Green cleaning is finally in. Manufacturers of cleaning equipment and chemicals have constantly been innovating and updating their technology to come up with products that are demonstrable, measurable and consistent with the environmental objectives of safeguarding the earth.
Green credentials for commercial cleaning equipment can be given if one or many aspects from the following checklist can be maintained: less water usage without loss of cleaning ability; less wastewater generated; minimized use of chemicals, etc.
On another front, equipment that emit low or zero atmospheric emissions, have inbuilt water recycling facilities, are low on the use of non-renewable resources, use fewer lead/acid batteries, reduce energy usage, etc, can also be qualified as green.
Within the Middle East, the uptake on the ‘green culture’ is noticeable and on the rise, starting from the crusade against the overuse of plastics bags for grocery shopping to the implementation of waste recycling projects, both as public and private sector initiatives. Included in the green culture is the sale and use of green cleaning equipment and chemicals.
Better cleaning chemicals are those certified as green chemicals versus traditional cleaning chemicals that have profound negative environmental and human health impacts. Green chemicals do a good cleaning job and have a greatly reduced environmental impact, yet, they still have the environmental footprint of production, packaging, transportation, storage, use, and disposal. Being chemicals, they are also not totally harmless to people, plants, and our planet and their use requires (OSHA 1910) MSDS, staff training, proper labeling, inventory records, and personal protection equipment.
Therefore, the best cleaning technology is the one that cleans effectively with no chemicals; wherein the environmental footprint is eliminated as well as the chemical management requirements.
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Tennant’s ec-H2O technology
Enter Tennant’s ec- H2O technology, which converts water electrically into a powerful cleaning solution, seems to fit the green bill perfectly. In addition, scrubbers equipped with ec-H2O technology are said to use 70 percent less water than conventional scrubbers. A point to be noted however is that the requirement does exist for some detergents/chemicals to be used in heavily soiled areas.
According to Mogallan Bhagat, Assistant Sales Manager for Tennant machines at Kanoo Machinery, distributor of Tennant machines in the UAE, ec- H2O technology has been looked upon favorably by clients in the UAE with scrubbers equipped with eco-H2O technology sold to at least ten customers so far. Dubai World Trade Centre and Activa Emirates Cleaning Company from Abu Dhabi are a few of the end-users of ec- H2O scrubbers.
Such is the importance attached to green equipment such as Tennant’s ec- H2O that a credit can be earned under the equipment section by having in place a program that buys cleaning equipment that meets the criteria defined in the Version 3 LEED Existing Building Operations and Maintenance (EBOM) manual. The equipment credit (EQ 3.4) has been changed and now includes the auto scrubber with ec-H2O technology.
Tennant’s T3 and T5 walk-behind, 5680 walk-behind, T7 micro-rider, T15 - battery-powered industrial scrubber dryer, 7300 mid-size battery-powered rider scrubber-dryer and 8300 battery-powered sweeper-scrubber dryer are all equipped with the ec-H2O technology.
Hako’s Aqua Force and Aqua Stop Systems
Hako is also high on environmental concerns with a history of environmental performance since 1970. The company was awarded with the Environmental Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) accreditation, which is designed to improve companies’ environmental performance. In 2008, Hako launched Aqua Force, a cleaning system which leverages the cleaning benefits of demineralised water, thus doing away with the need for chemicals. The way it works is simple: by removing all the chemicals and minerals within the tap water prior to cleaning, the demineralised water strives to return to its natural impure state by actively absorbing all dirt, chemicals and minerals it comes across.
Aqua Force can either be directly attached to the water connection in the filling station, where the scrubbers are gathered to be filled with tap water. As the scrubbers are filled via the water hose, the unit removes the minerals to create demineralised water. The Aqua Force can also be installed in situ in a single scrubber dryer.
The Aqua Force System is yet to be implemented in the UAE, although there have been enquiries regarding the system, said Carsten Mahaini, CEO of Viking Gulf Trading, the sole dealers of Hako in the UAE. However, he intends to bring the Aqua Force system to the UAE so that his clients can benefit from its innovative and green benefits.
But what is noteworthy is that every Hako machine sold in the UAE is equipped with the Aqua Stop
System, which ensures accurate dosage and prevents the wasting of water. “All our scrubber driers are fitted with the Aqua Stop System, which is not an add-on or option that the client needs to select, but included as part of Hako’s philosophy of caring for the environment and for reducing the operating cost of every machine, whether it is the smallest walk-behind or largest ride-on machine.
“The Aqua Stop System reduces chemical usage by as much as 30 -40 percent,” stated Mahaini, adding that the technology reduces water and chemical consumption by substantially preventing the cleaning solution loss by centrifugal force. The mixture of cleaning solution is injected over the Aqua Stop Brush bristles uniformly wetting the floor area. The brush retaining ring confines the cleaning solution under the brush head, extending the time for soil removal by the action of the chemical, which is aided by the mechanical agitation of the brush.
Practical tests carried out independently by the TÜV have shown that when using this water retaining system, depending upon the type of floor and degree of dirt, a saving of up to 40% can be made in terms of cleaning agent and water.
There is yet an additional solution from HAKO which drives chemical control and correct dosing. The On-Board Dosing System is the latest feature from Hako to further enhance chemical usage and thereby ensure a higher control on associated ownership cost.
The system can be mounted on all scrubber driers and consists of a dilution pump and additional control electronics to control the proportional dosing of the chemical. “When mounted on any machine, chemical use becomes a constant and the associated cost is controlled, which otherwise can lead to significant losses over a prolonged period,” added Mahaini. The system automatically takes care of correct dilution of the chemical regardless of the waterflow and since the chemical is mixed with water inline before reaching the brushes, the watertank always contains clean water. It is thereby not necessary to empty the cleaning solution after each cleaning cycle, saving both time and cost.
Diversey’s Cleaning Solution Dosing
Diversey is another cleaning equipment manufacturer with environmental sustainability at the heart of the company’s policies. The company’s innovative dispensing technology called Cleaning Solution Dosing (CSD) precisely dilutes concentrated products with tap water to make cleaning safer, more cost-effective and environmentally sensitive and exactly the right amount of cleaning solution is dosed onto the floor, depending on how fast the machine is going. “This feature has helped us to sell the product in the market as customers have realized the cost-effective and high productivity value of the system,” said Venkatesh Manjeri, Divisional Manager of Intercare, distributor of Diversey’s floor care products in the UAE.
“The solution in a scrubber drier hardly gets any contact time with the floor; the machine should dispense just that much amount of solution on the floor that can disperse easily, which is what the CSD system does.
“The slower the machine goes, the less solution is dosed. In other machines, the same amount of water is dosed onto the floor, whether the machine is fast or slow. If there is excess water, the operator has to backtrack to pick up the excess water that the scrubber has left behind. With the CSD system this does not happen. The result is a 30–50 percent saving in cleaning solution and significantly increased productivity of the machine. The optional water recycling feature is also an environmental water-saving concern,” said Manjeri.
Apart from green products, there are many green certified chemicals, the use of which hopefully will limit the damage to the environment. Cleaning service providers, property owners and the cleaning industry as a whole should work as one to see that the outcome is positive.
