WAXIE's Top 10 Blog Articles of 2013

1. Cleaning, Maintaining and Encapsulating Asbestos Tile

Asbestos tile was a very popular flooring material up until the 1980's when the EPA banned its use, which really wasn't all that long ago, so it's fairly common to come across when cleaning older buildings. It's important to clean & maintain these types of floors properly so that the asbestos fibers do not become airborne from damaged tiles.

2. Paper Towels vs. Hand Dryers

Classic argument on which is the most sanitary, most sustainable, and/or is the most preferred method of hand drying. Most of our unofficial polls indicate that most people like to use paper towels, but other concerns (such as price, maintenance and environmental footprint) are often factored in regarding a facility's decision to purchase paper or plastic.

3. Las Vegas Green Cleaning Trade Show - March 21, 2013

We had training seminars & events all across WAXIE in 2013, yet this brief recap of WAXIE Las Vegas' Green Cleaning Trade Show made it to #3 on the list. Sustainability and green cleaning continues to gain momentum as our society is investing in solutions towards protecting the health of people and our environment.

4. How to Reduce Hospital-Acquired Infections

Now known as Healthcare Acquired Infections, HAIs are a serious concern nationwide as superbugs, such as MRSA and C. Diff, are rapidly becoming antibiotic-resistant and are causing serious health problems. Look for 2014 to bring technology into use to increase hand hygiene compliance, as well as further discussions on cleaning, sanitizing & disinfecting.

5. WAXIE's 2012 List of Favorite Things

The products on this list are products that we'd still recommend as being some of our favorites, with the addition of a few others that were released in 2013, but we'll get to one of those below. I have several of these products myself that I use at home, including the Microfiber Terry Towels, the Nitrile Gloves, and a couple of the WAXIE Bioactive Maintenance Products. The BigBelly Solar Compactors were also a big hit with cities like Soldotna, AK & Pleasanton, CA who have recently adopted the usage of them as part of their green initiatives.

6. The Difficulty of Keeping Restrooms Clean

Restrooms are one of those places that are constantly in use and just need to be cleaned daily. The condition of a restroom can even make or break a customer's chance of returning to a business or restaurant. Maintaining a well kept restroom can also save you money down the road if problems are addressed quickly. This article listed cleaning tips for this all important room. As a side note, people commented on our Facebook page that break rooms & kitchens deserved to share the spotlight as the most difficult rooms to clean.

7. Introducing the WAXIE-Green Cleaning Kit

One of my absolute personal favorite products that we've released this year has to be the WAXIE-Green Cleaning Kit products. They work, they are ready-to-use (so you don't have to worry about diluting anything), they are color-coded to prevent cross-contamination issues, and they are ECOLOGO Certified to Hardsurface Cleaners UL 2759 (formerly CCD-146). What's not to like? Plus one can never have too many Microfiber Terry Clothes!

8. Workplace Wellness: Learn What You Can Do to Stay Healthy

This was a collaborative article with one of our vendor partners, Kimberly-Clark Professional*. Workplace Wellness and good hand hygiene practices are important no matter where you work. It's especially of noteworthy during the colder months as flu season spreads. This article highlighted germ hot spots, cross-contamination on various surfaces that are commonly touched and Kimberly-Clark Professional's HYGIENIFY* wash, wipe, sanitize protocol.

9. WAXIE Sanitary Supply Announces General Manager for Mesa, AZ Division

A brief press release from September that caught a lot of attention. Congratulations once again to Eric Frei for his promotion to General Manager. Our Arizona team has a lot of cool things planned for 2014, including monthly training and education seminars starting next week. Their schedule for the year has been posted on WAXIE's Arizona Training Events page. Events pages for all of our locations are constantly updated.

10. Online Training Program, Cleaning Products & Innovations & Fun

The final article to make the Top 10 list was my recap of WAXIE Ontario's WAXIE Fest Trade Show with the Rubbermaid Commercial Products "Built to Last" Truck Tour. Attendance was high at this event, and there were many booths with lots of information on a variety of products. Customers were able to learn about WAXIE's new Online Training Program from our Education & Training department. Rubbermaid had several full lines of their industrial, material handling & safety products on hand that customers could check out & test in person. Other vendors had their new product innovations on display and were available to answer questions on the spot. There was even a carnival games area where people could try their luck at the ring toss or at putting a hole in one. Good times were had by all.