All businesses know the importance of a well-kept facility. The floors in your building can either accentuate the space or greatly diminish it, and very few flooring materials can match the beauty and luxurious look of marble. As an incredibly ...

All businesses know the importance of a well-kept facility. The floors in your building can either accentuate the space or greatly diminish it, and very few flooring materials can match the beauty and luxurious look of marble. As an incredibly durable natural stone, even antique marble floors can look brand new with proper maintenance or restoration. Even in cases where full restoration is needed, the cost of a restoration is usually less expensive than removing and replacing the marble flooring. 

Restoration

A restoration typically begins with grinding or honing to level out the marble. Grinding is useful for deep stains, chips, or scratches and will make the floor surface even. Whereas honing works on level floors with mild surface damage. In a professional restoration, honing is done with industrial diamonds for a smooth finish, followed by smaller-grade diamonds to polish the floor and enhance the shine and vibrancy of the stone. 

Protection

After the restoration is complete, it is necessary to prevent new damage. In some cases, restoration can include crystallization – a final polish using chemicals (mainly calcium fluorosilicate) to bond with the stone and protect the finish. However, it is perfectly acceptable to leave the marble as is or apply a sealant. 

To prevent damage, use furniture pads on the feet of chairs and tables or place all furnishings on carpets or mats. Avoid using ammonia or vinegar on the floor and steer clear of acid-based cleaners and sharp tools that can scratch the flooring. 

Maintenance

Clean the floor daily with a soft-bristled broom or dust mop – soft materials to pick up sand or small debris that could scratch the surface. To help prevent dirt from being tracked, consider placing mats at entry doors. Naturally, you will want to clean up any spilled liquids as soon as possible. If you do end up with a stain, use warm water and a damp mop or towel. Make sure there isn’t an excess of water on the surface, as this can seep into the stone and cause discoloration. In the same vein, avoid using various aerosols or sprays as they can leave a buildup on the floor and dull the shine or even damage the protectant of your flooring. 

Deep cleaning will be necessary at least once every other month. How often you will need to deep clean all depends on how much traffic the floor receives, the age and type of marble, and how well the flooring is maintained on a daily basis. When it comes to marble flooring, deep cleaning is best left to professionals as it is highly sensitive to acids. 

Looking Marble-ous

With routine care of your marble flooring, you can keep your facility inviting for customers, guests, and staff alike. Our team at Lawton Brothers is dedicated to helping you find the best products and practices for your business. With over 75 years of experience in the janitorial industry, we know a thing or two about clean. Give us a call today at: 800.432.0813.

All business owners know the importance of a clean and welcoming environment. While most businesses (hopefully all) have a cleaning program or routine in place, there are far fewer businesses that evaluate their cleaning regimen. Over time, it’s natural that ...

All business owners know the importance of a clean and welcoming environment. While most businesses (hopefully all) have a cleaning program or routine in place, there are far fewer businesses that evaluate their cleaning regimen. Over time, it’s natural that some places get overlooked or don’t get cleaned as well as they should be. A cleaning audit can help uncover these places that need more attention and offer insight into the effectiveness of your program. Conducting routine janitorial audits is an impartial method of assessing whether your team is meeting or exceeding expectations. 

Health and Safety

Auditing allows you to monitor and understand what is and isn’t being effectively cleaned. With Covid still making rounds across the country and the flu season in full swing, identifying the source of problems can prevent more serious issues from arising. A cleaning audit will ensure a clean environment that can help prevent the spread of germs and viruses. 

Costs

Cleaning budgets can go into the tens of thousands of dollars per year (depending on the size and scale of your business). Auditing gives insight into how money is being spent and where your company is getting value or return on investment. Could purchasing cleaners in bulk save money? Is it worth it to purchase a new piece of equipment or is it more effective to do it manually? 

Standardizing Operations

Depending on the business, there can be a long list of required products or processes involved in your cleaning program. An audit can make it easier to streamline your process and get a better understanding of the inner workings of your business. From specialized training and personal protective equipment to activity logging and signage, creating a simpler process or providing updated training can inspire confidence and pride in your staff and customers. 

