a vendor participates in a ride along they can assist with on-the-spot customer training, and they often help us develop better solutions for our customers’ various cleaning needs and goals.
 
Our vendors have worked hard with us to develop new business & gain new opportunities. WAXIE values this relationship that we have with our vendor community and we’re looking forward to an even better 2014. It’s an ongoing goal of ours to promote and support better cleaning practices, tools, and techniques with the knowledge and information that our vendors can supply.

It is important that everyone knows how much they are appreciated and valued. So thank you, once again, to all of our vendors, the WAXIE Palm Springs team, our WAXIE Sanitary Maintenance Consultants, and everyone else who had a part in this winning team. We couldn’t be this successful without you.

By: Barbara Shapiro, Sales Administrator, WAXIE Sanitary Supply

24 attendees eagerly learned about the importance of routine, interim and restorative carpet care procedures by the WAXIE Tucson staff at our Carpet Care and Maintenance Seminar at the Jewish Community Center in Tucson, AZ last week. In addition to regular & ongoing maintenance cleaning procedures, we also covered helpful carpet cleaning tips, such as:

• Carpet spotting techniques: Try removing as much of the spot or stain by blotting with a soft towel or cloth and with water extraction before using a carpet spotter. Blotting makes sure that the spot stays contained & doesn’t spread, as opposed to rubbing a spot, which will set it. Also, blotting will remove most of the excess moisture from the carpeting material making the use of a carpet spotter much more effective.
• Avoid those rust & furniture marks: Use furniture tabs when moving furniture back onto wet carpet to prevent metal legs, etc. from leaving unwanted spots and creating more work to keep clean.

Our knowledgeable staff also demoed WAXIE’s new Facility Maintenance and Management Program, which is an online training program that our customers can access 24/7 (once they’ve registered through their Sanitary Maintenance Consultant). All of WAXIE’s online training courses have several modules containing video, audio, interactive exercises, photos, tips and short assessment quizzes. When an employee completes a module, he/she receives a certificate of completion via email. Since this was a carpet care seminar, instructors showed the attendees some of the carpet care & maintenance modules. Online training is a great tool for training personnel or even as a refresher. 

After participating in the educational portion of the training, WAXIE, TRC Marketing, Inc., ASM Waypoint, NSS and Straight Representation, Inc. representatives reinforced the procedures covered in both the classroom & online training with actual hands-on carpet care cleaning tools & techniques. Various floor machinery & accessories were demoed including carpet extractors, (upright, backpack & wet/dry) vacuums, carpet dryers, etc.

Our attendees had plenty of time to ask our experts questions at different stations regarding the best cleaning chemicals for the task at hand, including the benefits of encapsulation carpet products.

We received some great feedback after the seminar:
“All the information we received was very helpful to do our jobs better.”
“Great presentation. Looking forward for next.”
“Good presentation, always informative.”
“Friendly not boring!”

Thanks to all who attended. We hope YOU can join us for our next event on Restroom Care in February!

For more information regarding WAXIE’s Facility Maintenance and Management online training program:http://info.waxie.com/events/events/online-training/

By: Briana Smith, WAXIE Sanitary Supply

The interior of the Basilica di Sant-Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, Italy with it's 16th century marble floor tiles

As I stuffed my stamped entrance ticket into my pocket and pulled open the wooden door, I was temporarily blinded by going from the bright sunlight outside to the darkness inside.

I stepped further into the musty building, the room brightening considerably from the light that gently filtered into the nave from the plain glass clerestory windows. My boot heals clicked as I walked across the marble floor tiles, gazing in wonder at the scenes in front of me. A glittering array of gold, carmine, lapis lazuli, jade, black, white (and everything in between) tiles decorated the walls forming breathtaking mosaic frescos that depicted early Christian motifs. Amazing! How on earth has all of it survived intact for this long?

This past November I had the opportunity to travel to Italy on vacation. One of the most memorable places that I visited was Ravenna, an ancient Etruscan city that eventually became the capital of the Western Roman Empire. Ravenna is known for its UNESCO Heritage Sites of early Christian monuments, which are particularly unique as they house some ah-mazing mosaics from the 5th & 6th centuries. The experience I described above was how I felt upon entering the Basilica di Sant-Apollinare Nuovo, an ancient basilica (circa 500 AD) that has seen several empires come and go over the centuries.

Now...you may wonder why I’m recapping my vacation on a cleaning blog. Well, as I was gawking at the magnificence of the mosaic artwork at Sant-Apollinare Nuovo, I happened to notice something strangely familiar in the corner of the room near the entrance. It was a walk-behind autoscrubber! And an Italian one at that. Not that I think that North Americans are the only ones using cleaning equipment or anything, but it’s like coming across foreign candy in the supermarket. It’s just cool. Naturally I just had to take a picture! Occupational hazard I suppose.

A rather blurry photo of the walk-behind autoscrubber in Sant-Apollinare

Once I returned home I sort of forgot about it until I started digging through my thousands of photos and came across the ones from Ravenna. This in turn brought back my first thought upon sighting the autoscrubber in the basilica, “They clean centuries old floors with a modern day autoscrubber?” One of my coworkers asked me what I thought they cleaned the floor with, and I had realized that I had never considered it becuase the majority of the buildings around me aren’t all that old and favor modern construction materials and design. However marble flooring seemed to be the material of choice for building construction throughout Italy for centuries as it was readily available, durable, and of course, stunning.

Professional curiosity got the better of me, and after a bit of research I found out some interesting information regarding the floors of Sant-Apollinare Nuovo. The current floors that I had traversed are not in fact the original ones from when the basilica was erected, but from a 16th century restoration, so they were not quite as old as I first assumed. It is speculated that the floors were heightened about 4 inches so that they would be at the outside street level, which had changed over the years. This makes me wonder if the original floors are underneath, and if they are of mosaic design as well because earlier in the day I had visited the nearby Basilica di San Vitale (circa 546/556 AD) and they let visitors walk on the 16th century mosaic floors!

The 16th century mosaic floors in the Basilica di San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy

I guess it really is no surprise that an autoscrubber is used to clean the marble flooring. After all, many buildings today have natural stone flooring that cleaning professionals maintain with daily, interim & restorative cleaning procedures to make sure that they stay looking great and handle the wear and tear of foot traffic.   

The most important thing to remember when you are cleaning your natural stone floors is that not all products for stone floor care work for every type of stone material. READ the label carefully to make sure that you can use a particular cleaning chemical for your floor, as the chemical makeup varies from stone materials and they can react differently to the product sometimes ruining the floor.

As a side note, I also noticed an Italian floor machine in another cathedral while in Italy, perhaps the Duomo in Florence, but I refrained from taking too many vacation photos of cleaning equipment. If you ever have the opportunity to visit Ravenna, I highly recommend it, and not just for possible autoscrubber & floor machine sightings!

Read More:
Basilica of S. Apollinare Nuovo: Justification for the inclusion to the World Heritage List - http://www.turismo.ra.it/binary/turismo_ravenna_new/arte_monumenti/apollnuovo.1102598801.pdf

Ravenna Mosaic Monuments Website
Opera di Religione della Diocesi di Ravenna - http://www.ravennamosaici.it/index.php?lang=en