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2023 Trends In The Cleaning Industry

By: Caitlin Dimalanta  |  January 11, 2023

The road ahead in 2023 for the cleaning industry is full of progress and rich with opportunities. This three-part blog series will be covering what is to be expected for facility management this upcoming year. The evergreen goal of keeping our buildings and their occupants healthy and happy is the baseline for this year’s predictions. This first article of the 2023 trend series will go in depth addressing heavily circulated topics such as labor attraction/retention and the evolution of cleaning and health.

Looking for more predicted 2023 cleaning industry trends? Be sure to check out our final two articles that complete this 2023 trend series:

Part II: 2023 Trends in The Cleaning Industry: Our Buildings, Our People, Our Planet

Part III: 2023 Trends in the Cleaning Industry: Supply Chain, Digital Transformation & Security Assessments

Topics: Healthy Workplace, workplace wellness, facility maintenance

Staying Healthy During the Season of RSV, Flu & Norovirus

By: Caitlin Dimalanta  |  November 8, 2022

It’s common to catch a cold or a nasty flu during the Fall and Winter months. This year there are two additional viruses to be on the lookout for. Outbreaks of RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) and Norovirus have recently made headlines across the nation. Although the flu and norovirus are typically prevalent starting in Autumn spilling into Spring. This year RSV has stuck around past its season that usually peaks in July for the United States, leading to an estimated 58,000-80,000 hospitalizations among children younger than 5 years old and 60,000-120,000 hospitalizations among adults 65 and older.

What is the impact these outbreaks have on health of our building occupants and communities? Based on nationwide data provided by the CDC, there are roughly 430,000 hospitalizations per year between these three highly contagious viruses. Putting the health of our students, employees, and customers first is top priority. Facility management is heavily relied on by so many to provide a safe and healthy environment to work, learn and continue our established daily routines. With proper cleaning strategies and supplies combined with expert training and education tools you can help protect your building occupants against the viral trifecta of the season.

Topics: virus, workplace wellness, facility maintenance

Floor Care Tips for the Facility Manager: Winter Edition

By: WAXIE Editorial Staff  |  October 25, 2022 

Parts of the country are experiencing their first snowflakes of the season. Snowfall makes for breathtaking views and an invigorating crispness in the atmosphere. However, as we approach the winter months new facility maintenance challenges arrive at our doorstep in the form of snow and ice. As the ground freezes over or the snow melts along pathways, trip and fall hazards arise. With proper matting and floor maintenance, you can avoid slips and falls to ensure a safe place for your building occupants.

Topics: winter, floor care maintenance, floor matting, facility maintenance

Reduce Indoor Air Pollution and Increase Health with the Benefits of Clean Air

By: Caitlin Dimalanta  |  September 28, 2022 

As October swiftly approaches, so does the need to adapt to the change that is in the air…literally! With the autumn chill in the atmosphere and cold and flu season lingering around the corner, it is important to keep our health and the health of our buildings a top priority. Acclimating to the changing of the seasons can pose a real challenge for any facility manager, but with these tips to improve indoor air quality, we are here to help make the transition as smooth as possible.

October is nationally recognized as Healthy Lung Month, which is a great reminder of one of the best things a facility manager can clean and maintain—the air we breathe. Throughout this blog, we will be going over why air purification is integral to building maintenance and how you and your facility maintenance team can achieve cleaner air.

Topics: cleaning equipment, Indoor Air Quality, facility maintenance

Prevent the Spread of Foodborne Illness with Food Safety

By: Caitlin Dimalanta  |  September 14, 2022

Food is one of the most important things on the planet. It provides nutrients for our body, brings us together, and accounts for the livelihood of 19.7 million Americans. How we handle our food, and the surrounding prep space is integral to our health and safety.

Whether you are prepping food at home, cooking in a restaurant, or using the office fridge to store leftovers from last night, food safety is an absolute must.

In fact, the CDC estimates that each year roughly 1 in 6 Americans (or 48 million people) gets sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases. Illness caused by foodborne pathogens can be prevented through proper hand hygiene, and surface sanitation that comes in contact with food.

September is National Food Safety Education Month (FSEM) and what better time to update and refresh your knowledge of two simple yet effective food safety cleaning practices?

Topics: Hand Hygiene, virus, Foodservice, facility maintenance

The Facility Manager’s Guide to Sustainability

By: Caitlin Dimalanta  |  June 15, 2022 

The effort to conserve our planets’ natural resources has become a huge part of our lives especially when it comes to facility management. There is an influx of buildings that are striving for or have accomplished green building status via certifications like LEED^® (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design). With increasing incentives to go green, the number of LEED certified green building projects have experienced an upsurge from 296 certifications in 2006 to over 67,200 in 2018! 

In this blog we will be recapping the greatest tips from our 8 part blog series that covers the adoption of green cleaning procedures and techniques to higher level strategies and stewardship. Whether you are on the journey to a green building certification or looking to integrate more sustainable building maintenance practices into your routine this guide is here to help you foster a cleaner, healthier, greener, and safer building for re-entry and beyond.

Topics: Green Cleaning, Sustainability, facility maintenance

Pandemic Aid Funds Brings High Tech Cleaning into Schools

By: Caitlin Dimalanta  |  May 31, 2022 

Almost 100% of students in the U.S. have returned to schools across the nation for in-person learning. There are upwards of 50,000,000 students enrolled in pre-K-12 in our public school systems. When schools first re-opened for the 2020-2021 school year, it was estimated to cost approximately $2,000,000 per school district to safely reopen, taking into account the need for increased facility maintenance and transportation costs. 

Topics: Indoor Air Quality, Healthy Schools, facility maintenance

How Facility Management & Environmental Stewardship are Closely Connected

By: Caitlin Dimalanta  |  April 21, 2022 

The 8th and final part of our series guiding you on the path to creating a cleaner, healthier, greener, and safer building for re-entry and beyond.

Throughout this series, we've explored the various components that make up a sustainable building program. For our concluding section, we will discuss how you can continue to achieve your green goals with ongoing environmental stewardship. 

Be sure to check out the other parts of this blog series to learn more about what it takes to foster a healthy building environment: 

Part 1: How to Develop a Sustainable Building Program 

Part 2: Green Cleaning Tools, Equipment & Technology for Healthier Indoor Environments 

Part 3: Planning an Efficient Waste Diversion & Recycling Program 

Part 4: Put a Greener & Cleaner Foot Forward: Entryway Matting 

Part 5: Reducing Consumption with Smart Purchasing Decisions 

Part 6: Cutting Down Facility Maintenance Costs with Energy Efficiency 

Part 7: The Role of Facility Management in Building Occupant Wellness

Topics: green, LEED, Environment, facility maintenance

World Water Day 2022: Breaking Ground with Groundwater

By: Caitlin Dimalanta  |  March 22, 2022 

Today is International World Water Day. A day dedicated to raising awareness of preserving one of life’s most critical resources and it’s a great opportunity to learn more about how universally connected we all are through water. 

Water conservation plays a major role in developing a holistic sustainable building plan. There are a multitude of ways you can save water to achieve your green building goals—from easy proactive tasks like monitoring your water bill to detect leaks to implementing products that reduce water usage.

Topics: Water Conservation, Sustainable Solutions, Green Cleaning, facility maintenance