Mop up the savings

Brian Boll discusses how decreasing the amount of water used in cleaning processes can also result in substantial cost savings.

As modern cleaning techniques develop, it makes sense to use the opportunity to also reduce the vast amounts of water being used in hospitals, health centres and ancillary buildings.

Indeed, demand for water in the UK is predicted to rise by as much as 30 per cent by the year 2030 according to the Government and, coupled with the current public sector spending cutbacks, this means we should be thinking about efficiencies all round.

Water reduction is a key Government target, and an issue that we recognise in the healthcare cleaning industry when we are using large quantities of water in public buildings.

The sheer time that can be saved using new methods on a typical hospital ward encompassing five, six-bed bays, including communal areas, toilets and corridors, are staggering.

The amount of water needed for a ward of this size would currently be approximately 200 litres by one cleaner, which would involve the cleaner spending time emptying dirty water and replenishing with fresh water.

Using a new efficient Variwet Quick Mop system with one litre of cleaning fluid, only three litres of water is required.

The benefits speak for themselves

The net gain of applying this new approach in this typical example equates to a saving of 197 litres of water, and substantial cost savings over time.

There is also the time saved in cleaning the mops themselves, whereas the new system means it is disposed of and a new one fitted when required.

As well as the net saving, the time saved means staff can be engaged in other duties rather than continue filling and re-filling buckets of water and taking it to the area to be cleaned.

Some 80 per cent of the dirt in any building is in fact dust. By using most traditional 'wet'methods, the dust is moved around and a 'micro mud' is created.

New methodology means the dust is removed, the floor dries much quicker and the time taken to complete the task is vastly reduced. One Variwet Quick Mop can be used to cover 25 sq metres of floorspace, larger than the average six-bed bay.

Using this system, the cleaning materials are not affected by the effects of chlorine, a common issue for cleaning products.

Advantages for cleaners and the organisation

• The benefits of using less water mean there are direct advantages for cleaners and the organisation, with less time re-filling the cleaning water, less lifting or awkward posture in doing so.

• The floors also dry much quicker so it means there is a reduced risk of cleaners - and staff and visitors - slipping, tripping or falling as a result.

• There is also a reduction in use of the hospital laundry which is often used to clean the cleaning materials themselves.

• An additional benefit to cleaners is that with the vastly reduced amounts of water there is less exposure to cleaning fluids.

Overall, the advantages of employing new methods with the latest technology helps the organisation in question, the staff and visitors who use the building as well as the cleaners themselves.

Brian Boll is systems director at Jigsaw Cleaning Systems