expanses of carpet, investing in a larger machine can boost productivity as one machine does the work of three or four tub vacs. The Valet Wide Area Vac has a cleaning path of 70cm, more than double the typical upright or tub vacuum, and the cleaning power to match. With highly efficient twin 1000 watt motors, the Valet Wide Area Vac’s brush operates at 1800rpm to loosen dirt deep down in the pile and revive the appearance of the carpet. When the team made the switch in this case, operatives relieved from vacuuming duties were able to undertake progressive deep cleaning each night instead. This avoided daytime disruption or the need for a weekend devoted to encapsulation and drying. That would have cost £8,000, which explains why this important task had been put off for some years. But where accessibility is limited – for example, between rows of seats in a theatre, hotel bedrooms, or on staircases – a compact tub vacuum or a backpack model may be required. Backpack variants come into their own on stairs and between seating. Again the right choice of equipment not only saves cleaning time and improves cleaning standards, there are also benefits for the operative. Backpack vacuums lighten the load on the arms and shoulders, avoiding the need for squatting and bending, and making it easy to reach high and low areas. Improvements to the Truvox Valet Backpack II make it even more ergonomic with an easy-to-change cable and repositioned switch at the hip. In industrial and commercial situations, the nature of the debris may dictate the choice of a wet/dry vacuum. It could be swarf fragments on a factory floor, spillages in supermarkets, or a variety of debris on a building project. But they are also highly useful in conjunction with scrubbing machines and as emergency response to flooding. The Truvox Valet 32 DECEMBER / JANUARY 2016 CLEANING HYGIENE TODAY Aqua Range is available in both heavyduty and industrial versions to cater for every application. DEBRIS Alternatively, the type of debris and location may require a sweeper. Here again, the array of models can confuse users. We are aware of situations where cleaning teams have put off the job of cleaning escalators and travelators, for example, due to the risk that liquid cleaning solutions pose to their live electrical circuits. Dedicated sweepers are available for these applications but they can be costly. Yet there are economical and efficient alternatives. One option is to integrate vacuuming and dry scrubbing in a simple, easy-to-use unit. The concept behind the low-cost X46 developed by Truvox International is to simplify cleaning travelators and escalator treads. The unit sits on the comb at the bottom of an escalator or the start of a travellator, so that they are moving away from the machine. The operator has simply to re-position the unit so the full width is cleaned. Where cleaning is undertaken daily, one or two rotations will be sufficient. While the use of under-specified cleaning machines is probably more common, there are other situations where over-engineering occurs. For instance, small warehouses, offices with external courtyards, and parking lots need to be kept clear of leaves, cigarette ends and litter. The cost of a powered sweeper probably won’t be justified and a power supply may be inaccessible. A manual sweeper, such as the TruSweep 460 is an easy, highly productive and affordable way of picking up most debris. The challenge when procuring cleaning equipment does not always come down to a painstaking comparison of specifications and technical data. But it should always start with sweeping away preconceptions and focusing on cleaning needs and the best way to meet them. FEATURE VACUUMS “the purchase is an investment, not an expense.”
CHT December/January 2016
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