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

  • Photo credit - Chuck Coates

    Florida District Modernizes Central Energy Plants at Two High Schools

    Flagler Schools, a public school district in Flagler County, Fla., recently partnered with Matern Professional Engineering to modernize the central energy plants at two of its high schools, according to a news release. The project is part of a larger, district-wide effort to reduce energy costs and operational expenses.

  • Academy of Classical Education Breaks Ground in Louisiana

    Charter Schools USA (CSUSA) recently announced the groundbreaking of a new public charter school in Covington, La., according to a news release. The Academy of Classical Education at Covington will enroll students in grades K–8 and is scheduled for completion in August 2026, just in time for the new school year.

  • USC Launches Major AI Initiative After $200M Gift

    The University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Calif., recently announced that it has launched a “transformational” new AI initiative thanks to a $200M gift, according to a news release. The project will leverage AI toward breakthroughs and innovations in subjects like the health sciences, business, security, and the arts.

  • Rhode Island Boarding School Completes Student Dorm Renovations

    St. George’s School in Middletown, R.I., recently announced the completion of a $26-million renovation project on Arden-Diman-Eccles Dormitory, according to a news release. The school partnered with Voith & Mactavish Architects (VMA) on the new space, which places a new focus on collaborative community spaces open to both boarding students and day students.