Retirement Home Extends The Life Of Microfiber Mop Heads

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Just six months into using Miele’s new washer/extractor specifically designed to clean microfiber mopheads and cloths and a Pennsylvania-based continuing care retirement community has already cut its microfiber mophead wash, prep and storage process time by two thirds — driving considerable efficiencies in its housekeeping department.

Francis Glynn, Director of Environmental Services for the Lebanon Valley Brethren Home, says the MopGiant is a labor-saver and provides a better process that is also more ergonomically friendly.

“We’ve taken the three-step process of mop washing, storage and prepping down to a one step process. Before installing the MopGiant, we were washing and drying our microfiber mops in our commercial machines – storing them – and then placing them in buckets each morning to manually apply water and chemicals. Now, we just place mops in the MopGiant drum for washing and automatic infusion of a cleaning solution – which delivers them ready for use,” Glynn stated. “Now, there’s no more drying of mops; no buckets; no manual chemical applications and handwringing of mops. We’ve freed up time for our cleaning staff and removed the human error factor of detergent and water application - and in the process also increased safety.”

The Lebanon Valley Brethren Home, located in Palmyra Pennsylvania, provides five levels of continuing care for retirees. The sprawling 80 acre campus is maintained by a staff of 14 housekeepers, under the direction of Housekeeping Supervisor Judy Meyerhoffer. According to her, 70 mega microfiber mops are used between 3 staff members each day to clean patient bathrooms. Each night anywhere from 2-5 loads of microfiber mops and cloths are cleaned and prepared for use by the night cleaning team.

“We introduced Microfiber mops and cloths about four years ago in place of cotton loop mops, Meyerhoffer explained. “We needed a better, more efficient system. The string mops were much more difficult to use; as they often become too wet or too dry and we had problems with streaking and stickiness on the floor.”

“We switched to microfiber, but with microfiber – you have to provide proper care and storage. We looked into a number of products to help the staff with the process of applying the cleaning solution, including a bucket and wringing systems, but this we felt would prove challenging to some of our staff members with arthritis.”

Enter, the MopGiant, which solved the storage and manual chemical prep problem. Mops are washed, infused with cleaning solution and placed in bins and used by the morning cleaning staff. This eliminated the hand wringing and the need for human interaction with the chemical application.

“There are a lot of efficiencies that have been gained at our facility, and I am sure we have saved in detergent and chemical costs with automatic dosing and in mop costs—as we have eliminated drying which contributes to mop degradation,” Glynn stated. “Right now, I am seeing the efficiencies in time — the man hours wasted on loading and drying and then applying chemicals. We also have a repeatable process, and no inconsistencies between staff members applying two little or too much cleaning solution. The process is also ergonomically friendly as there is no bending to apply solutions in buckets.”

Microfiber mops are especially designed for repeated use and most premium brands are designed to withstand 500 detergent laundering cycles, but if bleach is used that cycle number can be substantially reduced to as low as 200 cycles. To extend the life of the mops for maximum return on investment, mop heads must be cleaned carefully but thoroughly and without bleach. Standard residential machines will not provide the desired result. The MopGiant is specifically engineered to clean the mops in a sophisticated drum. The cleaning process starts with a special spin cycle, which dewaters mops and rids them of 50 percent of dirt and soil before it even begins the main cleaning cycle. This sophisticated cleaning machine utilizes temperatures ranging from 40 degrees Fahrenheit to 185 degrees Fahrenheit to effectively provide a custom clean to accommodate virtually every need. Even disinfection can be attained through a 185 degrees Fahrenheit cleaning cycle with a hold time of 15 minutes. A feature no residential or commercial washer can achieve.