Floor Care: BSC Meets Expectations For Clean Entryways With Flexible Equipment

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In the buildings Randy Britton cleans--places like airports, arenas, hotels and shopping malls—there are thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of square feet of hard floors. While Britton, an operations manager for Service Management Systems (SMS) in Nashville, TN, is responsible for cleaning hard floors wherever they are found, he also knows there is one truth: Entryways are the first and last thing people notice in a building and shape the overall perception of a building’s cleanliness.

“Entryways at any facility are the first impression, and you only get one shot at it,” Britton says. “When someone walks in and sees clean floors in a lobby or entrance, it sets the tone for the rest of the building. Our clients understand how important first impressions are, and as a result, they expect us to help keep their entryways clean and inviting. They’re also one of the most challenging areas for us to clean.”

If increased standards for cleanliness weren’t enough, high levels of foot traffic only compound the challenge of cleaning entryways. The first 200 feet or so of a building’s entrance collects dirt, oil and other debris that shoppers, hotel guests and other patrons track in at the facilities that SMS cleans. The frequent foot traffic funneling through entryways leaves floors much dirtier and, in turn, requires more aggressive cleaning compared to other areas. Rising to the challenge demands that Britton and his staff maintain a flexible cleaning routine while avoiding the added cost of making time-consuming adjustments.

Accounting for heavier soil loads requires flexible approach
Scrubbing hard floors in high-traffic entryways requires more detergent, a higher flow rate and increased pad pressure compared to most applications. SMS uses automatic scrubbers from Advance with the EcoFlex System, which helps make the transition from cleaning lightly soiled areas to dirty entryways a nearly painless process.

“We have to approach entryways differently because these areas typically have the dirtiest floors in a building,” Britton says. “The scrubbers we use with the EcoFlex System minimize downtime so that we can make adjustments with little time or effort.”

For example, Britton and his staff often use EcoFlex for an on-the-spot solution for cleaning heavily soiled entryways. With the touch of a single button, the scrubber temporarily increases the detergent, flow rate and pad pressure while eliminating headache-inducing setup processes.

“We’re not wasting time mixing new solution, changing machines, figuring out how to change the pad pressure... setup activities that used to eat up a lot of time. The scrubbers we’re using with the EcoFlex System make it easier to make adjustments when and where we need to, and that’s time savings that we can pass on to our customers.”

Different surface types require different chemicals
Surface types in entryways vary considerably depending on the building type. Some of the hotels Britton cleans, for example, have expensive marble or granite entryways to convey their high-end value. They don’t tolerate any condition that’s less than sparkling.

“Every floor presents its own challenges to clean,” Britton says. “Every floor has a recommended cleaning procedure for it, and if that’s followed it will do the job. But if you use the wrong chemical or the wrong pad, you can damage the floor. This machine gives us the flexibility to adjust to whatever floor surfaces we have to clean.”

The EcoFlex System makes switching cleaning intensities an easy and less time-consuming task. “The ability to quickly change detergents, flow rate or pad pressure without having to mess around with adjustments is an important time-saver for our business. In addition to the time we save, it’s also reassuring to our clients because they know we’re doing the job the right way and not cutting corners,” Britton says.

Clean entryways leave a lasting impression on SMS’s clients
Meeting his clients’ expectations for clean entryways ultimately makes an impact on SMS’s bottom line, too. By using flexible equipment, Britton is able to deliver the results his clients expect without adding to the overall cost to clean. Maintaining clean entryways is proof of a job well done in a results-oriented business.

“We don’t have a huge sales force that goes out and markets our company—we market by our results,” Britton says. “When a property puts its cleaning maintenance out to bid, they usually do their homework because their previous cleaning contractor had problems with the equipment or overall job that was being done. The EcoFlex System equipment we use has paid for itself in labor and future accounts because of the job it can do.”