Janitorial Equipment & Supplies - Information

NOTE:  This page is broken down into the following sections:  Chemicals; Supplies; Commercial Vacuums; Floor Machines; Carpet Cleaning Equipment; Pressure Washers; Sanitizing Equipment & Foggers.  We are also able to provide certain information on Flood & Restoration Cleaning as well as Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and, if you have any questions on issues pertaining to residential or commercial building maintenance, we suggest you contact us with your specific questions and we will gladly respond. Two sources for additional information on janitorial issues are found at:  www.issa.com.
     As with all other products and tools, the quality of the item is the most important consideration.  A better chemical dilutes at a much greater ratio than a cheaper chemical and performs better at that dilution; a good vacuum cleans better, faster, lasts longer & requires less maintenance than a cheap vacuum; a better burnisher produces a better gloss faster than an inferior burnisher, etc.  These above facts all relate back to final cost figures - i.e., it is the final cost of a tool - and, so, the task - that is important - not the initial price of the products involved.  It is a proven fact that better tools are simply more cost effective - they work better, faster and hold up longer.

Chemicals If you've ever tried to refinish and subsequently maintain a resilient floor with an inferior finish you know the value of a good chemical - i.e., in this case, a floor finish Use the best chemicals available for any particular job "Click" here to connect with a listing of our chemical products

• Commercial Vacuums
  • Upright vacuums
    • Single motor
    • Twin motor
      • Usually better cleaning power than a single-motor design
    • Plastic construction
      • OK with the proper plastics
    • Metal construction
      • Usually the most durable
    • Varying widths
      • 12 or 14 inch
      • 18 inch
      • 28 inch
      • 36 inch
    • Cloth bags either shake-out or with a dirt cup
      • A filthy, prehistoric dirt collection system still widely used
    • A standard paper bag system
      • A better system than shakeout but still average to poor filtration
    • Sealed systems using filtration up to HEPA
      • Clean & healthy exhaust air
    • Either rubber belts or cogged belts
      • Rubber belts need regular replacement as they stretch
      • Cogged belts necessitate a safety sensor system to protect the belt from breakage due to jamming the brush roll
  • Canister vacuums
    • Dry only
    • Wet/dry
    • Approximately 3 gal to 55 gal
    • Cleaning orifices usually 1.5 inch (up to 3 inch)
    • Single motor up to triple motor for increased power
    • Filtration from average up to ULPA
    • Motor hp ratings VCMA usually 1 hp to 2 hp
  • Backpack vacuums
    • Metal or plastic construction
    • Hip hugging or backpak type\
    • Cleaning orifices 1.25 inch to 1.5 inch
    • Quick & easy
    • Filtration from average to HEPA
• Floor machines
  • Slow speed
    • 11 inch to 22 inch
    • 175 rpm
    • Used mainly for scrubbing or bonnet cleaning
  • High speed
    • Usually about 300 rpm
    • Designed for buffing and occasional scrubbing
  • Dual speed
    • Usually 20 inch or 21 inch
    • Used for scrubbing and buffing
    • 175 rpm to about 300 rpm
  • Ultra High speed/burnishers
    • Electric
    • Propane
    • Usually 1000 rpm to about 2000 rpm
    • 20 inch and up
• Wet extraction carpet cleaning machines
  • Portable box units
    • The best ones usually have two electric vacuum motors with 3 fans in each motor
    • Some have built-in heaters
    • Exterior heaters available
    • Sizes usually range from 3 gallon to 20 gallon
    • Some units are metal construction (stainless steel on the better ones)
    • Older units are usually fiberglass construction
    • Most recent units are constructed using RMP (plastic)
    • Vacuum hose sizes usually 1.5 inch diameter and up to 25 ft. long
    • Some electric units can use up to 150 feet of hose
    • A wide range of accessories available
      • Regular wand
      • Drag wand
      • Upholstery tools
      • Car detailing tools
      • Stair tools
      • Crevice/edge tools
      • Motorized brush heads with spray jets
  • Self-contained units
    • Such machines are designed with a rotating brush to scrub the cleaning solution into the carpet, as well as a spraying system and vacuum recovery system
    • Can usually be used with an auxiliary hose & optional accessories such as a box machine normally uses
    • A self-contained unit is generally used by pulling it backwards
  • Truck mount units
    • Extraction unit remains in the truck
    • Powered either by a separate gasoline (usually) engine or by the truck engine
    • Develops very high vacuum and pump pressure
    • Uses large solution holding tanks and recovery tanks
    • Truck mount units generally range from about $4,000 for a unit only up to over $30,000 including the van
    • Maintenance costs on truck mounts are much higher than electric portables
    • Propane water heaters are sometimes used.  Make a mistake with a propane heater and you will fly out of your van like a rocket
    • More recent technology uses catalytic conversion to heat the water using exhaust gases, etc. from the gasoline motor
• Dry foam carpet extraction cleaning machines
  • The machine applies a dry/wet foam, scrubs it into the carpet & then extracts it back
  • Von Schrader makes the very best unit for this purpose
  • Dry times are very short
  • The machine is extremely fast enabling large areas to be cleaned with a minimum labor cost
• Dry carpet cleaning machines
  • The machine scrubs a dry cleaning compound into the carpet, usually with a set of counter rotating brushes.  The the compound is allowed to "sit" for a period of several hours and is then removed with a regular vacuum
  • The carpet can be walked on at any point in the process
  • Essentially, there is no "dry time"
  • There is minimal labor and time involved
  • There is no fear of overwetting the carpet as the drycleaning agent resembles moist sawdust
  • Traffic lanes can be readily cleaned and "blended" into surrounding areas without fear of pronounced lines of demarcation between "clean" and "dirty" areas
  • Host Industries makes a unit for this purpose
  • Sebo (German) makes an excellent machine for dry cleaning carpets
  • Host has shown in studies that dry carpet cleaning methods effectively reduce dust mite populations
• Pressure washers
  • Electric
  • Gas
  • Cold water
  • Hot water
  • Steam
  • The better units utilize brass pumps with ceramic-coated pistons
  • PSI usually from about 1,000 to 3,000
  • The Germans generally make the best pressure washers
• Sanitizing Equipment & Foggers
  • Used to disperse insecticides & other chemical mists throughout an interior
  • Used to get rid of insects & other pests
  • Used to combat mold and pathogenic microbial growth after floods or sewage problems
  • Utilized after interiors are sealed off and premises are vacated