WAXIE Brings Innovative Electrostatic Spraying System to Able Services San Francisco

March 26, 2019

Bill Sivori, Project Manager at Able Services San Francisco, does things differently than most. First, his contract cleaning business is devoted to a single client. But, that one account happens to be the largest landowner in San Francisco, with a four-building complex covering four square blocks, a total of 3.2 million square feet of Class A offices, 1.2 million in retail space, as well as the tallest building west of the Mississippi located a few blocks away. Sivori’s office is based in those very same buildings and once or twice a month he walks all 141 floors to build tenant relationships and to be proactive rather than reactive when there's a problem.

“I've been here eight years and have a great staff with an inordinate amount of management for four buildings, including an operations manager, full admin, two supervisors and eight foremen,” said Sivori. “We have close to 400 different tenants, most of which are high end lawyers, investment bankers, insurance and high-tech companies. Tenants trust when we say we're going to do something, it gets done.”

Topics: workplace wellness, disinfectants, case study, evaclean protexus

6 Trends in the Cleaning Industry for 2019

By Briana Smith  |  January 10, 2019

What a year 2018 was in the cleaning industry! While the tariff situation between the U.S. and other countries was the probably the biggest news, we also saw:

• California Assembly Bill AB-10 come into effect requiring schools to provide free feminine hygiene products
• Minimum wages were increased across the country
• China stopped taking most of our recyclables
• An expansion to California’s Prop 65 requiring specific language be added to labels & signage when certain chemical compounds are present
• Cleaning ingredient transparency regulations are being enacted in several states

In 2019, we at WAXIE foresee legislation & technology building upon the foundations from last year and advancing towards implementation.

Topics: Hand Hygiene, workplace wellness, Sustainability, IoT, industry news, tariffs

Guide to Selecting the Right Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Guest Post By: Impact Products  |  October 18, 2018

For industrial employers and workers selecting respiratory protection, there is good news. The National Personal Protective Technologies Laboratory, a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tests all respirators used for a variety of situations and if they meet specific performance standards and criteria, certifies them. Once certified, workers wearing using these respirators can rest assured the respirator selected should meet their needs under specific conditions.

However, when it comes to selecting protective clothing, making a product selection is not as easy. For one reason, protective clothing has different meanings for different workers in different professions and situations. 

Topics: Safety, workplace wellness, personal protective equipment

Determining the Effectiveness of a Sustainable Floor Care Program

By: WAXIE Floor Care Specialist Team  |  June 8, 2017

A sustainable floor care system should meet the desired outcome of the users with minimal impact on the people involved, the planet, and profitability.

But why does this matter?

ISSA’s last Sanitary Supply Distributor Sales Report estimated annual sales of $1.32 billion in resilient and hard floor care chemicals. When adding labor expenses, waste, and water/energy consumption to that figure this becomes an enormous expenditure within commercial, institutional and industrial facilities. When qualifying this type of investment it’s important to look at why we do it, how it’s done, how it’s measured, and how to improve upon it.

Topics: Hard Floor Care, workplace wellness, Sustainability

Let's Do This! Tackling Your Facility Maintenance Spring Cleaning To-Do List

By: Briana Smith  |  April 7, 2017

Now that spring is officially here, and most of the nasty winter weather is behind us, it’s time to tackle some of those tasks that come with the changing of the seasons. 

Oftentimes, the brutal winter rains and snowfall leave buildings quite beat up (as evidenced by the accumulation of ice melt and dirt that get tracked across floors and thrashed entrance floor matting). Afterwards the advent of spring brings more pollen into the air, not to mention the build-up of any dust that staff wasn’t able to get to during the winter, causing heightened indoor air allergy issues.

Here are a few things that should be part of your facility’s spring cleaning to-do list:

Topics: carpet, Indoor Air Quality, workplace wellness, cleaning procedures, flooring

Prevent Slip and Fall Accidents with a Three-Part Entrance Matting System

By: Briana Smith  |  January 24, 2017

Building entryways are major thoroughfares for people as well as all of the dirt, sand, dust and debris that gets tracked into buildings on the soles of shoes, especially when the weather gets nasty. As these particles begin to accumulate on a floor, there is an increased chance that someone may slip and fall.

Unfortunately, injuries incurred from slip and fall accidents can cost a company huge sums of money. The average cost per claim is $20,228 for a slip & fall workers’ compensation claim and $100,000 median per premises liability suit.

Topics: workplace wellness, workplace safety, floor matting

Get Ready ‘Cause Here It Comes: Preparing for Cold & Flu Season

By: Briana Smith

Cold & flu season tends to follow quickly on the heels of back-to-school, as the weather becomes cooler. Staying healthy at work or school can be a challenge, but there are some easy ways to minimize the changes of catching something.

Topics: Hand Hygiene, workplace wellness, cleaning tips

Differences Between Cleaners, Disinfectants and Sanitizers

By: Becky Mollenkamp

The importance of training staff to understand the variations between cleaning, disinfecting and sanitizing

As a facility cleaning manager, are you confident that your staff can walk into a janitorial closet to grab chemicals off the crowded shelves and actually know the differences between cleaners, sanitizers and disinfectants? If you hesitate in answering, you’re not alone.

Although these products are commonly used in cleaning departments, there are many misunderstandings about the chemical categories. “I’m not sure all custodial staffs truly understand the difference,” says Nancy Bock, senior vice president of meetings and education for the American Cleaning Institute (ACI). “The terms clean, sanitize and disinfect are often inaccurately used, which is why training is essential.”

Topics: workplace wellness, disinfecting, cleaning tips

Hand Washing Helps Prevent the Spread of Infectious Diseases

So Why Aren't People Doing It?

By: Briana Smith  |  October 30, 2014

Infection prevention is of great importance right now, especially with Ebola and Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) featuring prominently in the news headlines. It’s even more important than ever to educate and promote proper hand hygiene not only at hospitals and healthcare facilities, but for everyone in the community, including children. Hand washing is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of infection transmission from one person to another, and it the easiest to do.

Bacteria & viruses can spread easily from one person to another whether through direct contact or when someone touches a surface contaminated by someone else who is infectious. Hand washing is considered ubiquitous when discussing infection prevention, but the problem is not everyone is actually doing it.

Topics: Hand Hygiene, workplace wellness, Education