PDIR: P is for Preventative (Cleaning)

From Windsor's Cleaning Tip of the Month eNewletter April 2013

When creating a green cleaning program for your facility it is important to focus on the right processes, equipment, and chemicals. Windsor’s PDIR program is based on industry proven methods that achieve the best possible results at the lowest possible cost. Our program is green because it reduces chemical and equipment usage, it also saves money and will prolong the life of your floor. Constructing a program that focuses on preventative, daily, and interim maintenance allows you to reduce your dependence on costly time-intensive restorative cleaning. PDIR stands for Preventative, Daily, Interim, and Restorative cleaning processes. This issue focuses on the “P” for preventative cleaning, the rest will follow in future issues.

The goal is to stop the soil before it enters your facility. By keeping soils outdoors, you will reduce the amount of cleaning needed indoors. Sweeping in front of your building can reduce the amount of soil tracked into the building up to 66%. Once dirt has entered the door, more expensive, time-consuming, and labor-intensive methods need to be followed to remove the dirt.

What is preventative cleaning?

If we could keep all soil outdoors, we would need little cleaning indoors. Try to implement a program of sweeping outside and entrance cleaning. Also spot cleaning in the entrance area or in highly frequented public areas will stop dirt from getting dragged farther into the building, thus keeping the clean appearance of your floors.

What equipment is required for preventative cleaning?

For preventative cleaning, use sweepers and/or pressure washers for the outside as well as proper exterior and interior matting. Choosing the right matting system will immensely support your efforts to keep dirt from spreading. For interior entrance and spot cleaning, use electric brooms, battery sweepers, or a small spray-mop system for wet or sticky dirt. These machines are both small and low noise, so spot-cleaning during business hours does not bother people in your facility. From case to case, the use of detergents may be required with a high pressure washer; but in general preventative maintenance is very green, using little or no detergents. Download the Mat Placement Guide.

PDIR Process: A Brief Overview

P—Preventative cleaning focuses on stopping the soil before it enters your facility. By keeping soils outdoors, your reduce the amount of cleaning indoors. Sweeping in front of your building can reduce the amount of soil tracked into the building up to 66%.

D—Daily cleaning is all about removing the soil in your facility on a daily basis to minimize the damage to both carpet and hard surfaces. When you maintain carpet and hard floor surfaces daily; you extend their useful life.

I—Interim cleaning is about maintaining the appearance of your floors with low moisture, low chemical encapsulation. This increases productivity and is budget friendly. Interim cleaning reduces the frequency of restorative cleaning.

R—Restorative cleaning restores your carpet or hard floor finish as close as possible to its original state with this intensive cleaning process. This requires the most amount of time and money of any of the four cleaning methods.

For more information on Windsor Commercial Cleaning Equipment products.

Read More:
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