annayya.chandrashekar@gmail.com: Technical - Floor Types - Maintenance

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Technical - Floor Types - Maintenance - Cleaners

Cleaning is the process of removing unwanted substances, such as dirt, infectious agents, and other impurities, from an object or environment. Cleaning occurs in many different contexts and uses many different methods. The main reasons for surface cleaning are:

· To remove oil or other liquid which causes slipping.

· To beautify the surface.

· To remove stains, dirt, litter and obstructions.

· To remove grit and sand which scratch and wear down the surface.

· To remove allergens, in particular dust.

· To remove chemicals causing stains.

· To make the environment Hygienic.

Primarily, cleaning can be broadly divided in to domestic / household cleaning and commercial cleaning:

· Domestic cleaning is something that happens in residential environment. Owner can choose to do their own house cleaning, or they can hire professional cleaners for them. The home owner can set their own standard, as there is no specific set of standards for domestic cleaning. Domestic cleaning starts when occupants starts using the structure and usually, they use dry moping, non-acidic cleaner, CP fitting cleaners, etc.

· Commercial cleaning on the other hand in business or corporate environment, management can employ their own in-house cleaning team / contract cleaners. Commercial cleaning processes are very different from domestic cleaning in terms of No of workers, cleaning areas, frequency of cleaning and the devices used. Commercial cleaning requires to meet special health and safety standards, if they want to keep their operating license live. Usually, here they use acidic cleaner or heavy duty cleaners which may or may not be diluted with water. Commercial cleaning process starts as project starts and continuous till the life of structure as follows:

· Pre & while construction: It involves the removal of trees, demolishing buildings, removing any old underground infrastructure, obstacles in the site that might affect the construction process. This may include the followings are even more:

ü Clean baseboards

ü Vacuum Floors

ü Clean and dust walls

ü Clean cement stains

ü Clean paint, mortar, etc. from tubs, sinks, floors

ü Thresholds (door step, sill, entrance, etc.)

ü Remove trash and debris to dumpster

Post & renovation cleaning: It doesn't matter if your construction project is big or small, there is always a layer of dust, debris, and dirt left behind due to construction activity. Here the cleaning process may be in 2 stages:

1. Final cleaning:

2. Regular cleaning

Cleaners are made with substances like liquids, powders, sprays, or granules. Some of the main categories area as follows:

1. ALL-PURPOSE CLEANERS:

· Abrasive cleaners: Abrasive cleaners are designed to remove relatively heavy amounts stains often found in small areas. They come in powder or in liquid form. They contain a kind of built-in elbow grease, which helps cut down, but needs hard rubbing to remove stains. Scouring pads with cleaners are best example for this category.

· Non-abrasive cleaners: They comes in the form of powder and as liquids that can be diluted with water. Some manufacturers provide in liquids form in trigger sprays / in aerosol cans / in pump-actuated bottles.

2. SPECIALTY CLEANERS:

· Bleaches: Use of liquid household bleach (sodium hypochlorite) for removing stains on fabrics, louvers, curtains, vinyl sheets, wooden coverings, etc. In addition, it can be used as a disinfectant to kill bacteria, viruses and fungi (including mold and mildew).

· Disinfectants: Disinfectants contain anti-microbial agents, such as pine oil, sodium hypochlorite, quaternary ammonium compounds or phenols, which kill bacteria and viruses on surfaces.

· Glass cleaners: Glass cleaners are designed to clean glass surfaces without streaking or leaving any residual of product. Liquid glass cleaners are available in bottles with trigger sprays or in aerosol containers.

· Hard water mineral removers: Water hardness is caused by the presence of dissolved mineral salts, such as those of calcium, magnesium, iron and manganese. Hard water mineral removers are formulated to remove such deposits. These products come as powders or as liquids with push-pull tops or trigger sprays. They contain acids, such as citric, oxalic, sulphamic or hydroxyacetic acid, to dissolve minerals, limescale and rust.

· Metal cleaners: Metal cleaning products usually contain organic acids such as oxalic, sulfuric or citric including abrasive polishing / buffering agent.

· Hygienic cleaners: Cleaners used on daily bases to clean shower and tile surface are formulated to prevent buildup of soap scum, mildew stains and hard water deposits without rinsing, wiping, scrubbing or without leaving a dull residue or streaks. The products contain surfactants which aid in cleaning process. Some products contain builders or chelates, and alcohol or solvents to assist in the continual cleaning process. They are marketed as dilutable liquids, trigger sprays and aerosols. They contain surfactants to penetrate and loosen stain. In addition, they may contain special sequestering agents and specific solvents to dissolve and keep calcium (hardness) deposits, soap scum and metal discolorations in solution.

