Western Michigan University (WMU), in Kalamazoo, Michigan, went through some tough times about three years ago, according to Umar Abdul-Mutakallim, the school's Director for Building Custodial and Support Services. "We had a drastic cutback in cleaning personnel," he says, "forcing us to reevaluate how we cleaned just about everything in the school."
To cope with the loss, Umar said the school incorporated a modified "specialist cleaning" system. They also determined which areas needed cleaning daily and which could manage with less frequent maintenance.
"Restrooms and locker rooms are nonnegotiable," says Umar. "They must be cleaned thoroughly every night."
But with the personnel cutbacks, cleaning these areas nightly was difficult--unless a more productive cleaning system could be incorporated. Investigating the options, Umar believed the No-Touch CleaningTM system, developed by Kaivac, Inc. could do the trick.
With the no-touch system, cleaning cloths, sprayers, mops, buckets, and "down on your hands and knees" are no longer needed. Instead, a Kaivac machine applies chemicals to all surfaces requiring cleaning. The same areas are then rinsed, loosening and removing soils. Contaminants are then totally removed using the equipment's built-in wet/vac.
"There are a few manufacturers making these types of machines," says Umar. "But only one has it down to an art--Kaivac."
According to Umar, worker productivity increased right away using the Kaivac machines. "And if someone has an off day, the cleaning is so thorough, our restrooms and locker rooms still look great," he adds.
So impressed with Kaivac, the school now has more than one hundred machines. "Without the Kaivac, we probably would have never made it. No-touch was just the touch for WMU."