The First Facility Management Blog

SCA, a global personal hygiene product company, has announced plans to donate $10,000 and its Tork® brand wiper products to Philadelphia Academies, Inc.’s award-winning West Philly Hybrid X Team, based at the West Philadelphia High School Academy for Automotive and Mechanical Engineering. The donations will help the group of inner city high school students in their efforts to design, build, and sell a super efficient car for the $10 million Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize (PIAXP) global competition.

The West Philly Hybrid X Team is made up of 23 high school students, led by instructor Simon Hauger and team manager Ann Cohen. The team has designed, built, and raced alternative fuel vehicles for 10+ years, outperforming university teams and production vehicles on a national platform in the 2002, 2005, and 2006 Northeast Sustainable Energy Association’s Tour de Sol.

In the Progressive Automotive X Prize competition, they’ll take to an international stage for the first time, competing against automakers and innovators to design clean, green vehicles that impact climate change. Vehicle entries must achieve ultra-low carbon emissions and ultra-high fuel economy—100 miles per gallon (MPG) or its energy equivalent (MPGe). Among more than 41 teams contending from around the world, the West Philly Hybrid X Team is one of only three academic teams entered (along with Cornell University and Western Washington University) It is the only high school competitor.

(Image courtesy of West Philly Hybrid X Team)

SCA’s $10,000 donation will be used by Philadelphia Academies, Inc., to fund the West Philly Hybrid X Team’s travel to Detroit—the location of this year’s global competition—as well as purchase materials and supplies necessary to support their building efforts. SCA will also supply Tork brand wiper products that will help the team for various needs—from cleaning general and high tech parts, wiping up spills, maintenance requirements, and cleaning and polishing needs.

“We are grateful for SCA’s generosity and product donations,” said Ann Cohen, West Philly Hybrid X Team Manager. “We’re confident these resources will bolster the team’s presence and efforts at this year’s Progressive Insurance Automotive X competition and help us produce a winning product.”

With its donation, SCA joins 39 other public and private entities sponsoring the student team. Those interested in viewing the progress of the West Philly Hybrid X Team can visit www.EVXTeam.org.

Earlier this month, Procter & Gamble Professional® released the findings of its “Cleaning in a Down Economy” survey, which revealed that 85% of surveyed cleaning professionals have adopted a “doing more with less” approach in response to current economic conditions. P&G Professional launched the survey to gauge how decision makers managing in-house or contract cleaning services in the health care, education, retail, commercial, foodservice, and hospitality industries have reacted, and adapted, to recent business conditions.

The findings point out that cleaning service managers have often had to tackle the same amount of labor with fewer employees, placing increased demands on staff productivity and cleaning efficiency. Many managers have been forced to streamline operations, with 76% reporting being under pressure from upper management to keep operating costs down over the last six months.

To address these demands, nearly nine in 10 respondents reported making cut backs, including staff reductions. While these cut backs have not been easy, 97% of the decision makers surveyed feel they have been able to effectively keep expenditures down. And more than nine in 10 respondents using this “doing more with less” approach indicated they are likely to do so even after the economy improves.

“Managers in charge of cleaning services were faced with belt tightening activities at the same time as the H1N1 outbreak,” said Matt Koloseike, customer development manager, P&G Professional. “To meet this challenge and ensure the effectiveness of their cleaning program, decision makers maximized efficiencies across the entire breadth of their operations, including getting more out of their staff and the products they purchased. We found the past year has opened a lot of cleaning professionals’ eyes to the efficiency benefits of simplified cleaning routines and effective, multipurpose products—both of which are core components of the cleaning solutions, and philosophy, that P&G Professional brings to its customers.”

When it comes to increasing efficiency and delivering cost savings, the importance of product selection was particularly noted, with 22% of respondents highlighting “products that get the job done right the first time” as most helpful when it comes to performing their cleaning services. The survey also found that in spite of constrained resources, cleaning professionals primarily judge the value of a product based on its quality and effectiveness (56%) and versatility of use (36%) rather than its price point (5%).