Give Us a Call

Let Lawton Brothers help you with a cleaning audit. Call us for a free consultation today! On the call, we’ll discuss your basic program and specific details around your facilities. The focus of the consultation is discussing your challenges, concerns, and goals for your cleaning program and assess where your facility is at risk. At Lawton Brothers, we have a team of trained and certified staff with over 76 years of experience in Central Florida. Give us a call today at: 800.432.0813 and see how Lawton Brothers can help you.

 

Equipment ROI – How to calculate and maximize return on investment for your equipment.

There comes a time for every business when a large purchase is needed. Regardless of the reason for your investment, you will need to know ...

 

Equipment ROI – How to calculate and maximize return on investment for your equipment.

There comes a time for every business when a large purchase is needed. Regardless of the reason for your investment, you will need to know if the purchase will be worth it. Will the equipment save/generate enough money to replace what you spent on it? While this may sound simple, there are a slew of variables and questions you should consider. 

Know Your Needs

Consider the primary function your new equipment will perform. How often will it be operated? Is it only used for a single job or does it have multiple uses? How quickly can it produce results? Are production increases or new tasks expected? Every aspect of the equipment’s use should be considered to help determine if the investment will be worthwhile. 

Estimating Cost

While simple to calculate a Return on Investment, the numbers that go into the calculation can be a little more difficult to determine. First off, you’ll need to determine approximately how much revenue the new equipment will generate (via product manufactured and time saved on production). For expenses, there are many things to consider.

When calculating your expenses, be sure to include the cost of shipping the equipment (including duties or taxes where applicable), installation and training, labor to operate the equipment, inspections and maintenance, servicing costs, and operating costs (such as chemicals and utilities). The manufacturer should be able to help estimate the cost of electricity, supplies, and labor. And of course, as technology gets smaller, faster, and more versatile, this can translate to saving space and even more time. 

Calculating ROI

Return on Investment (ROI) is a benchmark used to evaluate the gain on investment compared to the initial investment cost. This calculation provides a percentage number that can express if the investment is worth making. 

ROI = Net Income / Cost of Investment 

For example, if Company A invests $50,000 into a new large-scale printer that ends up generating $75,000 in revenue, its ROI is 150%. 

ROI = $75,000 /  $50,000 = 150% 

Give us a Call

Making equipment decisions in the current market, with new technologies constantly emerging, it can be difficult to decide what to buy and when. As always, Lawton Brothers is here to offer a variety of products, services, and advice for your janitorial needs. Let us help you work through your ROI calculation, and if the investment isn’t worth it, Lawton Brothers has a range of janitorial equipment available for rent! Give us a call today at: 800.432.0813.

 

The Cleaning Industry Management Standard is the first consensus-based management standard that outlines the primary characteristics of a successful, quality cleaning organization. This standard is primarily used as a guide for cleaning organizations and professionals as well as cleaning ...

 

The Cleaning Industry Management Standard is the first consensus-based management standard that outlines the primary characteristics of a successful, quality cleaning organization. This standard is primarily used as a guide for cleaning organizations and professionals as well as cleaning contractors to ensure quality, efficiency, and overall customer satisfaction. The Cleaning Industry Management Standard, also known as CIMS, is a management framework that provides third-party validation that a facility or service provider meets a higher level of cleanliness and safety. 

The CIMS is an ISSA-run certification that recognizes individuals and organizations that meet a long list of criteria, ranging from quality systems to health and safety. The certification checklist, comprised of six sections, is among the most difficult and rigorous levels of certification offered. The CIMS standard includes: 

Quality system: The organization must have a clear definition of cleaning service requirements and a written quality plan. 

Service delivery: This covers the organization’s written service delivery plan and purchasing procedures. 

Human resources: The criteria in this section include human resource policy, hiring practices, executive development, training format and language, security, and a documented timekeeping/payroll system. 

Health, safety, and environmental stewardship: (in addition to local and federal compliance) this includes having an organization policy/environmental management system. 

Management commitment: The organization must have a clearly defined mission, vision, and values, as well as responsibility and authority, a communication plan, and risk management. 

