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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

Healthy Buildings Start with Healthy People

Image courtesy of the World Health Organization

By: Briana Smith & Caitlin Dimalanta  |  April 7, 2022 

As the last couple of years have demonstrated, the importance of healthy buildings is essential to the health of the people who occupy them. Today is World Health Day, a day celebrated around the globe to promote the development of well-being societies that strive to prioritize health for all. This year's theme is “Our Planet, Our Health" which focuses on the steps we can take to protect the planet, and the well-being of all who inhabit it.  

Topics: Green Cleaning, workplace wellness, Sustainability

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

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

The Evolution of How Floor Finishes Became More Green

By: WAXIE Floor Care Specialist Team  |  May 16, 2017

Historically, green floor finishes were considered inferior to conventional floor finishes. That belief was generally based on durability of green floor finish. Third-party floor finish certifications, such as Green Seal GS-40 or ECOLOGO UL 2777, contain many stringent requirements, but the most significant factor is eliminating metal compounds from the floor finish.

Conventional floor finishes generally utilize zinc to for “crosslinking” within the formula. This creates a very strong and durable bond, helping with durability, wear, scuff resistance, etc. Some early green floor finishes used calcium for crosslinking, instead of zinc. While they met third-party standards, they didn’t meet customer standards. It just wasn’t as durable and the finish “walked off,” leading to more maintenance and more expense for facility operators.

Topics: Hard Floor Care, Innovation, Green Cleaning

WAXIE Promotes the Future of Sustainability in the Pacific Northwest

By: Rick Jones

On January 18th WAXIE had the opportunity to introduce ourselves and our capabilities into the Salem and Eugene areas of Oregon.

With the recent closing of a local distributor, and the addition to WAXIE’s sales force in this market, we hosted a seminar for over 40 local facilities at Chemeketa Community College. The goal of the seminar was to introduce WAXIE, share our Mission Statement, and listen to our potential customer's needs! We really appreciated everyone who made it considering the bad weather & rough travel conditions.

Topics: Green Cleaning, Sustainability

2014- A Year in Review: Sustainability, Cleaning Tips & Industry News

By: Briana Smith, Social Media & Product Branding Specialist, WAXIE Sanitary Supply

It’s always interesting to look back and reflect on the twists and turns of what was going on during the course of a year. Checking out the major milestones that have been achieved, world happenings, new industry innovations, upcoming trends and the like. Contemplating which of these trends may continue forth into the new year.

Sustainability is no longer a trend, but a lifestyle that society is embracing more and more each year. We'll continue to see new innovations in a variety of products, accessories & ways of doing things that will make it easier to practice both individually & for businesses. Water conservation in particular has been a hot topic – the drought in the West is not something that will be gone quickly and has caused many to rethink water usage and consumption.

Topics: Hand Hygiene, Green Cleaning, company news

You Only Have One Chance to Make a First Impression

By: Briana Smith & Fred Capriotti  |  November 20, 2014

Here’s What You Can Do to Make the Right One

With the advent of social media and the evolution of online review forums & platforms like TripAdvisor, Yelp, Google+, etc. first impressions of hotel rooms are vital. Guests are often quick & very vocal about any problems that they experience during their stay.

Oftentimes staff in housekeeping, at the front desk or a manager isn’t even aware that there was an issue until after the fact when negative reviews are posted. Managers are often willing to address any guest concerns that may arise, but it’s difficult to do if they are not made aware of the problem in the first place.

So what can you do?

Always put your best foot forward.

Topics: Green Cleaning, Education, Hospitality