Survey Highlights

• Nine out of 10 cleaning product decision makers would rather find ways to perform their services more efficiently than raise prices for their customers or clients.
• Over two in five (41%) respondents feel being as efficient as possible with current resources is what is most vital to their business right now. In fact, 35% think keeping customers happy is more critical than other fiscal matters like growing the business (10%), keeping all staff members employed (6%) or making a profit (3%).
• More than six in ten (61%) of those willing to spend more on a product would do so if it enabled employees to work faster by getting the job done the first time. Additionally, 43% would spend more if the purchased product could replace multiple cleaning products they currently use.
• Eighty-one percent of respondents do not think having more cleaning products in their arsenal will lead to getting the job done right.
• The biggest hurdle for cleaning providers who are not performing at their best is having to train staff on how to properly clean (68%). With a high staff turnover during tough economic times, this is likely to get even more difficult.

From New York to Amsterdam to Moscow and Singapore, flies are invading unlikely places: public urinals. Don’t worry, bug lovers, these are not real flies. Instead, decals and paintings are being incorporated into the porcelain bowls in an effort to reduce the mess associated with public restrooms for men.

UrinalFly.com is in the business of “making the world cleaner one bathroom at a time.” This simple product works with a man’s basic instincts to produce a cleaner bathroom and perhaps induce some laughs along the way. According to the company’s Web site, if you “give them something to aim for, you will be amazed by the results.”

In his segment, “There’s A Fly In My Urinal,” Robert Krulwich of NPR explains:

The presence of a fly in a urinal literally changes human behavior—or at least the behavior of human males.

‘Apparently,’ May Berenbaum, head of the department of entomology at the University of Illinois says, in males, ‘there is a deep-seated instinct to aim at targets,’ and having a fly to aim at reduces what she politely calls ‘human spillage.’

When flies were introduced at Schiphol Airport, spillage rates dropped 80%, says manager Aad Keiboom. A change like that, of course, translates into major savings in maintenance costs.

Keiboom in Amsterdam says the original fly idea was proposed almost 20 years ago by Dutch maintenance man Jos Van Bedoff, who had served in the Dutch army in the 1960s. As a soldier he noticed that someone had put small, discrete red dots in the barracks urinals, which dramatically cut back on ‘misdirected flow.’

Two decades later, he proposed to the airport board of directors that the dots be turned into etched flies. According to Keiboom, Van Bedoff decided that guys want to directly aim at an animal they can immobilize. The ability to use one’s natural gifts and achieve victory over the foe while standing is the key, he explained. Guys, he felt, can always beat flies. That’s why flies are so satisfying.

So the next time you gentlemen see a fly in the urinal, don’t forget to take aim…

The odor in a room is enough to elicit a stronger impulse towards fairness, researchers from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University have claimed. They believe their research proves there is a correlation between hygiene and decency, and that by improving our environment we can improve our behavior. The research found an increase in ethical behavior when the scent of a fruit scented cleaner fills a room.

Professor Adam Galinsky, the psychologist who conducted the study, said it shows “morality and cleanliness” are inextricably linked. “Researchers have known for years that scents play an active role in reviving positive or negative experiences. Now, our research can offer more insight into the links between people’s charitable actions and their surroundings.”

Katie Liljenquist, assistant professor of organizational leadership at Brigham Young University Marriott School of Management said: “This is a very simple, unobtrusive way to promote ethical behavior. The data tells us a compelling story about how much we rely upon cleanliness cues to make a wide range of judgments about others.”

The study, titled “The Smell of Virtue,” made subjects carry out several tasks, with some asked to work in unscented rooms, while others worked in rooms freshly sprayed with lemon scented cleaner.

The first experiment evaluated fairness. Participants were given $12 and were asked to decide how much of it to keep and how much to return to their partners who had trusted them to divide it fairly. Subjects in clean scented rooms were less likely to exploit the trust of their partners, returning a significantly higher share of the cash. The average amount of cash given back by the people in the “normal” room was $2.81. But the people in the clean scented room gave back an average of $5.33.

