Workplaces need what industrial cleaning products deliver.
In the past year, most of us have learned more about cleaning and disinfecting than we ever thought we’d have to: The difference between ‘cleaning’, ‘sanitizing’ and ‘disinfecting’; the importance of using products that are Health Canada certified effective against coronavirus; and even what concentration of alcohol is most effective against COVID.
But as facilities begin to open up and many of us start to go back to our workplaces, it’s important to remember that while many cleaning products aimed at household consumers are safe and effective for use in the home, workplaces and other public facilities require the use of specialized industrial/commercial products.
Here’s why:
Product strength and concentration
Products designed for household use tend to be formulated in weaker concentrations than those for use in commercial cleaning. This means they’re fine for cleaning small, day-to-day stains and soils in your home (where there are only a couple of people using the bathroom, for example), but much less effective in high-volume areas. You’ll end up with a less thorough clean – even though you’ve used many more bottles of product.
Product concentration has a number of benefits: Solutions are customizable depending on usage; significant cost savings; and of course less packaging.
Unproven product efficacy and regulation
In Canada, products for the consumer market must be able to back up their claims: A product that says it “kills 99.9% of household bacteria” has to have evidence to back this up. But household products that make these claims have been tested in consumer settings, not commercial settings. So a product that kills all the germs in your home kitchen may not have been studied, for example, in a high-traffic restaurant setting.
What’s more, commercial and industrial products are designed to eliminate a wider variety of bacteria and viruses and to fight against buildup even in areas which have a lot of foot traffic or hand contact.
Soil-specific products
While at home, it’s often fine to use one cleaner, like a Pine-Sol or a Clorox spray, to deal with everything from sinks to floors to walls, industrial and commercial cleaning products are more effective because they’re specifically formulated for the job they have to do. Degreasing products for oil-based soils; solvents for resistant dirt; abrasives for areas where buildup happens.
Industrial products require less physical labour
In your own home, it’s not a big deal if the product you use to clean the bathroom requires 60 minutes of scrubbing the tub, toilet and floors. In a hotel setting, however, that kind of time is not only unfeasible in terms of room turnover, it’s prohibitively expensive in labour costs. If you’re running a facility with 25,000 square feet of flooring that needs to be kept clean at all times, you can’t use a cleaning product that requires hours of physical labour to get there.
Industrial products are specifically designed to facilitate maximum cleaning with minimum labour, which saves significant time and money.
Product safety and support
Because industrial-strength cleaning products in Canada are required to meet federal and provincial standards, with spec sheets and documentation, you know exactly what you’re getting and how long that product has been around. Even more importantly, from our perspective, is that knowledgeable suppliers can help property and facilities managers ensure that they’re choosing the right product mix for their facility, and that their cleaning teams have the information and training they need to use those products safely and effectively.
Want to know more?
We know the past year has been difficult for all kinds of workplaces, and that concerns about ensuring the sanitation of offices, warehouses, retail operations and other public spaces will continue long after everyone has received their vaccination. We also know that it can be difficult to know which authorities to trust when it comes to cleaning, disinfecting and sanitizing high-traffic areas.
We’re here to help. If you have questions about the products you’re using, how they should be used, and what products make sense for your facilities, don’t hesitate to get in touch. We look forward to hearing from you!
