What are the issues driving hand-tool development?

“I can’t think of a product that hasn’t changed in the last 50 years, although some categories rotate faster than others,” says Bruno Niklaus, vice president of global marketing for Unger Enterprises Inc., Bridgeport, Conn.

In the case of hand tools, the driving force for change has always been to make cleaning easier. Handles that quick-connect to multiple tools reduce the number of items a janitor must cart around, materials — especially plastic — allow designers to fashion specific tools for unique jobs. These materials have changed the design of mops, brooms and brushes, for example.

Similarly, over the years, hand tools have had to be adapted to better accommodate the cleaning products they attach to or the chemicals they dispense.

“In recent years, there’s been much more variability in fibers and materials, which allows different tools to be designed and developed for more specific tasks,” says Reneau Van Landingham, industrial design manager for Rubbermaid, Winchester, Va.

“A variety of materials allows for a wider range of applications. You’re not going to use the same broom for sweeping a tile floor as you would a parking lot.”

Worker safety and health
Tools also have changed to reduce wear and tear on the operator. Ergonomics has been driven by an increased emphasis on worker safety and health. Businesses now want employees to use tools, particularly stick goods, which reduce stress on the body and, in turn, reduce employee time loss due to job-related disabilities.

Today, designers consider ergonomics when they revamp any tool: designing more comfortable grips, reducing the weight of the item, and making tools adjustable to different body types.

An example of how ergonomics has had a positive impact on the evolution of hand tools is the scrub brush. It is among the simplest of all tools and has been around for generations.

No longer available in just a single, simple form, the once-straightforward item now comes in shapes and sizes for any task imaginable. It is also less demanding on the body, thanks to angled handles and soft grips. Newer swivel-head scrub brushes allow users to work on areas, such as baseboards or under urinals, where they would otherwise have had to get on hands and knees.

“It’s the same application but they’ve evolved to make it easier to use,” says Terry Kukla, director of sales distributor products for Malish Corp., Willoughby, Ohio.

Health considerations
“When we design tools, we consider ergonomics, performance and the environment,” Niklaus says. “If you can produce a hand tool that uses less chemicals, is produced with less environmentally damaging products, and doesn’t harm the human body, you have an environmentally friendly product.”

Eliminating cross-contamination, or the spread of germs from one area to another, has been a priority for more than a decade, particularly in the health-care and food-service markets.

“One evolution is color-coded tools,” says Kukla. “We have added to the hand maintenance tool line giving them different colors using plastic and different fibers. It’s developed to be more sanitary and sensitive to germ issues.”

A more recent development is microfiber. This new material is more efficient at cleaning than its traditional counterparts. It is less damaging to the environment because it uses few or no chemicals. And because it can be laundered hundreds of times, different microfiber cleaning cloths can be used for each area to be cleaned, reducing the risk of cross-contamination.

“What’s interesting about microfiber is the return to water,” Van Landingham says. “The beauty of microfiber is it cleans mechanically. Small fibers lift and pick up bacteria instead of pushing it around and using chemicals to kill it on the surface.”

The chemical connection
Each new development in cleaning chemicals affects hand-tool design.

“Brushes are basically the agitators of chemicals,” Kukla says. “As chemicals evolved, brushes had to give the proper scrub to the chemical. They evolved along with the chemical world.”

Similarly, today’s hand tools must withstand certain chemicals’ corrosive properties.

Same old, same old
As the old saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Despite amazing advancements in composition and design, hand tools still are expected to perform in a fashion that is ageless. They may be shapelier, sturdier and more colorful, but their core function has never really changed.

“I think there are stick-goods products that claim to be ergonomic but the handles are so complex in their shape and details that it almost is too much and it’s too complicated for the end-user to use,” Van Landingham says.

Even with new styles and features on the market, housekeepers, in some cases, rely on traditional tools.

“We’ve been doing this for 60 years and the basic cotton mop is still our biggest seller,” says Jay Ritter, vice president of Carolina Mop Manufacturing Co., Anderson, S.C.

While homeowners are quick to buy the latest fads, professional cleaners are more resistant to change — they’ve seen trends come and go. Kukla is selling the same deck scrubs and push brooms he sold 24 years ago, for example.

“You still see the basics being used,” Kukla says.

A big barrier to hand-tool change is budget. “They are commodity products,” Ritter says. “People don’t want to switch. If it is 15 percent more, and there’s no added value, why switch?”

Designers hope to give users reasons to. New tools are more durable, make cleaning more pleasant, reduce workers’ compensation claims, improve efficiency, and more.

“The cleaning industry is very traditional in nature and that’s a hurdle,” Van Landingham says. “But if the design or innovative solution of the tool is so clear and obvious and compelling, then it is a no-brainer to at least try it.”

“When it comes to hand tools we have barely scratched the surface as far as innovation goes,” he continues. “We’ve made some attempts to make things more ergonomic and comfortable and efficient but there’s lots of room for improvement and further innovation. With all the new technologies and materials we have at our grasp, the future is bright for us as manufacturers and the end-users.”