The second experiment evaluated whether clean scents would encourage charitable behavior. Subjects indicated their interest in volunteering and their interest in donating funds to a charitable cause. Participants surveyed in the clean smelling room were significantly more interested in volunteering (4.2 on a 7-point scale) than those in a normal room (3.3). Meanwhile, 22% of participants in the clean smelling room said they’d like to donate money, compared to only 6% of those in a normal room.

Follow up questions revealed that participants did not notice the aroma in the room and that their mood at the time of the experiment did not affect the outcomes.

Liljenquist was the lead author on the piece, which will appear in a forthcoming issue of Psychological Science. Co-authors were Chen-Bo Zhong of the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and Adam Galinsky of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. The researchers see implications for workplaces, retail stores, and other organizations that have relied on traditional surveillance and security measures to enforce rules.

The Small Business Index deployed by Mr. Clean Professional™, a provider of small business cleaning solutions, and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) finds that more than one quarter (29%) of small businesses have scaled back on workplace cleaning. The Index was conducted to identify how the economy has affected small business cleaning standards and revealed critical resource shortages faced by owners today.

Despite that roughly one of every three owners (31%) recognized “cleanliness and appearance” as having the greatest impact on customer first impressions, a significant number have curtailed their cleaning processes. Eliminating professional cleaning services and buying cheaper or generic products are the most common ways owners have cut back, while others now clean less often or buy fewer products. Of those who have altered their cleaning practices, almost half (44%) report negative repercussions, such as rising customer and employee complaints and longer cleaning time when using cheaper products.

“Now more than ever, we recognize owners’ needs for solutions that work at the speed of small businesses today and for information that equips them with cleaning best practices,” said Pete Self, research and development manager, P&G Professional.

Six out of 10 small business owners (60%) said time is the biggest barrier to keeping their workplace, whether retail or professional, as clean as possible; meanwhile, less than one sixth (14%) believes staffing is the major hurdle to cleanliness. As a result, the vast majority of small businesses surveyed believe “effectiveness” is by far the most important factor when selecting cleaning products.

Additionally, when asked what cleaning resources would be most beneficial, approximately half of small business owners (49%) cited they need free resources and advice from trusted sources that help them get the cleaning job done.

“Our membership research confirms that owners continue to face tough conditions, including plans to reduce employment over the next several months,” said Mark Garzone, senior vice president, marketing, NFIB. “Solutions that save time in performing the critical task of cleaning as well as resources that offer cleaning guidance are more critical than ever in equipping owners for success.”

The P&G Professional/National Federation of Independent Business Small Business Index is based on a national survey of more than 1,100 small business owners registered with NFIB. Small business owners representing a wide spectrum of industries and functional areas participated in the online survey, conducted by Kelton Research, between October 16 and 26, 2009. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation.

Bemis Manufacturing Co. has combined proprietary hinge and fastening systems to make thorough cleaning of toilets easier, while speeding installations and eliminating loose seats. Designed specifically to meet the needs of housekeepers in hospitality and healthcare industries, the new Bemis Just-Lift® hinge enables the seat to be pulled straight up from the open position. The lifted seat creates a 1.5″ gap between the seat and bowl that enables easier and more thorough cleaning than traditional hinges allow. After cleaning, the seat is pushed down, making the hinge flush with the bowl once more.

The Just-Lift hinge system has been teamed up with Bemis’ new Sta-Tite® Commercial Fastening System™ to ease cleaning and installation.

The robust hinge system of Just-Lift features electropolished stainless steel lift posts integrated with overmolded stainless steel mounting bolts for smooth up and down movement of the seat.

The Just-Lift hinge system has been teamed up with Bemis’ new Sta-Tite® Commercial Fastening System™, which delivers faster installation speeds while eliminating the need for labor-intensive retightening of loose seats. Using a single-piece fastener that includes a glass filled nylon nut and integrated washer, the Sta-Tite fastening system installs up to 33% faster than conventional fasteners and allows installers to quickly achieve the exact amount of torque needed to keep seats securely fastened longer than conventional systems.

