Cleaning Machine: Cutting-Edge Cleaning for Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom

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As a theme park that hosts thousands of visitors on a daily basis, especially during the peak summer months, Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville, KY, faces many challenges in making the experience the best it can be for its guests. One of the main challenges is ensuring the efficient and timely cleaning of its 18 public restrooms. In charge of this task is Frank Doninger, Operations Manager of Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, who began to notice during the recently completed 2008 season that there had to be a better way for his seasonal staff to clean the restrooms than just using the typical mop and bucket accompanied by a spray bottle filled with chemical cleaner.

“Ideally, we like the restrooms to be checked and, if necessary, cleaned within every 30 minutes,” he explained. “That’s a big job, especially on those days when the park is full.”

Doninger began searching for alternatives and he came across the ICS 8900 mobile integrated cleaning system from Cincinnati, OH-based Hydro Systems Co., a best-in-class solution for touch-free restroom and locker-room cleaning. The ICS 8900 is a battery-powered, self-contained portable-cleaning system that uses correctly dosed cleaning chemicals that are applied by spray nozzle using low-flow/low-pressure technology, enabling the chemicals to do the cleaning while protecting fixtures and grout from water damage.

After the Kentucky Kingdom custodial staff began using the ICS 8900 in September, Doninger noticed an almost immediate improvement in the cleanliness of the restrooms, while the reduced cleaning time allowed for the park’s required thorough detail cleanings to be done more often.

“Overall, I think it’s a great machine,” Doninger said. “The staff has told me they like the machine, it’s easier to use and easier to clean the restrooms with it. The ICS is a one-stop shop; you just roll the machine in, flip the switch on and it’s ready to go. Because of the time savings, we can now do the detail work weekly instead of monthly and we can use it on different locations in the park.”

Indeed, the ICS 8900 has already been used by the Kentucky Kingdom cleaning staff to clean and sanitize garbage cans and carts, trash compactors, handrails and some of the more easily accessible rides, while future plans call for its use in the cleaning of food stands, windows, sun beds and inner tubes that are used in the water park.

The ICS 8900’s unique low-flow design uses only half-a-gallon of cleaning solution per minute, eliminating the need for wet/dry-vac recovery and the handling of bacteria-contaminated water, while at the same time reducing the slip-and-fall risk. In addition, the ICS 8900 cleans faster. In fact, ISSA 447 Cleaning Times show that the use of touchless cleaning technology can reduce fixture-cleaning time by as much as 67 percent.

The ICS 8900 is also kind to the environment, with 50-percent less water and chemicals used when compared with many other automated cleaning systems. The ICS 8900 operates on a rechargeable, maintenance-free 12V lead-acid battery, allowing the user to clean anywhere, regardless of power-outlet availability. It also has an on-board battery charger and battery-life indicator. The compact design and simple operation of the ICS 8900 eliminates complicated and time-consuming setup and breakdown, and its virtually silent operation also means the user can clean at any time, making it easier to manage daily cleaning schedules.