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Disinfecting Hotels

Disinfecting hotels today from the likes of bacteria, H1H1… MRSA… E. coli…COVID 19… Salmonella… Mold… Allergens…today requires a different approach than the typical cleaning procedures we have come to accept. For many years well known microbiologist have warned of the proliferation and spread of harmful microbes. Today the once ominous stories have come true and threaten us all – the story of drug-resistant microbes and global pandemics have come of age. You take every precaution: you wash your hands and are careful about what you touch. Still, you can’t help feeling vulnerable.

In the past chemists have responded with a dizzying array of products to destroy germs. Most of these antimicrobials use metals or poisons that leach into the surrounding environment to kill offending organisms. These agents create a halo of diminishing efficacy around the area of application. Microbes near the center of this halo are usually eliminated, but those on the outer edge, where the strength of the poison is greatly reduced, survive and mutate into resistant strains, known as “Super Bugs”.

Scientists and medical professionals for years have predicted the real danger may be the:

• misuse of antimicrobials promoting the potential for adaptive strains to flourish • testing of harmful microbes may spread by accident.
• development of harmful microbes and Bio-terrorism

Our Two-Step Cleaning System

The Strategic Maintenance Clean, Disinfect & Protect System approaches cleaning in a more scientific way. First you remove contaminates on surfaces using a biocidal cleaning solution then you inhibit future growth on surfaces by applying a biostatic solution.

This two-part cleaning and protection system is a unique combination of both innovative procedures and chemistry. Efficient and effective cleaning procedures require careful attention to cleaning & application details.

  • Step 1 is the application of an EPA registered Disinfectant/Cleaner cleans and sanitizes by chemically and physically removing 99.9 % of the unwanted microbial growth that builds up on a hard and soft surface.
  • Step 2 is the electrostatic or hand sprayed application of an EPA Registered antimicrobial that provides a bonded, long-term, protective barrier. This chemistry works slightly different than the first step. It’s unique charged mechanical action actually inhibits future microbial growth for up to 30 days and in some cases months on undisturbed hard and soft surfaces.

How the Cleaning System Works

After performing Step 1, Step 2 applies an invisible, odorless and eco-friendly solution that permanently bonds with a surface and inhibits the growth of unwanted microbes. The cell membranes of unwanted microbes are negatively charged, while the treated surface now carries a positive charge. Microbes are therefore attracted to the treated surface through a difference in charge.

Now, imagine an entire field of these electrically charged spears – billions upon billions of them – bonded to a surface and interlocked one to another, points at the ready. This is the inhospitable bio-barrier that confronts any bacteria, virus, or fungi that ventures near the surface – an active defense against microbes.

Benefits of the Strategic Maintenance Cleaning System

  • Active ingredient in Step 2 is a decompositional product that is no more harmful than sand.
  • Ongoing protection that lasts 30 days or longer
  • Covalently bonds to almost any surface…remains in tact after multiple cleanings
  • Environmentally friendly, non-toxic, non-allergenic, non-leaching product
  • No noxious poisons, heavy metals, or harsh fumes
  • EPA registered
  • Extensively field-tested for years in hundreds of products & locations
  • Effective against a broad spectrum of gram (+) & gram (-)bacteria, viruses (including COVID 19), & protozoa, including mold, mildew, & algae :
  • Electro-mechanical action does not permit adaptive strains
  • Uniform coating does not alter the texture of surfaces
  • Reduces airborne contaminants while inhibiting surface growth
  • Not affected by normal housekeeping procedures, including steam cleaning
  • Presence & efficacy can be verified with a simple field test
  • Minimizes institutional liability by demonstrating a proactive approach
  • Long-term efficacy saves money over temporary treatments
  • Controls microbial growth without the use of heavy metals, silver, polychlorinated phenols or other leaching agents.

For use in:

Hotels, Healthcare, office buildings, remodeling/refits, athletic facilities, transportation, education, day- care,  restaurants, correctional facilities, cruise lines, residential, business, marine, medical devices, industry and government, etc. This is just a small sampling of where our cleaning system can be applied.

The comprehensive Strategic Maintenance Cleaning System can dramatically reduce bioloads on high touch surfaces, while lowering airborne contaminants in the process. The cleaning system can help create a biological safety net over your entire indoor built environment, helping to protect surfaces from from the proliferation of pathogenic organisms for 30 days or more

For more information, visit https://strategic-rs.com, email jeff@strategic- rs.com or call 407-467-9780 or leave message at 407-855-8584

 

Orlando Strip Wax VCT

What makes Strategic’s Orlando strip wax VCT division so special?…. Our legendary service team.

We have been stripping and waxing floors for over 30 yrs. Our Orlando Strip Wax VCT floor cleaning business will make your floors “POP”. Fresh, clean floors brightening up the whole commercial setting. Our trained professionals are career cleaners that are proud of what they do. Prompt professional service that is done right the first time so that you do not have to waste time and money.

