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The Role of Facility Management in Building Occupant Wellness

By: Caitlin Dimalanta | December 9, 2021

Part seven of an ongoing series guiding you on the path to creating a cleaner, healthier, greener and safer building for re-entry and beyond.

While working towards your sustainability goals, you are bound to encounter the topic of wellness. The challenges we faced these past couple of years have shaped us to prioritize our physical health wellbeing more than ever. The return on investment on facility wellness programs have the potential of increasing employee productivity & retention, decreasing healthcare & disability costs for your business along with reducing student absenteeism. 

Topics: workplace wellness, Sustainability, Education, facility maintenance

Cutting Down Facility Maintenance Costs with Energy Efficiency

By: Caitlin Dimalanta | November 4, 2021

Part six of an ongoing series guiding you on the path to creating a cleaner, healthier, greener and safer building for re-entry and beyond.

In this blog series we’ve explored a multitude of ways to maintain a healthy building. From entryway matting to the latest in green cleaning technology, the strategies to be a greener facility are as unique as your cleaning regimen.

For part 6 of this series we will take a more “big picture” perspective and examine how to conserve energy, the role it plays in the wellness of our occupants, the effects it has on your bottom line and the impact it has on the environment. 

Before diving into Cutting Down Facility Maintenance Costs with Energy Efficiency, be sure to check out the rest of this blog series (if you haven’t already) for more guidance on developing a sustainable building program:

Topics: WAXIE-Green, Sustainability, facility maintenance, conservation

Reducing Consumption with Smart Purchasing Decisions

By: Caitlin Dimalanta  |  October 7, 2021

Part five of an ongoing series guiding you on the path to creating a cleaner, healthier, greener and safer building for re-entry and beyond.

In this blog series, we’re breaking down the process of developing a sustainable building program into eight steps, as reflected in our WAXIE GPS® (Green Partner Support™) Program, which progresses from easier to adopt green cleaning procedures and techniques to higher level strategies and stewardship.

In part 5 of this series we will be exploring greener alternatives and more conservation minded methods regarding consumables. 

Topics: environmentally preferred purchasing, Sustainability, facility maintenance, consumables

Planning an Efficient Waste Diversion & Recycling Program

By: Briana Smith | June 11, 2021

Part three of an ongoing series guiding you on the path to creating a cleaner, healthier, greener and safer building for re-entry and beyond.

Much like basketball, devising a strategy and building upon your momentum is essential for a successful sustainability program. It’s good to look at the overall process, make goals, and then take a look at the individual steps needed to get there.

In this blog series, we’re breaking down the process of developing a sustainable building program into eight steps, as reflected in our WAXIE GPS^® (Green Partner Support™) Program, which progresses from easier to adopt green cleaning procedures and techniques to higher level strategies and stewardship.

As mentioned in the previous two steps, Green Chemistry and Mechanization, waste reduction is one of the cornerstones in a holistic approach to sustainable facility management and it goes hand-in-hand with an efficient waste diversion and recycling program.

Topics: Recycling, Sustainability, facility maintenance, Waste Diversion

Green Cleaning Tools, Equipment & Technology for Healthier Indoor Environments

By: Briana Smith | May 27, 2021

Part two of an ongoing series guiding you on the path to creating a cleaner, healthier, greener and safer building for re-entry and beyond.

In this blog series, we’re breaking down this overall process into eight steps, as reflected in our WAXIE GPS^® (Green Partner Support™) Program, which progresses from easier to adopt green cleaning procedures and techniques to higher level strategies and stewardship.

Part one discussed Green Chemistry.

The next step builds onto and works in combination with your green cleaners and dispensing systems. Green cleaning involves more than just the cleaning chemicals themselves. The tools, equipment and actual cleaning processes play an integral role in increasing efficiency and reducing your overall environmental impact to keep your building and those that use it clean and healthy.

Topics: cleaning equipment, microfiber, Green Cleaning, Sustainability, machines & equipment, facility maintenance

How to Develop a Sustainable Building Program

By: Briana Smith | May 14, 2021

Part one of an ongoing series guiding you on the path to creating a cleaner, healthier, greener and safer building for re-entry and beyond.

If there’s one thing that this past year has underscored, it’s the impact and need for healthy buildings so that children have a safe learning environment, employees are more productive at work, and guests feel comfortable frequenting your business.

This becomes even more essential as government regulations loosen and businesses, schools and buildings begin the re-entry process.

Topics: dilution control, Green Cleaning, Sustainability, facility maintenance

Battery Maintenance for Cleaning Equipment

By: Mike Anderson  |  March 4, 2021

There are many different varying opinions on how to maintain deep cycle batteries, so always refer to the manufacturer’s instructions. With that said, I have learned a few things over the years and found that the following advice works in most scenarios.

In general, batteries are designed well and last many years IF maintained properly. Maintenance includes “watering” of wet cell batteries, as well as monitoring the amount of charge cycles a battery can consume. Batteries don’t go bad in general, users cause the batteries to go bad. This is NOT pointing a finger at a specific user, or users, but explaining the lack of training users of battery equipment receive, or retain.

Topics: flooring, machines & equipment, facility maintenance

Meet the Newest Member of Your Cleaning Team: The Nilfisk SC50 Autonomous Floor Scrubber

Guest Blog By: Nilfisk  |  February 18, 2021

In the wake of COVID-19, cleaning teams face more pressure than ever to clean quickly and effectively. Beyond the basics of ensuring facilities are cleaned to the desired standard, cleaners are quite literally tasked with ensuring the health and safety of everyone who enters a facility.

At the same time, workforce challenges continue. Cleaning teams often work at a staffing rate of only 70-75% and the employee turnover rate can be as high as 200%.

These factors combined have led more organizations to embrace autonomous cleaning solutions as a way to stretch their cleaning dollar further.

Topics: flooring, machines & equipment, facility maintenance

Zero Waste & Waste Diversion: A Guide to a Greener and Healthier Future

By: Caitlin Dimalanta  |  December 3, 2020

In 2018 the EPA reported a total of 292.4 million tons of trash collected, translating to roughly 4.9 pounds per person on a daily basis in the United States alone. Approximately 32 percent of this trash was either recycled or composted. This waste diversion statistic is an impressive feat. However, the trash being generated year by year is steadily increasing along with environmental and economical impacts.

These impacts can range anywhere from reduced oxygen levels of diverse habitats to toxicological threats to our wildlife through ingestion and entanglement. On top of the ecological effects, the cost of mismanaged waste can be substantial. In a 2012 an EPA study recorded that West Coast communities of the United States spend more than $520 million dollars annually to prevent trash from littering the ocean.

Topics: Zero Waste, facility maintenance, Waste Diversion