The Sears Tower, Navy Pier, the Cubbies, da Bears and da Bulls, deep-dish pizza — Chicago is known for a lot of different icons. When distributors, suppliers and end users flock to the city this October for the annual International Sanitary Supply Association Convention and Trade Show, they will have a lot to see and do.

Something else they might be interested in is how to keep it all clean. Contracting Profits toured one such landmark — the John G. Shedd Aquarium — to get the scoop on how its building service contractor keeps a clean facility without harming the aquarium’s collections. The aquarium is home to more than 8,000 aquatic animals, so BSCs can’t use a single chemical to clean the exhibit areas.

A chemical-free zone
When cleaning any building, BSCs have to make sure that the chemicals they use to clean are not harmful to the occupants. But what happens when the residents live in water and cleaning chemicals can pollute their habitat and home? That is the challenge that KIMCO employees had to face when they took up the account two-and-a-half years ago. Most of the aquarium is cleaned using only water and occasionally vinegar or shampoo. Areas such as the restaurants and bathrooms can be cleaned using chemicals, but the products first have to be approved by the biological department, according to very stringent policies.

To clean the outside of the tanks, janitors apply warm water with a cloth diaper and then wipe it off with a squeegee. Cleaning with anything other than water would leave spots on the acrylic glass. But this is no simple window-washing job — the new shark tank alone measures 11.5 feet tall by 38 feet wide.

Absolutely no aerosols may be used in the cleaning process near the collections. That means roughly 99 percent of the Shedd is off-limits to aerosols, according to KIMCO Corp. project manager Eddie Cuevas.

Since the tanks have open tops, KIMCO wants to make sure no dust or debris falls into the water. Instead of sweeping the floors, which raises the dust into the air just to fall back down again, the cleaning cleans them with a backpack vacuum.

A place of pride
The Shedd Aquarium was an account that KIMCO wanted for quite some time and the sales representatives were elated when they got it, says Amy Polakow, director of public relations for KIMCO Corp., Norridge, Ill.

“The salespeople personally loved the building,” she adds. “And it just feels great to clean a Chicago landmark, especially one so beautiful.”

Cleaning the famous tourist site takes a great deal of responsibility and trust. KIMCO’s employees had to be extensively trained on what cleaning products they could and could not use.

Terry Brown, KIMCO’s regional vice president, points out the irony of the situation. While KIMCO’s general policy is to find the most efficient chemical to get the job done well, in this job they’re looking for the most effective way to get the job done without any chemicals.

Brown adds that cleaning without chemicals doesn’t necessarily make cleaning harder, just different. Using only water may slow down the cleaning process in some areas, but time and effort is managed by the other tasks. For example, vacuuming is faster than sweeping, so work time is balanced out.

Shedd employees worked with KIMCO, and over time the two developed a trust leading to more sensitive jobs — like the large rotunda in the atrium. Using scaffolding and existing catwalks, KIMCO was able to vacuum the glass windows. Workers could not walk on the fragile glass for fear of breaking it or possibly sending debris into the 90,000-gallon tank below. But once the process was over, visitors remarked about the difference and thought new lighting had been put in. They did not realize that it was just the sun shining through clean glass.

Shedd employees, or “aquarists,” still clean the inside of the tanks and other sensitive sites, such as the animal-food kitchen. But even though there are two separate cleaning staffs, Cuevas sees it as one combined environmental-services team.

Adaptability is a necessary trait when tackling an environment as diverse and unique as the Shedd. The company enjoys the challenges of meeting the requirements of the building, says Polakow. That’s a good thing, because there certainly are challenges.

Lights out
KIMCO cleans the aquarium in three shifts around the clock. In many office buildings, BSCs have to clean around employees; workers cleaning the Shedd have to clean around the collections. But unlike cleaning around office workers, the collections live at the aquarium permanently and need time to sleep.

When the aquarium shuts down at 8 p.m., and the lights are turned off, workers are not allowed to clean near the tanks to allow the animals time to sleep. Instead, they clean the public areas such as stairwells, hallways and restrooms. As soon as the sun comes out, workers move in. During these summer months, workers take advantage of the early sunrise.

