With all of the pressing issues impacting cleaning procedures, it’s easy to overlook the smallest, but perhaps most important, resource in your cleaning arsenal — the hand tool. Brushes, cloths, dusters and scrapers, among others, are such a routine part of the cleaning operation that many people simply don’t give them a second thought. That is a mistake.

“Sometimes the smallest tool can make the biggest difference,” says Dave Maurer, vice president of sales and marketing, Geerpres, Inc., Muskegon, Mich. “It doesn’t take much to make a difference in a cleaning process and when you can increase the productivity of a worker, you have a cleaner, better facility.”

Hand tools do not make up a large part of Geerpres’ sales but the manufacturer makes dustpans, mop handles, and more because its customers need these essentials to use Geerpres’ other core products.

Managers care most about products that improve worker productivity and reduce the threat of worker compensation claims. “Most facilities are faced with a decrease in FTEs [full-time employees], but must maintain the same or better level of quality in cleanliness,” Maurer says. Workers opt for products that are lighter and easier to use. Thus, manufacturers must design products with both groups in mind.

“The users look at tools from a usage standpoint and managers look at how the tool can motivate their cleaners,” says Bruno Niklaus, vice president of global marketing for Unger Enterprises Inc.

Ergonomics, for example, are important to managers and workers. Ergonomically correct tools reduce injuries, reducing worker compensation claims, and are also more comfortable — even fun — to use.

More than a decade ago, ergonomics was a nascent but growing issue. Today, every product is designed with ergonomics in mind.

“Ergonomics [has] cooled at this point,” says Mike White, vice president of sales and marketing, distributor division, The Malish Corporation, in Willoughby, Ohio. “Those things are now expected. [Customers] expect that your product be comfortable to use and that it fit the application better.”

“Healthy people perform better,” says Josh Kerst, CPE, CIE, vice president of Humantech, an ergonomics consulting firm. He says tools that are hard on workers health also will have a negative impact an organization’s overall productivity rate.

Although fairly simple in design and straightforward to use, hand tools can cause serious injury. Common traumas include cuts to the hands, back strains, carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow and rotator cuff injuries, among others.

“People at all levels, from insurance companies to housekeeping, are looking at ergonomics,” Maurer says. His company strives to improve the ergonomics of its products. For example, a Geerpres wringer allows wringing of a wet mop without bending.

What type of design should you look for when purchasing hand tools? Kerst says ergonomically correct products are those that fit the body naturally. Look for comfortable and semi-compressible grips, handles that fit the hand, products that are light in weight, curved handles that allow the wrist to stay in a straight line, and bottom drains that eliminate lifting.

“I think it’s up to customers to ask for more. These things are not going to come without customer demand,” says Kerst.

The new buzzwords
Microfibers and color coding are the newest darlings of the cleaning world.

“Microfibers have made the biggest change in our industry,” says Maurer. “They came to the U.S. more than three years ago, but just in the past year have become a staple in housekeeping. People have noticed that there is an advantage to using microfibers over traditional mops. They still have their limitations, but definitely make a difference in routine cleaning in any facility.”

Slip-and-fall accidents can be reduced by using microfibers, Maurer says. Microfiber mops do not apply as much water to the floor, enabling a much quicker dry time.

Some specifiers haven’t embraced microfiber technology and Niklaus suspects this is because of the higher price tag associated with the technology.

“But if someone were to do a return-on-investment analysis, he might invest in microfiber because it’s longer lasting than cotton,” Niklaus says.

The primary catalyst for microfiber and color-coding technology is the fear of cross contamination in certain types of cleaning environments — especially health-care facilities and restaurants. It’s easy to spread germs from a restroom into a kitchen if you use the same cleaning tools. Microfiber mops are easily changeable when cleaning from room to room and color-coding keeps tools from being used in inappropriate areas.

For example, a grocery store might have three sets of the same basic cleaning tool — red for the meat department, yellow for the deli and green for the produce area. The system is also helpful for people who speak English as a second language.

“Color-coding is a very hot topic and it finally has found its place in this industry,” White says.

Material world
To make products lighter and easier to use, manufacturers have had to turn to new materials.

Ten years ago, wood was a common feature of a variety of tools. Nearly every block and handle was made of a hardwood — first maple then beech, birch or sycamore. That’s simply no longer the case due to a shortage of quality wood and the new preference for lighter-weight tools. In fact, White estimates that as much as 40 percent of today’s mop handles are steel or aluminum.

“Wood is going away more and more rapidly,” says White. “People are going to steel and aluminum handles or lower-cost fiberglass handles.”

Not everyone has adjusted well to the change. Some cleaning “purists” believe nothing is as solid or as durable as wood. Like it or not, White says, everyone will eventually have to make the change to plastic or metal.

“Plastic is lighter, less expensive, and easier to work with from a manufacturer standpoint,” says White. “The woods that are left out there crack easily. It’s not as easy to make a handle that people want. You can get cheaper woods but the quality is not there.”

Plastic also lends itself more easily to stylized, contoured designs. The material also is ideal for use in manufacturing color-coded tools.

Most cleaning chemicals — in fact, nearly every one that is found in high use in everyday cleaning operations — react well to plastic. But metal handles must be coated to avoid rusting from chemical interaction.

Where to buy
With all of the changes in hand tool design, it’s wise to seek the help of a distributor. Distributors can offer insights into which products work best for various applications; they know about the newest technologies and they can offer training.

Becky Mollenkamp is a free-lance writer based in Des Moines, Iowa.




POSTED ON: 11/1/2003