After mounting the seat on the bowl and finger tightening the Sta-Tite nuts, installers use a 5/8″ wrench to tighten the lower section of the nut. When the exact proper torque is achieved, the lower section of the nut automatically shears away, eliminating guesswork about under- or over-tightening.

The odor in a room is enough to elicit a stronger impulse towards fairness, claim researchers from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. They believe their research proves there is a correlation between hygiene and decency and that by improving our environment we can improve our behavior. The research found an increase in ethical behavior when the scent of a fruit scented cleaner fills a room.

Professor Adam Galinsky, the psychologist who conducted the study, said it shows “morality and cleanliness” are inextricably linked. “Researchers have known for years that scents play an active role in reviving positive or negative experiences. Now, our research can offer more insight into the links between people’s charitable actions and their surroundings.”

Katie Liljenquist, assistant professor of organizational leadership at Brigham Young University Marriott School of Management said: “This is a very simple, unobtrusive way to promote ethical behavior. The data tells us a compelling story about how much we rely upon cleanliness cues to make a wide range of judgments about others.”

The researchers see implications for workplaces, retail stores, and other organizations that have relied on traditional surveillance and security measures to enforce rules.

“Companies often employ heavy handed interventions to regulate conduct, but they can be costly or oppressive,” said Liljenquist. “This is a very simple, unobtrusive way to promote ethical behavior.”

Cleaning The Way To Virtuous Occupants

The study, titled “The Smell of Virtue,” made subjects carry out several tasks, with some asked to work in unscented rooms, while others worked in rooms freshly sprayed with lemon scented cleaner.

The first experiment evaluated fairness. Participants were given $12 and were asked to decide how much of it to keep and how much to return to their partners who had trusted them to divide it fairly. Subjects in clean scented rooms were less likely to exploit the trust of their partners, returning a significantly higher share of the cash.

The average amount of cash given back by the people in the “normal” room was $2.81. But the people in the clean scented room gave back an average of $5.33.

The second experiment evaluated whether clean scents would encourage charitable behavior. Subjects indicated their interest in volunteering and their interest in donating funds to a charitable cause.
Participants surveyed in the clean-smelling room were significantly more interested in volunteering (4.2 on a 7 point scale) than those in a normal room (3.3).  Meanwhile, 22% of participants in the clean-smelling room said they’d like to donate money, compared to only 6% of those in a normal room.

Follow up questions revealed that participants did not notice the aroma in the room and that their mood at the time of the experiment did not affect the outcomes.

Commenting on the study’s findings, Steve Wright, Chairman of the British Cleaning Council, said: “We all know that cleanliness is key to encouraging a sense of pride in local areas, but this is the first time a link has been proved between people’s behavior and their surroundings. I hope this encourages more people to get involved with efforts to make to make their area cleaner and greener, and the cleaning industry welcomes the opportunity to work with local councils and government as we strive to create a cleaner environment.”

In a recent online industry poll it conducted, Kimberly-Clark Professional reports that 100% of respondents said they were focused on saving money in 2009. Seventy-two percent of respondents expect to cut operating supplies in 2009 in an overall effort to reduce costs. 41% reported being worried about losing their jobs if they could not find ways to save their companies money, and 94% were more willing to work with a company that brings forth cost savings measures.

Kimberly-Clark Professional, a provider of personal care and cleaning products, has responded to these concerns by introducing a free program, with online tools to help facility managers reduce costs by selecting personal care and cleaning products that perform better and last longer. The program also provides guaranteed savings if users switch to select products for 60 days.

