Why should we use orbital scrubbers?

Education facility managers and administrators struggle to balance limited operational budgets and a need to maintain clean and healthy schools for their students and faculty.

Subject to continuous foot traffic, floors become soiled quickly and that dirt is tracked throughout buildings. Soiled floors not only detract from the overall aesthetics of facilities, but slick dirt and grime can cause slip-and-fall hazards while dust and allergens adversely impact indoor air quality (IAQ). Numerous studies have identified poor IAQ as a key contributor to the development of asthma in young people and the spread of other illnesses among students and faculty. These illnesses lead to increased absenteeism, which is directly linked to poorer classroom performance.

Orbital scrubbers allow maintenance teams to maintain a high level of cleanliness with minimal chemical and water usage. By actively removing dirt and grime, as well as the chemical residue that attracts dirt, orbital scrubbers help maintenance staff to keep schools healthier. The introduction of orbital scrubbers has allowed schools to maximize operational resources and enhance the learning environment while continuing to achieve a high level of appearance that meets the expectations of students and staff.

While orbital scrubbers achieve a high level of performance for daily scrubbing, they also offer the flexibility to be used for deep scrubbing and chemical-free floor finish removal. Traditionally, the deep scrub and recoat process required many hours of labor, multiple machines and harsh chemicals. Orbital scrubbers allow this operation to be performed with water only — no chemicals — helping schools to enjoy significant budget savings while introducing fewer chemicals into their facilities.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

About the Author

Scott Keller is a market manager for Nilfisk, Inc. (www.advance-us.com, www.clarkeus.com). He can be reached at 763/745-3824.

Featured

  • Photo courtesy of Kraus-Anderson

    Minnesota District Completes $49.7M Addition, Renovation Project

    St. Paul Public Schools in St. Paul, Minn., recently announced the completion of a $49.7-million addition and remodeling project at two district schools, according to a news release.

  • Full Sail University Announces First Student Housing Facility

    Full Sail University in Winter Park, Fla., recently announced that development has begun on its first student housing community, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Nvision Development for construction and long-term management of the facility, which will stand five stories and have the capacity for more than 570 beds.

  • Northeastern University Breaks Ground on New Housing Community

    Northeastern University recently announced the groundbreaking of a new student housing community on its campus in Boston, Mass., according to a news release. The university is partnering with American Campus Communities (ACC) for development of the project, which will have the capacity for 1,200 students and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.

  • Houston-Area High School Breaks Ground on 117,000SF Multi-Use Facility

    North Shore Senior High School, part of Galena Park ISD in Houston, Texas, recently broke ground on a new multi-use facility for student extracurriculars, according to a news release. The North Shore Multi-Use Facility will include dedicated practice and training space for the school’s athletics and fine arts programs.