Process Cleaning for Healthy Schools (PCHS) has named ProTeam backpack vacuums preferred products, signifying that they meet the highest standards for cleaning in education facilities.

PCHS trains custodial workers with a standardized workflow and cleaning specialization based on a detailed plan for daily and deep cleaning. It was founded by Rex Morrison who, after working at Washoe County Public Schools in Reno, Nev., adapted the principles of Team Cleaning into a Team/Zone-cleaning process targeted at K-12 schools.

By implementing ergonomic tools, green cleaning agents, a streamlined workflow, and timing and logging tasks, Morrison was able to save the Washoe County Public School District thousands of dollars in the first year. Now many schools and even commercial cleaning operations have implemented PCHS’s remarkably effective method.

In order to achieve those huge savings, Morrison first realized that the general lack of measurable standards in the cleaning industry is unacceptable. If he couldn’t figure out exactly how his staff cleaned and how long each task took, then he couldn’t improve their methods and practices.

“The impetus behind the expansion of Process Cleaning was our tools—ProTeam backpack vacuums, microfiber, and spray-and-vacuum machines,” says Morrison. “Take one away and we could not do what we do. Basically, there’s no way we could find any type of effective time management with an upright or dust mop. We needed a way to clean better and faster than we had in the previous mindset.”

After Morrison achieved success with PCHS, other backpack vacuum companies approached him, asking him to exclusively use their product for process cleaning. When he tested the other backpack vacuums, they didn’t live up to the hype.

“Every company had great claims, but either the CFM wasn’t high enough or the backpack would break down. If you want a vacuum you can kick, drop, work day in and day out and it keeps on running, there’s no other choice. I’m 100 percent for ProTeam. They’re the only way to go. Nothing out there can compete.”