Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Healthy Green Cleaning at IUPUI

  • 10/01/18
cordless backpack vacuum

With ProTeam backpack and cordless vacuums, the custodial staff at Indiana University–Purdue University was able to clean 6,000 to 7,000 square feet per hour of the university’s 4.5 million square feet.

In the heart of Indianapolis, Indiana’s premier urban research university educates about 31,000 students. The campus of Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) consists of 70 buildings with 4.5 million square feet of space. Building Operations Manager Jim Walsh and his team spent the last six years advancing IUPUI toward green, high-performance cleaning equipment and practices, including ProTeam backpack and cordless vacuums.

Walsh set out with specific goals toward becoming more sustainable. He wanted to improve Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), create healthier buildings and, subsequently, reduce employee and faculty turnover. To address IAQ, Walsh and his supervisors finally convinced their reluctant staff to use ProTeam backpack vacuums with advanced filtration to capture many allergens and asthma triggers.

IUPUI had backpack vacuums in the custodial closet in 2008 when Walsh started, but less than 20 percent of the staff used them. Then Walsh observed that backpack vacuums clean about 6,000 to 7,000 square feet per hour compared to 1,500 to 2,000 square feet with upright vacuums. ProTeam backpack vacuums are also certified by Carpet and Rug Institute and in line with LEED requirements, which many IUPUI buildings follow. After some education and training, management converted the entire campus to ProTeam backpacks.

Walsh also invested in about 20 units of the ProTeam cordless backpack vacuum, the GoFree Flex Pro, for cleaning stairwells and entry matting during the day. Walsh also needed them in areas without outlets, such as the enclosed walkways that connect several campus buildings. In general, cordless vacuums improve speed and maneuverability by removing the restriction of a cord and eliminating cord management tasks.

“Vacuum cords created a trip hazard for the cleaner in stairwells,” says Walsh. “We’ve been moving to the battery-operated ProTeam backpack vacuums for stairwells. It promotes better safety.”

www.proteam.emerson.com

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management October 2018 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Kimball International Releases Curated Design Support Program

    Commercial furnishings company Kimball International recently announced the launch of a new end-to-end design support program, DesignSuite. According to a news release, its goal is to guide architecture & design professionals and dealer partners through the process from vision to specification.

  • Minnesota Middle School Finishes $23.5M Addition and Modernization

    Highland Park Middle School in St. Paul, Minn., recently announced the completion of a $23.5-million addition and remodel project, according to a news release. Saint Paul Public Schools partnered with ATS&R Planners, Architects & Engineers for its design and Kraus-Anderson for its construction.

  • LSU Breaks Ground on $200M Residential Project

    Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La., recently broke ground on a new residential complex, according to university news. The South Quad residential project will consist of two buildings and add a total of 1,266 beds for freshmen students. The development comes with a price tag of $200 million, and it’s scheduled to open to students in fall 2027.

  • El Paso District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    The Canutillo Independent School District in El Paso, Texas, recently announced that construction has begun on a 119,000-square-foot elementary school, according to a news release. The district partnered with Pfluger Architects, Carl Daniel Architects, and LDCM Solutions on the new Davenport Elementary School, which has an expected completion date of 2027.