Reducing environmental impact with low-moisture cleaning

CLEANING PLAYS a crucial role in optimising business facilities for sustainable efficiency. Compared to other maintenance tasks, cleaning occurs most frequently. It's fundamental to maintaining a clean, organised and productive working environment. Maintaining cleanliness in a workplace is essential for health and safety and achieving regulatory compliance. There’salso a social impact, pristine, well-maintained environments can boost employee morale, which contributes to increased professionalism, productivity and overall satisfaction. 

Why is sustainable cleaning important?

Sustainability in cleaning is driven by factors such as consumer demand, regulatory requirements, and the pursuit of a competitive advantage, with concern for preserving the environment being the most critical. Businesses prioritising sustainability not only enhance their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) profile but also avoid penalties and negative perceptions from customers and partners. 

How do cleaning chemicals impact the environment?

Cleaning chemicals can significantly impact the environment by polluting water sources, harming ecosystems, and contributing to air pollution. Approximately 80% of phosphate pollution in UK waterways comes from urban wastewater, including cleaning products which poses a serious threat to aquatic life. Additionally, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released by cleaning chemicals contribute to air pollution, with indoor levels being up to five times higher than outdoor levels. 

Traditional cleaning methods often utilise harsh chemicals such as ammonia, chlorine, phthalates, and formaldehyde, which can cause respiratory issues, environmental harm, and other health concerns. Alternative cleaning methods without the use of harsh cleaning chemicals can be easily achieved. The demand for sustainable solutions has led to multiple innovations in the cleaning sector in terms of machines and chemicals.  But there are also natural cleaning agents such as white vinegar, lemon juice and baking soda which canprovide excellent results. Specifically, when cleaning floors, water combined with equal-partswhite vinegar is excellent for disinfecting hard floors. Gently scrubbing with a blend of baking soda and water is excellent for removing tougher stains and grime & particularly useful on tiled & other textured surfaces.

Water consumption and carbon emissions

Water usage in cleaning also has significant environmental impact. Heating water for cleaning purposes consumes energy which would come from fossil fuels and then contributes to carbon dioxide emissions. The water we use in our taps involves multiple energy intensive steps. Extracting, treating, and distributing before the water is safe for using and consuming. All these steps require exceptional amounts of energy. The water industry is among the mostenergy intensive sectors in the UK, accounting for almost 1% of the average daily electricity consumption of England and Wales. To reduce the amount of water used when cleaning it’simportant to invest in the right cleaning machines. 

Sustainable floorcare with low-moisture cleaning machines

The Managing Director of Victor Floorcare, Edward Blackledge commented on the value of sustainable cleaning practices, “Reducing water consumption and eliminating harmful chemicals from cleaning routines can make significant strides toward a more environmentally friendly operation. There is a common misconception that dirt and bacteria cannot be effectively removed without harsh cleaning chemicals. While this may be true in some instances, innovative solutions, such as oscillating machines, demonstrate that exceptional cleaning results can be achieved without compromising on sustainability.

The Ocelot range by Victor Floorcare exemplifies this innovative approach to sustainable cleaning. The Oscillating machines are designed for low-moisture cleaning, for applications requiring an intense deep-clean without excessive water and chemicals.

Since 1946, Victor Floorcare has been helping customers with their floorcare needs. The Victor name is synonymous with high-performance, reliable, and easy-to-use commercial cleaning machines. Products include oscillating floor cleaners, rotary machines, battery machines, and scrubber dryers. Operating across multiple sectors including education, healthcare, hospitality, local authorities, manufacturing, retail, facilities management, and construction, Victor Floorcare products are manufactured in the UK with locally sourced parts and suppliers. Guided by its heritage, Victor Floorcare is committed to delivering engineering excellence by investing in cutting-edge technologies and embracing eco-friendly practices.

Chris Dew is marketing manager at Victor Floorcare.

For more information, visit victorfloorcare.com 

Tel: 0121 706 5771