Strip & Wax VCT
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Call 407- 855-8584
for a free estimate and quick reliable service today

Orlando Tile & Grout Cleaning

What makes Strategic’s orlando tile and grout cleaning division so special is no one else has the experience to do what we do.

We have been doing tile and grout cleaning for over 30 yrs. Our trained professionals are carrer cleaners that are proud of what they do. Prompt professional service that is done right the first time so that you do not have to waste time and money.

 

Call 407- 855-8584
for a free estimate and quick reliable service today

Dying Bleach Spots in Carpet

Spot Dying Carpet

We are often asked if Dying bleach spots in carpet is possible, and the answer is yes. Bleach spots, bleach stains or bleach color loss issues are usually caused by accidental spills of bleach, medicine, pesticides or highly acidic cleaning products. Once these spills occur, time is of essence. The longer the spill is present, the lighter the carpet may get.

Wool carpets will actually not only loose color when bleach is spilled onto them but the fibers may actually dissolve. Multi-colored carpets can make this process difficult, but it most of the time a trained spot dying professional can make them look a lot better. It certainly is alot less expensive than replacing the carpet. Cost is usually about $150-$200 per man hour.

Here are a couple of before and after pictures of a hotel hallway that was recently done in April 2019. The management was very happy.

On average a professional can make the carpet look 80% – 90 % better sometimes totally making the color loss dissapear.

Call Strategic Floor MAintenance Services for a free estimate in Orlando or Central Florida.

Call   407-855-8584   Ask for Jeff   

www.strategic-rs.com

 

 

Commercial Upholstery Cleaning

Banquet chairs, convention hall seats, auditorium seats and theater seating all fall under the commercial upholstery cleaning heading. Event seating often are exposed to food, drink, ink, gum and personal care products. Commercial upholstery can be made out of different types of textiles, vinyl and leather. Some that are easier to clean than others.

Commercial Upholstery Cleaning

How much does it cost to clean them?

Cleaning price can vary depending on the amount of chairs available to clean at one time, type of fabric, amount of staining, time of cleaning and the location of chairs. (Are they stacked up? Do they have to be moved?) In general chairs a fabric backing and fabric seat can cost anywhere from $1.50- $5.00 each to clean

What kind of spots & stains do you come across?

Common commercial upholstery cleaning spots and stains would include blood, ink, soda spills, gum and grease. All require understanding what type of spotter to use. A good idea is to have a protein spot remover, gel type volatile solvent spot remover, a reducing agent and a tannin stain remover on hand.

What is the best way to clean them?

Pretreat the seats by making up a foam lather and apply by hand using a sponge mitt or by a spray application of an upholstery pretreat. Follow by rinsing using an upholstery water extraction hand tool.

Should I apply a Protector?

Many fabric chairs have had a fabric protector applied at the factory. Flourochemical protectors like Teflon® and Scotchguard® can be an appropriate application after cleaning. After multiple cleanings the protector may start to wear off. The additional cost can range from 1/4 to 1/2 the cost of the cleaning. If your thought is that you may not have to clean as much if you apply a fabric protector. Think again. This treatment will not prevent them from future soiling.  I would recommend the application of a flourochemical to protect chairs from future staining.

** Always read the manufactures commercial upholstery cleaning label or follow manufactures cleaning guidelines.

written by Doug Bradford CEO of Eco Interior Maintenance 301-261-1966(MD DC & N.VA) and Strategic Maintenance Services 407-855-8584(Central Florida)

 

Refinishing Tile Floors

Refinishing tile floors is a job for the experts!

Too often unqualified floor maintenance providers win jobs to restore or refinish tile floors. Tile floors can be found in both residential and commercial but for this blog I will be talking about refinishing tile floors in commercial facilities.

Tile flooring comes in many shapes and sizes and can be used in a variety of different areas in schools, hotels, condominiums, office buildings, theme parks and transportation facilities. For the most part you see:refinishing tile floors

  • ceramic tiles,
  • vinyl tiles (VCT),
  • porcelain tiles and finally
  • marble/granite tiles.

All of them need to be treated by cleaning experts to get the best durability and appearance levels. Some are directly glued down onto sub-floors, some are attached together using a thin set mortar and grout while others use a thin set adhesive to set into place . Each present different installation, sealing and maintenance/restoration guidelines

Stripping and waxing a floor can be tedious. A few small hairs or dust ball left in a topcoat can cause damage requiring a total redo. refinishing tile floors

Understanding the procedures and importance of choosing the correct waxes/finishes can make or break a job. As technology improves training becomes more important.

refinishing tile floors

  • Should we use an acrylic or polyurethane wax
  • Does the old finish need to be completely removed
  • What is the most eco friendly way to remove a finish?
  • What prep needs to be done to protect other flooring ,walls or furniture?
  • What causes the yellowing in waxed surfaces?
  • How many coats and how long does it take to dry?

