
In many areas of the world, changing seasons lead to changing cleaning challenges. The beautiful colours of fall trees can leave the facility or outdoor spaces covered in a blanket of dead leaves. On the contrary, the warm and dry summer months bring dust and debris that prevent outdoor spaces from looking their best. The cleanliness of outdoor spaces can uplift one’s mood or leave a bad impression if the visitors notice sand, litter and other debris on sidewalks and parking ramps. Keeping the outdoors clean adds real value to any business. Durable and efficient sweepers and all terrain litter vacuums effectively collect dust, dirt and debris to improve the cleanliness of the outdoor environment. In this article, we will look at some of the most common outdoor cleaning challenges and how they can be addressed.
Enhancing the facility
Use of safe, well-designed equipment can help keep the outdoors clean and make the job easy. An all-terrain litter vacuum with stable, low-center-of-gravity design that adapts to the surfaces is recommended for increased productivity and safe maneuverability. Besides, high performance sweepers provide environment-friendly, all-weather dry dust control to ensure a clean and safe outdoor space. Also, having versatile equipment will deliver consistent cleaning results and meet the requirements effectively. A multipurpose, well-designed sweeper with extendable side brushes can reach under confined areas such as benches and planters, and on-board pressure washers assist with off-machine cleaning in hard-to-reach areas.
Improving outdoor air quality
Keeping outdoor areas clean and inviting while also controlling dust is increasingly important amid growing concerns about the air quality. Using Multi-Stage Dust Control Systems, highperformance sweepers and litter vacuums with multi-stage dust control systems which are designed to provide consistent cleaning results while maintaining outdoor air quality can deliver desired results. Moreover, excellent dust control systems, including PM-10 certified products, enhance health and safety for visitors and employees, and keep sidewalks, grounds, streets and parking areas looking great. Machines equipped with a filter shaker clean from the inside out, dislodging dust particles from deep within the pleats to improve filtration performance and maintain better air quality. Filter shakers also extend filter life to reduce maintenance costs.
HygieneTech promotes several European cleaning machines and equipment in the UAE. We speak to CEO, Issam Horanieh, about the best suitable equipment and machines used for outdoor cleaning, training and the challenges faced as a representative for the international brands/companies in the region.
Equipment
When choosing the right equipment for outdoor cleaning, there are many factors that are to be considered. Sustainability and time efficiency are the two major parameters that need attention. Our latest road sweeper Comac CS140 equipped with the exclusive Comac twin-action technology combines the strength of mechanical action to collect larger waste and the efficiency of the suction action for finer dust to provide excellent results, reducing water consumption and facilitating use even in the most difficult conditions. The effect of the Dual Action intensifies the cleaning process and expedites it. It comes in a compact design and sweeps on high speed. Its high suction power with almost no water usage is staging it on the upper shelf and in high demand from top cleaning and facility management companies in the UAE.
After sales service
We do provide after sales service whether it is a road sweeper or any other professional cleaning equipment. Our post sales service department approaches the client and schedule for the primary and initial training for the operators of the machine. We also issue certificates to the trainee and offer a fresh round of training session after a period of three or six months or as per the client’s preference. Hygiene Tech service department is always on the call and we are reputed to have the fastest response and action.
Challenges
Every day is a challenge. Technology and efficiency have always and will always be the bench mark of any cleaning project. Nowadays it is paramount to think about sustainability to save our planet. In short, having the right equipment with the right policy and futuristic ideas will make you standout in today’s competitive market.
The cleaning and FM industry is always undergoing rapid changes that are subject to the economy, socioeconomic climate, the performance of other industries, etc; on the other hand, cleaning services remain demanding and tend to attract constant attention from different quarters. The most challenging part of this industry is cleaning the outdoors, which is often in the presence of public, changing climate conditions and more. Clean Middle East speaks to Sarah Rodgers, Head of Soft Services, Emrill Services to understand the outdoor cleaning services Emrill offers, best practices followed, challenges and more…
Projects undertaken
The majority of our projects include some form of outdoor cleaning in the scope. Some of our major clients include Emaar, Meraas, Al Futtaim, Anantara, Dubai Airports, AW Rostamani, and Dubai Healthcare City. Our most prestigious outdoor projects include The Beach (JBR), La Mer, Arabian Ranches, Emirates Living, Downtown Master Community, Dubai Marina Master Community, Dubai Festival City and Jumeirah Golf Estates.
Best practices
Emrill follows the same best practice standards for outdoor cleaning as it does for indoor cleaning, and our work is benchmarked to BICSc industry standards. We offer a variety of outdoor cleaning services in residential, retail and commercial environments, as well as in master communities. We do try to use machinery wherever possible to alleviate the manual work for the housekeepers, especially working in the heat.
Outdoor equipment
We need to ensure that we use robust equipment that can handle the heat. In particular, sweepers used should be specifically designed for all weather conditions and have high-dust control settings to handle the sandy and dusty environment that we often find ourselves working in. One of the latest innovations we have recently rolled out is hand-held battery operated mini scrubbers, which have proven to be highly effective for cleaning outside walls and benches. These devices can effortlessly remove sand and dirt without the requirement for adding water or chemicals. This replaces the old traditional cleaning methods, which involved staff manually brushing and wiping surfaces.
The new scrubbers are ergonomically designed thus avoiding the need to bend. Furthermore, they have also proven to be a much faster, therefore increasing the overall productivity and efficiency of housekeeping staff.
Training
In addition, to our BICSc training programme and machine operator training, which ensures the safety and welfare of staff working outdoors, we provide training specific to working in the heat, including advice on heat stress awareness. This ensures staff that the staff is able to recognise any signs for themselves and their colleagues. Our housekeepers and supervisors working outdoors are also trained on how to handle various situations such as sand and rain storms – which, although occasional, are extremely difficult situations to handle in terms of maintaining cleanliness standards.
Challenges
The weather in Dubai can be very challenging at times due to the extremely high temperature, particularly during summers. The working hours in this season are reduced between the months of July and September as working in the peak heat hours can be difficult. Hence, we are left with less working time to ensure that cleaning standards are met. Besides, we provide our staff with cooling towels and vests to keep their body temperatures down in extreme conditions. Removing sand is another major challenge for the team, they work tirelessly to stay on top of the dust and sand in outdoor areas, especially after storms.
Sustainability
We try to encompass a chemical free approach, and where chemicals are required, Emrill uses eco-friendly chemicals that will not harm the environment. We try to keep the use of water and chemicals to a minimum. Instead, we employ re-usable long life micro fibre cloths and mops, which minimise the amount of water required for cleaning. Consumption and dosing is also tightly controlled and approximately 90 per cent of products used are eco-friendly. All of our plastic spray bottles are re-used, and where possible we use chemical dosing systems with re-cyclable pouches rather than the large plastic containers. We also recently issued our staff with Emrill re-usable water bottles to eliminate the use of plastic water bottles.