Facilities maintenance is critical for maintaining the health and safety of public buildings and the occupants they serve, but conventional operations have taken a heavy toll on the natural environment and occupant wellness and must be upgraded to meet future demand.

Enhanced cleaning practices can be critical in reducing water use in drought-restricted areas and should be promoted and encouraged by governments, communities, and businesses.

Enhanced Cleaning Practices Can Reduce Water Use in Drought-restricted Areas
Water scarcity is a critical global issue that is becoming increasingly relevant as populations grow and the effects of climate change become more pronounced.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted our nation's glaring need to improve air quality inside our public schools, businesses, and office buildings.

What is IAQ and Why Does It Matter?
Indoor air quality (IAQ) refers to the quality of air within and around buildings and structures.

Effective cleaning programs are comprised of several critical components, including design, training, safe product handling, and validation.

Defining Effective Cleaning Programs
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, " [sic] regardless of type of facility, the key program elements for effective environmental cleaning programs include:"

Organization/Administration - Corporate leadership and budgeting.

Ice melt is a valuable tool for improving safety conditions and helping to prevent slip and fall accidents--but incorrect use and application can result in hazardous conditions and damage to the built environment, especially flooring.

What is Ice Melt, and How Does it Work?
Ice melt is a chemical compound used to melt ice and snow on surfaces such as sidewalks, driveways, and roads.

Microfiber and cotton-based products have long been the go-to application material for cleaning surfaces and picking up spills, but which is best for each situation?

Microfiber--The Basis for High-Tech Cleaning
Microfiber is a synthetic material that is the basis for modern high-tech cleaning solutions due to its unmatched power to trap dirt and remove soil and germs from surfaces combined with a low cost of ownership.

Slip and fall accidents are a leading cause of injuries in the workplace and most commonly occur on wet or lubricated (oil, dust, grease, etc.) surfaces.

Keep Floors Safe by Measuring Slip Resistance
While most flooring products maintain some degree of slip resistance, the degree of resistance varies widely by product type and quality and is heavily influenced by several external factors.

Floors in public facilities represent major avenues of pathogen transmission, and high-traffic areas should be treated as germ hotspots.

Facility Floors are Major Routes of Transmission
Facility floors are commonly neglected major avenues of pathogen and pathogenic bacteria transmission.

Increasing cleaning and disinfection frequencies this cold and flu season will help protect occupant safety and operational health.

The 2022 Flu (So Far) in Review
The 2022-23 cold and flu season stands in stark contrast to previous years.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), during the 48th week of 2021, all territories, except for New Mexico, reported mild influenza-like illness (ILI) activity.

Employee retention and turnover have been an enormous challenge recently, particularly within the custodial profession, which has suffered from historically high employee churn due to low wages, poor advancement opportunities, and dangerous workplace conditions.