Green buildings and service: This section is only graded if the organization passes the first five standards and covers a written green cleaning policy, custodial effectiveness assessments, the purchase of cleaning products and materials, and solid waste management (recycling). 

Having a CIMS Certification is proof that your company is constantly improving the efficiency of its services while bringing value to their customers and contributing to public health. This gives customers reassurance that the building's cleanliness and safety are of top-notch quality. 

Go for the Gold Standard in Certification

When it comes time to invest in your cleaning regimen and you’re looking into hiring an organization, make sure to ask about the ISSA CIMS Certification! As of 2022, there are less than 300 companies internationally that have qualified for the CIMS Certification, most of which are located in North America and nationwide across the United States. Have more questions about the CIMS Certification? Give Lawton Bros a call today at: 800.432.0813.

Did you know that healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), can account for 1.7 million infections and 99,000 deaths each year? When a patient enters your healthcare facility for medical services, they are immediately put at risk for contracting healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) through ...

Did you know that healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), can account for 1.7 million infections and 99,000 deaths each year? When a patient enters your healthcare facility for medical services, they are immediately put at risk for contracting healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) through improper environmental hygiene practices.

 As an essential part of healthcare leadership, it is critical to ensure your patient safety for the facilities you serve. You can minimize the risk of HAIs by encouraging your medical staff to be aware of and promote proper environmental hygiene and cleaning practices.

At Lawton Brothers, we understand that in extensive healthcare facilities, hygiene practices can be put on the back burner. We are taking this opportunity during International Infection Prevention Week to provide a timely reminder of the importance of the correlation between your facility’s cleanliness and your patient’s safety.

THE MOST COMMON HAIs

Healthcare-associated infections are infections that a patient develops during their hospital stay. HAIs can be contracted in any type of facility, including hospitals, ambulances and long-term care facilities, just to name a few.  

When a healthcare facility does not engage in proper environmental cleaning practices, it can cause increased diseases (morbidity), decrease mortality, increase the length of hospital stays and costs incurred by the hospital. (yikes!) 

According to Becker’s Clinical Leaders & Infection Control:

●      The length of stay for a patient who contracts an HAI increases by 17.6 days

●      9.4 percent of in-patient costs are for HAIs

●      HAIs can cost healthcare facilities $35 billion per year

The most common HAIs patients get during their hospital stay include:

●      Central-line associated bloodstream infections

●      Clostridium difficile infections

●      Pneumonia

●      Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus

●      Surgical site infections

●      Urinary Tract infections

How do patients contract these HAIs?

As you know, HAIs can be contracted through environmental transmission; through the hands and the contamination of surfaces.

ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANING PRACTICES 

Environmental hygiene can be dependent on the pathogen present and what product you are using to remove it.  According to an article published in BioMed Central, there are five areas of cleanliness that healthcare leaders should take into account when thinking about their hospital: 

1. Workforce: the staff whose responsibility is to organize, execute and verify cleaning activity.
2. Area: the environment that needs to be cleaned, including surfaces.
3. Substance: the chemical product being used to clean.
4. Technique: the method by which the staff is applying the substance.
5. Equipment: the machines being used to clean, including microfiber cloths and cleaning machines.

 If any of these areas are lacking or absent, the level of cleaning is inferior to what it should be.

 You should also be asking yourself these questions:

 What are our options for cleaning and disinfecting the patient’s environment? 

1. What approaches are in use?
2. How do cleaning, disinfecting and monitoring interact?
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of cleaning, disinfecting and monitoring? 

What equipment is needed to impact cleaning, disinfecting and monitoring? 

1. What equipment is essential to the efficiency of environmental cleaning services?
2. Is it essential to train cleaning staff?
3. What are the regulations around disinfecting the facility? 

