The Future Of Cleaning

If I had to select two words to describe the future of the professional cleaning industry and the ways parks and recreation facilities will be cleaned in coming years, those words would be “green” and “sustainable.”

Embracing the green clean.

In the past decade, consumer demand, government regulations, and economics, as well as increased concerns about health and safety, have resulted in a growing number of facilities converting to green cleaning, and manufacturers developing environmentally preferable and responsible cleaning products.

Advancements in research and technology, along with significant investments made by manufacturers, have also resulted in dramatic improvements in the effectiveness of green cleaning products over the past several years.

Many users originally reported finding green chemicals to be less effective than the conventional products they historically had used. But with few exceptions today, green-equivalent cleaning chemicals now meet or even exceed the performance standards of the conventional products they were designed to replace.

In addition, most are no longer more expensive than conventional products. In fact, most are considered cost-neutral today and cost-effective, resulting in green products being welcomed and used throughout the professional cleaning industry.

In coming years, the market will see an increased focus on green cleaning equipment–from hand tools to floor machines. Not only will greener, more environmentally sensitive features be added, but machines that use fewer natural resources than older types of cleaning equipment will become the norm.

The following is an examination of what to expect.

Recycling Units

As the cleaning industry has become greener, it has also shown greater interest in sustainability and conservation of natural resources. Some equipment manufacturers have responded with systems that recycle the water and solution they use. Not only do these units save natural resources, but they provide tremendous increases in productivity, as trips back and forth to a drain and water source are reduced.

In the case of carpet extractors as an example, there are units that can filter and recycle the water and cleaning solution, allowing the carpet-cleaning technician to eliminate as many as seven changes of liquid. This can help speed up the carpet-cleaning process significantly.

In addition to carpet extractors that recycle, there have been advancements in what is referred to in the industry as “moisture-controlled” wand technology. These units are proving to be effective at cleaning, controlling the amount of water used, and reducing the amount of moisture left in the carpet after the cleaning process.

Manual Push Sweepers

While units such as recyclers might be considered high-tech, there is also some low-tech equipment that will play a growing role in cleaning. An example of this is manual sweepers.

Why are they green? The answer is simple–they use manpower in place of electricity, fuel, or water.

While manual push sweepers are not new, there have been significant changes to them over the past few years, in both effectiveness and filtering. Today, there are push sweepers on the market that are several times faster than conventional push brooms.

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