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Facility Surface Cleaning and Disinfecting

By: WAXIE Editorial Staff  |  March 19, 2020

In addition to having building occupants and employees practice good hand hygiene, it is also important to maintain a clean and healthy building environment through effective surface cleaning and disinfecting.

It is recommended that your custodial team evaluate and implement measures to minimize the potential transmission of the influenza virus, coronavirus or any other pathogens via hard surfaces through good sound cleaning and disinfecting procedures, with a focus on areas which may have the greatest likelihood of potential environmental contamination such as restrooms, food preparation areas and high touch surfaces.

Topics: workplace wellness, disinfecting, cleaning tips

Forging Their Own Paths: Women Making an Impact at WAXIE

Some of the amazing women who work at WAXIE Sanitary Supply: Clockwise from the top – Lettie Parker-Mendoza, Cherisse Mekeel, Barbara Corral and Alisa Konsulian.

March 4, 2020

International Women's Day is this Sunday, March 8th. In honor of that, we'd like to shine a light on four of our amazing staff members who we often rely on for help & guidance.

The Jan/San industry can be a tough one – especially for front-line cleaning & maintenance staff. With long hours and a physically demanding workload, there are so many woman who are working tirelessly to make a difference! Not just in keeping places clean & healthy, but in promoting professional growth & development. This includes being involved in ISSA's Hygieia Network, which actively provides resources, support & mentorship for the advancement of women throughout all levels of the cleaning industry.

At WAXIE, women play crucial roles in many positions, from Maintenance Staff to Drivers to Account Consultants, and we consider ourselves lucky to have so many amazing women working for us! Let’s celebrate.

Topics: company news

Entrance Matting Care & Maintenance

Image courtesy of M+A Matting

Guest Blog By: M+A Matting  |  February 12, 2020

Entrance matting is an essential component of creating a safe and clean facility. According to the ISSA, 80% of dirt, dust, and moisture brought into a building can be contained within the first 15 to 18 feet with proper matting. But in order for this matting to retain its efficacy – to remove dirt and moisture from shoes and help prevent tracking - it must be regularly cared for and maintained. This entails routine cleanings, checking the condition of your mats, and the eventual replacement when it reaches the end of its service life.

Topics: Hard Floor Care, flooring, floor matting

2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Overview

By: WAXIE Editorial Staff  |  January 30, 2020

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),¹ 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-NCoV) is a new virus which has been identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness in Wuhan City, Huebei Province in China. The earliest reported cases had a link to a large seafood and animal market in Wuhan, suggesting an initial animal-to-person spread, however a growing number of subsequent patients have not had exposure to animal markets, indicating that a person-to-person spread may be occurring.¹

Topics: Health, industry news, Infection Prevention

Carpet Cleaning Basics: Routine Maintenance to Restoration

By: WAXIE Editorial Staff  |  January 17, 2020

Carpeting is probably the most common type of floor covering in commercial buildings. It can add an attractive appearance and a warm, soft feel to a facility while reducing noise. But because dirt is often hidden in the carpet, proper maintenance can be neglected until the carpet "uglys out," and expensive restoration or replacement is needed.

Topics: carpet, flooring, cleaning tips

Looks Just Like New! How to Scrub & Recoat Your Resilient Floors

WAXIE Account Consultant Hope S. learns how to use a floor machine as part of a scrub & recoat training session at WAXIE San Diego

By: WAXIE Editorial Staff  |  December 11, 2019

A scrub & recoat procedure is integral to any resilient and hard floor care maintenance program. If done periodically it can improve the appearance of your floors without having to do the more time-consuming strip & refinish procedure as often.

Keeping your facility clean and safe is a lot of work, especially around the holidays when winter weather & tons of foot traffic can muck your floors up faster. When dirt, water and ice melt get tracked into your building your regular daily maintenance routine just can't keep up, which creates the potential for a slip and fall accident to occur. However implementing interim cleaning procedures makes it much easier for custodial staffs to preserve a consistent & high level of cleanliness, while maintaining safety for building staff & guests.

Topics: Hard Floor Care, flooring, cleaning tips

Why Vaporization Is Better Than Other Odor Control Methods

Guest Blog By: Fresh Wave IAQ  |  October 30, 2019

The Safer Alternative to Ozone, Hydroxyl, and Fragrances

There are many techniques and technologies for removing commercial odors – each with its pros and cons. The range of methods span from:

• inexpensive but less effective (masking fragrances)
  to
• potent but dangerous (ozone machines)
  to
• powerful but time consuming (hydroxyl machines)

When it comes to the best of all factors, nothing compares to vaporization of plant-based products for safe, fast, effective, and efficient odor elimination.

Topics: Indoor Air Quality, healthcare, odor control, Hospitality

Business Downtime Due to Odors

Guest Blog By: Fresh Wave IAQ  |  October 16, 2019

Calculating the Cost (And Solving the Problem) of Smelly Rooms

Whether it’s a hospital or hotel, resort or senior living community, no one wants to stay in a smelly room. Tobacco smoke, food, even bodily fluids (vomit or urine) can leave behind traces of the previous visitor and create a reputation for uncleanliness at an establishment.

Hospitality and healthcare facilities can’t afford to offer a room with lingering odors. In hotel rooms, specifically, two-thirds of travelers have complained, asked for a different room, requested a discount or refund, or cancelled their reservations if confronted with room odors, according to a Hampton Hotels survey. After a visit, one bad review can mean a loss of untold future customers.

In addition to discounts, refunds, or lost business, the odor removal process can make a big impact to the bottom line. Some odor-eliminating techniques (like masking fragrances) do not completely remove odors, risking future complaints or “one star” reviews. Others (like ozone generators) are expensive and unsafe—requiring a room to be closed off while being treated—meaning it cannot generate revenue.

Topics: Indoor Air Quality, healthcare, odor control, Hospitality

Light Up Your Life: Retrofitting Your Lighting with Energy-Efficient LEDs

By: WAXIE Editorial Staff  |  September 25, 2019

In today’s age it is almost impossible not to see LED lighting at every turn. From streetlights and parking lots – to department stores and hotels – LED is everywhere.

In the past, darkness prevailed. Car dealers were turning off their lot lighting at midnight in an effort to save money, and the energy crunch resulted in reduced lighting in offices and businesses alike. Some stores appeared closed as the lights were so low.

Back then, energy saving solutions required reducing your light output because a lower wattage lamp was also a lower lumen lamp. These days the lights are on! Auto dealerships are brightly lit throughout the night, and supermarkets are back to enticing their customers with bright sparkling stores. A car dealership can now replace a 1000 watt high intensity fixture with a 300 Watt LED fixture, resulting in a 70% operating cost reduction.

Topics: facility maintenance, lighting