The “Cost Savings Tune Up” program is available as a free brochure, free CD, or online at www.kcprofessional.com/us/tuneup. It features a set of simple scenarios to help users determine which products are right for their facilities. It also offers a “toolbox” of interactive tips, tools, and savings recommendations, including:

• Diagnostics and Recommendations: By answering questions about current product usage and needs, the Cost Savings Tune Up program helps facility managers replace old technologies with newer, more efficient cost savings tools. This feature is designed to help users avoid unnecessary fees and hidden charges and help them determine if they are using the right product for the task. For instance, using a heavy duty wiper for a light-duty task may needlessly add to costs, while using a light duty wiper for a tough task may result in excessive use, which also increases expenditures.
• Additional Interactive Tools: The Cost Savings Tune Up program offers other interactive tools to help users fine-tune their product selections and reduce costs, such as an online calculator that helps customers select the most cost-efficient wiper for the task. The tools also include a Green Meter for washroom products. This interactive, comparative tool calculates potential savings and the reduced environmental impact of specific products on fiber consumption, energy, water consumption, and solid waste generation.
• Cost Saving Tips: The program offers money saving tips and information from a recent industry poll on the economy.
• Guaranteed Savings: Kimberly-Clark Professional is guaranteeing between 5% to 20% in cost savings if facility managers replace rags, shop towels, or existing wiping products with qualifying WypAll wipers for 60 days. Guaranteed savings are also being offered if customers switch for 60 days to select roll towel, coreless bath tissue, and foam soap offerings.
• Free Site Needs Analysis: A site needs analysis is also being offered free to all customers. These personalized evaluations can identify ways to control costs and increase overall performance.  A site needs analysis can also help increase efficiencies and reduce waste.
• Giveaways: In conjunction with certain purchases, Kimberly-Clark Professional is also offering customers Free Jumbo Roll WypAll Wipers dispensers.

Tonight, inventor Nelson Grist will put his flagship consumer product, What Odor?®, to the test on the Discovery Channel’s weekly TV series, Pitchmen. The series, which debuted on April 15, 2009, follows TV personalities Billy Mays and Anthony Sullivan as they travel around the world in search of inventors and products they believe will be successful.

Grist, a graduate of Plattsburgh State University, has spent 20 years building his reputation as a national product management professional, working with such companies as H.J. Heinz, Petsmart, Petco, and Iams. He launched his own product, What Odor?®, in 2008.

Grist’s creation is multipurpose odor eliminator, which he guarantees to eliminate any and all odors, a claim Mays and Sullivan will challenge on the Pitchmen episode tonight. Would this product be up to the test in your facility?

The TANCS® steam vapor systems from Advanced Vapor Technologies offer a water-only cleaning and disinfection process with scientifically documented results. The commercial systems (industrial systems also available) can  be used to clean hospitals, elder care facilities, food service locations, hospitality facility, and schools and universities.

TANCS systems use low moisture, high temperature steam vapor.

The TANCS systems, designed to be compact, quiet, and portable, work by applying low moisture, high temperature steam vapor at low pressure and low volumes to remove soil, spots, stains, and bacteria from virtually any washable surface. Heat, not pressure, does the deep cleaning and disinfecting. Contained, sustained heat breaks the bond between soils and a surface. This results in a mess-free low-water process that’s easily controlled. Rather than spreading contaminated dirt around to adjacent surfaces, soil is removed at the point of contact.

With fewer chemical cleaners to purchase and manage, steam vapor helps to make maintenance efforts safer, faster, easier, and more thorough. TANCS steam vapor kills bacteria and germs and emulsifies soil, grease, and oil. It also removes deeply embedded contaminants and prevents their re-accumulation.

The germ-killing TANCS steam vapor eliminates the risk of cross-contamination associated with traditional cleaning methods. And, because steam vapor completely removes dirt and grime and leaves no chemical residue to attract soil, surfaces are better able to perform as designed.

High temperatures are confined to the tool/surface interface, providing a safe and simple operation. The insulated tools enable operators to safely use very high heat to sanitize, disinfect and clean, all in one step

In a study featured in the February 2009 issue of the peer-reviewed American Journal of Infection Control, the TANCS system was shown to destroy within five seconds a diverse assortment of pathogenic organisms, including vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis (VRE), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and C.  Diff. (The study, “Reduction in Infection Risk Through Treatment of Microbially Contaminated Surfaces With a Novel, Portable, Saturated Steam Vapor Disinfection System,” was conducted by Dr. Benjamin Tanner, president and scientific director of Antimicrobial Test Laboratories.)