Janitorial Cart Configurations Depend On Industry

Perhaps no industry is as closely associated with the cleaning cart than hospitality. With room turnover taking place on a near daily-basis, the carts are ever-present in the hallways lining hotels, resorts and other lodging. And that means the cart carries extra weight — literally.

For instance, a basic housekeeping cart may not have enough “real estate” for a hotel cleaner who needs the extra space for toiletries, linens and cleaning supplies. The carts could also include cloth hampers to separate dirty and clean towels and linens, and storage bins so guest amenities, such as shampoos and soaps, don’t scatter to the floor, distributors say.

“I’ve seen [janitors] using a modified cart and they stack boxes,” says Florea. “At any second it’s going to fall,” making a hotel look unclean and potentially causing a tripping hazard.

A hospitality cart should also include a vacuum stand so a cleaner doesn’t have to drag the equipment along with the cleaning cart to each room.

“The more time that’s spent going up and down the elevator or walking through the facility to the supply closet is lost time,” says Schneringer.

In large commercial facilities, janitor cart configurations should include similar modules and shelving to expand storage space as those found in the hospitality industry, and then some.

Distributors say the copious amount of consumables needed in commercial facilities — especially in high-traffic buildings such as airports or schools — means carts need to be both durable enough to handle the mileage between corridors, and big enough to accommodate large amounts of consumable stock and waste.

BSCs in large, commercial spaces can save time by ensuring the carts are properly loaded with basic cleaning supplies, like glass cleaner, rags and trash bags, prior to each work shift, says Roussel, including compartments to hold brooms and other cleaning chemicals.

Florea says distributors may want to point their BSCs or commercial building clients to janitor carts outfitted with a “train” attachment that can hold cleaning materials or waste.

“Especially in an airport that configuration is critical,” he says. “The receptacles build up fast, so the little caboose is a big deal.”

For hospitals and other healthcare facilities, occupant safety remains a top priority. When completing cleaning tasks, janitor carts should have space for plenty of disinfectants, mops and a two-bucket system to mitigate cross-contamination and the spread of infection.

A cart should also contain biohazard bags and a lock box, says Florea.

“Without a doubt, the most important configuration is a locked component,” he says. “You have patients, and [visitors] who may have no business being there who seek opportunities that might be on the cart. People have stolen from carts.”