Blue maintenance group

July 1, 2014
How to introduce the concept of blue cleaning to custodial staff.

When Allen Rudd first told his staff at the Temple University Health Sciences Campus that they would abandon the chemicals they had long used and start cleaning with tap water, they didn’t exactly boil over with enthusiasm.

Rudd, who is the director of custodial services, was instead met with the expected skepticism. “Quite naturally, no one believed you could do this with just water,” Rudd said in a recent webinar sponsored by the Healthy Schools Campaign.

“When folks have been in this business long term and they’ve been using chemicals and methodologies, to all of a sudden walk in and say, ‘OK, you don’t need this cart anymore. You don’t need this. You don’t need that,’ they start to wonder ‘OK, what is going on here? This doesn’t make any sense.’”

Three years ago, Temple partnered with an outside firm to start a blue cleaning program that aims to eliminate chemicals from the cleaning process. Staff now mostly uses electrically activated water (EAW) and other non-chemical products to clean even sensitive areas like bathrooms.

Rudd said there are three components of a blue cleaning program: technology, training and touch (meaning customer engagement).

There was an upfront investment in the new technology that was adopted, but Rudd said the subsequent savings have more than covered the cost of the investment. Temple has saved at least 52 percent on supply costs and at least 45 percent on products, he said, and the savings have enabled the university to invest in other technologies.

In addition to EAW self-generation systems and auto scrubbers equipped with EAW, the staff uses microfiber mops, surface power pads with water and self-activated ionized water handheld units. Given the radical change, the staff participated in extensive training. When they saw the results, such as how the EAW could clean carpet without leaving behind chemical residues, they eventually bought into it.

“Training has been the key all along and will continue to be,” Rudd said. “There are always some new things out there so we’re always researching what’s available in the industry, how we can enhance our programs and what’s the best fit for our team.”

Blue cleaning also became a marketing opportunity. The staff found that students were intrigued by the new approach, and that curiosity was encouraged. Temple promoted the program using short segments on the school’s flat-screen TVs and other mediums, and educated students and staff about the health and environmental benefits of blue cleaning.

“The cultural shift has been outstanding because the folks here at the university have all bought into the new technology and pretty much market it for us, especially the students in telling their parents how they don’t have to worry about respiratory issues and how they don’t have to worry about chemical effects because we don’t use them here with this EAW,” Rudd said.

Also, the blue cleaning technology just has a “cool” vibe, he said. “People used to look at janitors a certain way. That all has changed.” The HSC webinar, called “Making the Financial Case for Green Cleaning,” is part of a summer series on green cleaning and is available on YouTube. Webinars on “New Technology in Green Cleaning” and “Green Cleaning and Infection Control” will be held Aug. 19 and Sept. 16, respectively.

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