· CP fitting & sanitary ware cleaners: For removing stubborn water stain marks & hard scaling which develops due to hardness of water on bath tub, toilet bowl. sinks, washbasins, chrome plated articles, etc. can be removed using the cleaner specially designed for this purpose and they are available in spray bottles for ease of cleaning.

Flooring may be of many types like Marble Flooring, Granite Flooring, Bamboo Flooring, Concrete Flooring, Linoleum Flooring, Terrazzo Flooring, Brick Flooring, Vinyl flooring, Rubber Flooring, Hardwood flooring, Laminate, Tiles, LVT flooring (luxury Vinyl Tiles), PU & Epoxy Resinous Flooring, Vinyl Composite Tile.

Every floors requires a specially formulated product for maximum effectiveness in removing stain, polishing the surface and leaving it with a shine and a protective coat. Most floor care cleaning products contain water as the carrier for small particles of wax such as polyethylene, and polymers such as polyacrylate. When dry, they leave a shine and a light, clear protective layer on the surface. In products for wood or cork flooring, a solvent act as the carrier for wax particles, such as those of natural carnauba wax which is especially effective in providing a pleasing shine and a hard finish. Floor care products that only clean are closely related in composition to the all-purpose cleaners. In products formulated for resilient flooring, special emphasis is on clear drying without leaving a cloudy or sticky residue. Most resilient floor cleaner products also contain a low level of surfactant to loosen and suspend soil.

Fast moving cleaner range of products in market:

· Internal area tile / stone cleaner: Fast acting, non-acidic, anti-bacterial, concentrated, wall and floor tile / stone cleaner. The special formulation removes dirt, grease and stains from tiled surfaces. When dry, the surface is left hygienically clean. These cleaners can be used in interior situations such as operation theaters, walls, floors, kitchens, bathrooms, countertops. Available in bottles in liquid form.

· Tile & stone cleaner for everyday maintenance: A highly effective cleaner designed for everyday maintenance of tiles, marbles & natural stones etc. Suitable as a general purpose cleaner. It is very much safe and less reactive (compared to other cleaners based on Hydrochloric acid) especially on marble surfaces. Designed specially for removal of lime scale & for everyday maintenance of tiles, marbles, natural stones, etc. Ideal for regular maintenance of heavily trafficked areas such as shopping malls, hotels etc. These cleaners can be used in interior & exterior situations such as operation theaters, walls, floors, kitchens, bathrooms, countertops & heavy trafficked areas. Available in bottles in liquid form.

Stubborn stains removable cleaner: A powerful, heavy duty, acid - based cleaner for ceramic tiled floors and walls. HEAVY DUTY TILE CLEANER is designed for removal of cement film residues, efflorescence and most oxide stains. It may also be used as general purpose cleaner on other acid resistant surface. These cleaners can be used in interior & exterior ceramic tiled floors and walls. Available in bottles in liquid form.

Prevention is better than cure:

If you know what type floor you have you can choose the maintenance method to meet the purpose of floor installed. All floor needs different methods. All floor can not be cleaned and maintained in the common method. Here are some of the most common method of maintenance / cleaning depending on the type of floor:

Note: Before adopting the method of maintenance / cleaning, test initially on a small inconspicuous area. Dilution ratio may be increased or decreased as per nature of stone/substrate and as per manufacturer's specification.

Last but one: There are so many private and government bodies which provides the guidelines to maintain the cleanliness in not only residential buildings and commercial projects but also in Water and Drainage Infrastructure, Sanitary Infrastructure, Solid Waste Management Infrastructure, Responsibilities of other stakeholders (Patients, visitors, etc.), and few of them are as follows:

1. KAYA KALP National Guidelines for Clean Hospitals – by MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA.
2. Swachh Hospitals Standard Operating Procedures – by Minister of Urban Development, Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation and Parliamentary Affairs
3. Hospital infection control guidelines – by Indian council of medical research
4. Green & Clean Hospitals – by BV Certification Standard in knowledge partnership with Association of Healthcare Providers India (AHPI).
5. Clean Standard: Institutional and Commercial – by The Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association (formerly known as the ISSA – International Sanitary Supply Association) is an international association of more than 9,000 companies in the professional cleaning industry including office buildings, retail stores, hotels, and other similar facilities.

6. Improving & sustaining a clean and green environment – by National Environment Agency (NEA), the leading public organisation responsible for in Singapore

Refer to the below link to know about the clean rooms system: https://annayyachandrashekar.blogspot.in/2018/01/technical-cleanroom-specifications.html