CLEANING PRODUCTS FOR CLEANING  & DISINFECTING 

The optimal cleaning product for a healthcare facility is one that is effective against bacteria, spores and viruses while leaving no impact on the environment and being completely safe. Unfortunately, there isn’t a product that does all of that. (sadly) 

The most common chemicals used for disinfection include: 

●      Alcohol: is used to disinfect small surfaces or external surfaces like ventilators. Alcohol is a flammable substance and must be used in well-ventilated spaces. Long-term use of alcohol can cause discoloration, hardening and even cracking in plastics and rubber.

●      Hydrogen peroxide: can be effective against bacteria, yeast, fungi and viruses and leaves no odor.

●      Ortho-phthalaldehyde: is an antimicrobial disinfectant for medical equipment that can cause respiratory issues if not handled properly.

●      Chlorine: is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial disinfectant that does not leave a residue.

●      Peracetic acid: is used to sterilize medical and surgical instruments.

●      Phenolics: are EPA-registered disinfectants that are used to clean environmental surfaces like bedside tables, bed rails and laboratory surfaces.

●      Quaternary Ammonium compounds: are used to disinfect patient-care equipment like catheters. 

Unfortunately, data-sf-ec-immutable="" while healthcare facilities are more than willing to upgrade their technology, they are less willing to invest in their environmental hygiene practices. Rather than spend your cleaning budget on only cleaning products, invest in your environmental cleaning employees, as well. An cleaning company can not only supply your healthcare facility with top-notch cleaning solutions but will also be able to provide your employees with the proper training--all while staying within your budget.

Not encouraging proper cleaning practices can affect budgets across the hospital. This can make it difficult to really understand how the lack of such protocols can genuinely change the healthcare facility as a whole.  That is why it’s essential to look at the increased number of days a patient may spend in the hospital due to an HAI, hospital staff overtime, missed revenue and increases in costs due to HAI outbreaks. 

When you are making a decision about investing in your environmental hygiene maintenance processes, which products to get, or how much training your cleaning staff really needs, think about the cost of not investing in these things and what that means for the healthcare facility long-term. 

HOW CAN WE HELP? 

Unfortunately, even if you have the best cleaning staff, they will be useless if they aren’t using the correct product. And, the best product is useless if it isn’t being applied correctly. That is why it is essential to have a team that can help you choose the best products and machines for the situation at hand. 

At Lawton Brothers, we have many products and services that could benefit your healthcare facility. Three products that you could implement into your healthcare environmental cleaning and disinfecting routine right now include: 

1. Hillyard Vindicator + - https://www.lawtonbros.com/catalog/p/243337/Hillyard-Arsenal-1-6-Vindicator-Disinfectant-25-L/
2. Green Klean Chlorinated Tablets - https://www.lawtonbros.com/catalog/p/255655/Green-Klean-Chlorinated-Disinfecting-Tablet/
3. Victory Sprayer - https://www.lawtonbros.com/catalog/p/256687/Victory-Cordless-Electrostatic-Sprayer/ 

And, if your staff needs training on equipment, we can help with that too! To talk to one of our representatives about how we can help your healthcare facility decrease the number of HAIs by improving your cleaning and disinfecting strategies, give us a call at 800-432-0813. 

The International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA) provides companies with tools to determine the true value of clean. The ISSA promotes cleaning as a necessary investment into better health, a better environment, and a better bottom line. Cleaning Industry Management (CIMS) ...

The International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA) provides companies with tools to determine the true value of clean. The ISSA promotes cleaning as a necessary investment into better health, a better environment, and a better bottom line. Cleaning Industry Management (CIMS) is a branch of ISSA that offers cleaning organizations standards and certifications. 

Lawton Brothers is proud to be CIMS-GB certified where GB stands for Green Building. In order to be CIMS-GB certified a cleaning company must meet certain criteria and standards set by CIMS which is considered to be “the first consensus based management that outlines the primary characteristics of a successful, quality cleaning organization.” According to the ISSA, a CIMS-GB certification “demonstrates an organization’s capability to assist customers in achieving LEED-EBOM points and offers customers assurance that the organization they select is prepared to partner with them in the Leed process.”

As your resource for cleaning solutions in Central Florida, we are proud to be CIMS-GB certified and at Lawton Brothers we look forward to helping your facility’s cleaning process be as efficient as it can be.