The floor of a different texture
The floors of the Shedd Aquarium are constantly changing. As visitors move into a new area, the floors underneath them change texture.

The new Wild Reef exhibit showcasing marine life from the Philippines features at least four different flooring types. The most challenging floor type is a textured floor made to represent sandy beaches. KIMCO managers thought that the floor would only need sporadic cleaning during the week — they were way off the mark. The floor is quick to absorb stains, and needs daily cleaning. Workers use water with a scrubber that has a soft brush, but the edges have to be cleaned by hand. The approximately 500 square-feet area takes two workers a half hour to clean.

Right after the sandy beach, the floor changes into a terrazzo mosaic that workers have to be careful to dry immediately after mopping since it gets very slippery when wet. In front of the 400,000-gallon shark tank is carpeting. Workers spot-clean the carpet on hands and knees. The Shedd recently has switched to carpet squares instead of roll carpeting to allow for easier replacement. After the carpet is another “sandy beach.” This one is roughly four times larger than the other beach and takes three times as long to clean.

The rest of the Shedd features a similar surface mix, including cement, stone and wood flooring. On the wood floor and staircase in the Oceanarium, cleaners use a little vinegar along with the water. This is because the whale and dolphin trainers frequently walk across the area, leaving wet salt-water tracks behind. Without the vinegar, Cuevas and his staff wouldn’t be able to remove the salt stains.

Common cleaning
Behind the scenes, KIMCO’s work is more mundane. There are cubicles just like in any office building. Besides wiping down fish tanks, workers need to empty trash and dust workspaces.

The Shedd features a number of eating establishments. There is the Soundings restaurant that KIMCO cleans every night, as well as the Bubblenet cafeteria where KIMCO is responsible for cleaning the carpet and window sills, and an employee lunchroom that doubles as a private cafeteria for school groups. Despite the extra dirty messes that diners can leave, KIMCO doesn’t use chemicals there, either.

The aquarium has a separate landscaping crew that keeps the grounds in shape, but KIMCO polices the areas to make sure they are kept clean of trash. The sidewalks and driveways are divided into sections and a different area is pressure washed each day. Each section gets washed an average of twice a month.

The biggest problem cleaners face at the Shedd is actually a common one — gum removal. The aquarium receives approximately 8,000 visitors a day — roughly 1,000 of them gum chewers. Gum can be found practically in every nook and cranny. On the floor, on rocks, in the cracks in the stairs — gum is there. Cuevas’s staff uses paint scrapers to remove the sticky problem. To get it out of carpeting, the cleaners are able to use a chemical to help freeze the gum and then use a brush to remove it from the carpet fibers.

In the Oceanarium, the wooden steps have small spaces between the boards. Gum and other trash can slip through. To make sure no waste is left behind, cleaners use a long hook to spear the litter and gum.

Environmentally friendly
It’s obvious to see that KIMCO employees enjoy their work environment. The Shedd can be a fun place to clean because the scenery is constantly changing, Polakow notes. Cleaning glass takes on a whole new meaning when a shark or turtle swims by.

But, the livelihood of the creatures isn’t the only thing that makes the Shedd a place of pride. The aquarium recycles nearly everything. Aside from the usual aluminum, glass and paper, the Shedd also recycles batteries, computers, cardboard, ink cartridges and wooden palettes. They are working diligently to reduce their amount of waste.

Chances are, if garbage is not recycled, it’s probably suitable for compost. Fruit skins, flowers, leftover baked goods, vegetable scraps from the restaurants, landscape clippings and practically everything else, except meat scraps and bones, is set aside for compost. The aquarium is looking into composting food that aquarists find unacceptable to feed to the mammals. Instead of throwing out the 300-500 pounds a week of unacceptable servings, they could make a great contribution for the compost.

By the end of our tour, the third- shift workers were finishing up the final tasks. Soon, the museum would be open to the public and along with the new visitors would come new messes. However, since KIMCO cleans on a daily basis and around the clock, dirty areas don’t get out of hand.

Janitors here know the importance of their work. They are not just cleaning the Shedd Aquarium, they also are cleaning a part of the city itself.




POSTED ON: 8/1/2003