Page 30 - School Planning & Management, July/August 2017

SHAPINGSUCCESSFULCLEANING| ALLEN RATHEY
Improving futures and the indoor environment.
THE GOAL OF AURORA PUBLIC Schools (APS), Aurora, Colo. — with 63 sites and 42,111 students — is to see that “every child shapes a successful future.”
Michael Ward, custodial coordinator and trainer, has spent more than two decades shaping successful cleaning.
Mike, an educator and author of Who Swings Your Mop, The Ultimate Procedural Handbook for School
Custodians and The Ultimate Safety Handbook for School Custo- dians, strives to raise the professional status of custodians by:
• Building awareness of their importance to the health and
safety of schools,
• Maximizing cleaning performance and productivity through
tools and training, and
• Adopting innovation for healthy results.
Innovating for Improvement, Morale
In his quest to improve the indoor environment, Mike tested Kaivac no touch cleaning machines 20 years ago while manager of Custodial Operations for Westerville City Schools in Ohio. He was so impressed he bought four machines.
Shaping Up Budgets, Chemical Use, Site Inspections
At introductory APS sites, applying the Kaivac specialist ap- proach has decreased labor by 15 percent, chemical use by
10 percent, and raised site inspection scores 2 percent.
The Nose Knows
“There also have been no odor complaints in restrooms or locker rooms since we began using the Kaivac 1700s at two of our high schools,” Mike notes.
No touch cleaning was also the only method that removed the urine and related odor from brick and mortar in restrooms at APS elementary sites.
Shaping Up Floors
APS recently bought three Kaivac OmniFlex units to replace auto scrubbers on VCT/tile in the cafeteria, gymnasium and Art Room. “OmniFlex machines are typically $4,000 less than the tradi-
tional auto scrubber and do a comparable job. They are also great for applying gym floor finish using a T-Bar method, dispensing floor stripper and using as a wet/dry vacuum,” he adds.
Conclusion
“Kaivac is an innovation leader. While many companies provide great equipment that helps custodians do their job more efficiently, Kaivac is con- tinuously improving their equipment and designing state of the art tools.”
“We plan to grow the Kaivac program at all of our high schools and eventually our middle schools in the coming years.”
It’s all part of an integrated strategy to help students shape a successful future by shaping up the cleaning for the healthiest environment possible. SPM
He created a restroom specialist position to optimize focus, outcomes and efficiency — yielding a division of labor so restrooms received better cleaning while other staff concentrated on classrooms.
The initial response of the first restroom specialist to nighttime latrine duty was less than enthusiastic. Once experienced, though, when offered a new assignment, she balked:
“Please don’t take my Kaivac and restrooms away. I love this machine! I get nothing but compliments. My restrooms are the cleanest in the district and I want to keep them that way.”
CLEANER SCHOOLS, FEWER CHEMICALS
Most school systems are bogged down in antiquated cleaning methods
that force staff members to use inefficient mops and wringers. These systems waste countless worker hours and are ineffective.
As a result, your schools suffer from lower cleaning standards. Studies have shown that poor school cleaning affects the performance of students and teachers (through illness and lower morale) while damaging the school’s reputation among parents and other members of the community. It is also costly when it comes to paying substitutes for the teachers who succumb to illness from dirty schools.
Advanced systems like those Kaivac offers deliver the highest stan- dard of cleanliness possible while using up to 90 percent less chemicals. These one-of-a-kind systems make it easier for staff to start clean and stay clean throughout the year.
EXCELLENCE
SPONSORED CONTENT / JULY/AUGUST 2017
Kaivac congratulates Aurora Public Schools
on meeting the Gold Standard for healthy facilities.
PHOTO © KAIVAC