Refinishing ceramic tile floors can also be very tricky. Many do not realize how to properly seal a floor after installation. Often it is not even done. The grout is very porous and can absorb oil & water based soils that can permanently stain grout if it is not sealed properly. Restoring a poorly protected ceramic can be difficult. Sometimes contractors or end users will paint the grout causing even more potential future issues for building service providers.

For any additional information contact Strategic Maintenance & Restoration Services operating out of Orlando covering central Florida. Written by commercial cleaning consultant Doug Bradford, LEED AP,CR

 

refinishing tile floorsrefinishing tile floorsrefinishing tile floors refinishing tile floors

Quality Service Provider

What makes one floor cleaning company different than another? In today’s high paced, competitive, price driven world of building service providers lowest price bid often gets the job. Sometimes facility managers who are driven by budget constraints from upper management get lucky, but most of the time in order to get the job done cheep, corners are cut and something important gets left out. Many times the quality service provider is called after in to clean up the mess caused by someone who was not properly trained or supervised.

How can a low price contract effect the cost building maintenance? If proper procedures, equipment and cleaning solutions are not used:

  • it elevates the probability of indoor environmental issues
  • it may decrease the use life of floor coverings
  • it increases future cost to restore to acceptable condition
  • it can lowers the aesthetic appeal of the interior
  • durability & performance of floor surface can be diminished

In short, the low bidder may cost you more in the long run. Take the time to per-qualify vendors.

  • Engage in a personal interview with General Operations Manager or Owner
  • Service References, Years in business, Involvement in the industry
  • Type of equipment, cleaning solutions & cleaning systems used
  • Discuss maintenance frequency and detailed plan of action
  • Review documentation provided before and after service is performed

Continual communication is essential to a successful relationship/partnership between a vendor and a property manager. In Orlando and Central Florida give Strategic Maintenance and Restoration Services an opportunity to bid on your floor maintenance. Like many others before, You will be happy you made the call.

Carpet. Stone. Tile& Grout. Strip & Wax. Wood

                                  407-855-8584

 

Importance of Vacuuming

So what is the importance of vacuuming?

Never has the importance of vacuuming been more relevant to building maintenance than today. Keeping the soil load down is the key to a healthier indoor environment.  Too many times this is where corners are cut. Not enough people to do the cleaning, budget does not exist or the right type of vacuum is not being used with the right frequencies.

About 87% of all foreign particulate in the carpet can be removed using a vacuum cleaner. Soil that builds up in the carpet can cut and scrape fibers damaging there use life and appearance. Dull & Uglied out carpets are the result. Does not matter if you have wool (natural fibers) or nylon (synthetic fibers).. All can be negatively effected by soil build up.

So what does the industry recommend? The Carpet and Rug Institute has frequency recommendations. Importance of vacuuming

  • Vacuum daily in high-traffic.
  • Vacuum twice weekly in medium-traffic areas.
  • Vacuum weekly in light-traffic areas, using attachments at carpet edges.
Importance of vacuuming
No walk off mat on other side of door

Whether you are using a restorative hot water extraction rinse or interim encapsulation methods vacuuming should be done prior to cleaning by either the in house staff or the professional cleaning company.

Walk off mats can help to collect the soil prior to entering the building. Interior and exterior mats are available. Buy good mats. The less expensive ones tend to not last long and can not handle heavy traffic.

When no walk off mats are placed at entrances, in garages, in kitchens, etc the carpet pays the price. Often vacuuming in these areas are considered to be high traffic and could be vacuumed multiple times per day.

 

 

 

 

Healthy Hotel Carpets

Healthy Hotel Carpets begins with the implementation of properly specified maintenance program immediately after a new installation. Many General Managers or Housekeeping Executives are mislead by carpet sales representatives. Here are some of the things carpet cleaning professionals hear often from facility service asset managers:

  • Carpet does not need to be cleaned as often as your old carpetimg_5324
  • Cleaning carpet can shorten your carpet’s use life
  • Carpet gets moldy when you clean too often

How far from the truth these all are. The plain fact is that professional maintenance of carpet is very important when it comes down to extending the use life. Your carpet will ugly out sooner if soil builds up in the carpet. Sure, carpet is designed to hold its face weight in soil but if you let this happen your carpet fibers will be prematurely damaged by the sharp microscopic edges of typical soil (sand, oil, dander and food spills).

Carpets in hotel rooms are often maintained using systems that dry fast. Depending on the carpet cleaning system used, unhealthy microbial pollutants can still remain embedded in the carpet fibers. Especially after using interim/appearance cleaning methods such as encapsulation and bonnet cleaning. Biofilm’s, or bacteria incubators, can form and multiply as fast in carpet as on a poorly cleaned bathroom vanity. Odors can quickly make a room uninhabitable to many guests.

So I guess you could say, “What you can’t see won’t hurt you”. That is far from the truth these days. Customers can easily figure out what you are doing by just asking the staff. Many time they can see what is going on as the enter and exit their rooms. So it is important for all hotel employees to know what ,when,where and how hotel carpets are cleaned.

Clean for health and then clean for appearance. It will pay off in the long run!