A High Performance Restroom Cleaning System

Provo School District in Provo, Utah spans 19 schools and two million square feet. Until recently, the management of the maintenance program for each of the schools fell to the individual head custodians, including decisions on purchasing and process. Lacking a district-wide standard, this modus operandi left haphazard results, with cleaning priorities driven by complaints rather than consistency.

Led by director of facilities Joe Gledhill, the district recently began the process of standardizing the cleaning system at Provo Schools. It took a year to organize financing and prepare the pilot program. And it took the transferring of head custodian Jeff Hawkins to Dixon Middle School to execute the new plan.

Hawkins replaced a departing custodian, and was transferred based on his interest in the comprehensive, high-performance cleaning management system of (OS1), and his willingness to risk the “unknown” for the prospect of a better future for custodians in the district. When (OS1) performed a baseline audit on the building, the initial score for Dixon was 8 out of 100 points for overall cleaning performance and quality.

“The school was using Kentucky string mops,” said Hawkins. “The single chamber mop buckets were brown or black in color because they were never rinsed out. Chemicals were mixed in improper ratios, or worse, mixed with other chemicals that should never be mixed together.  It wasn’t safe. We weren’t really disinfecting. It was an appearance-based cleaning system with little or no training for the custodians.”

In (OS1), a restroom specialist is trained on best practices for bathroom cleaning, and the Unger restroom cleaning system is integral to the method. Unger restroom tools are ergonomically-designed and color-coded in red to help workers clean more effectively, eliminate cross contamination and reduce injuries.

The Unger system includes a microfiber mop, dual compartment bucket, ergonomic toilet brush and microfiber cloths. Each tool works in tandem to improve sanitation and cleaning practices while limiting water and chemical use.

“I know for a fact that we’re now removing dirt,” noted Hawkins. “I was a little skeptical with the flat microfiber mop heads, but after training properly on how to use the tools and chemicals, it’s amazing how much dirt we’re removing. The microfiber can be washed nightly. And the red color coding prevents cross contamination.”

Gledhill, Hawkins and even the maintenance team are now seeing improvements in worker fatigue and injuries as well. The ergonomic restroom equipment prevents bending whenever possible, so instead of hunching over, the tools allow the worker to clean more efficiently and move more naturally.

The Provo School District is in process of transitioning two to three additional schools this fall to (OS1) as well. A new (OS1) audit will happen soon at Dixon, and the results are expected to be off the charts.