While leading cleaning industry ‘technocrat’ Bill Griffin noted a number of emerging trends at ISSA/Interclean Amsterdam 2012, a stand-out was the proliferation of innovative – read ‘no chemical’ – hard floor maintenance systems.
Increasing numbers of manufacturers are delivering more sustainable and cost-effective hard floor solutions while also recognising the increasing amount of concrete being used on commercial and residential sites.
Emerging trends that Griffin noticed at this year’s show included:
* A growing interest in energy, chemical and water conservation
* More battery powered equipment, vacuums, floor machines, sprayers
* Advanced diamond pads and specialty brushes for different surfaces
* Propane powered floor machines for stone and other surfaces
* Water treatment systems for glass and others surfaces
* Composite poles and handles
* Microfibres evolving for more widespread use
* Square machines for wet and dry use
* Chemical and water-free processes and equipment
* Equipment with more electronic components that are simpler to use and easier to repair
* Prominent, but less green and sustainability promotion
* Testing equipment and processes
* New and enhanced software and computer applications related to cleaning
* Bucketless and clean water mopping systems
* Melamine and chemical treated sponge floor pads for grout, ceramic tile and other hard floors
Innovative product links:
– Cepicat’s diamond impregnated brush fibres from Spain for cleaning and polishing stone. www.cepicat.com
– Tornado ACS’s graffiti and rust removal system uses contained negative pressure jet, with no water or chemicals. www.sys-teco.de
– Klindex’s Spongelux chemical impregnated polishing pad for marble floors and walls. www.klindex.it
– KGS Diamond’s super abrasive polishing pads for stone, concrete and terrazzo; the next evolution in diamond abrasives. They offer triple the life, and faster cutting to polish due to a modified angle on the abrasives, which doesn’t leave sharp ridges when removing surface material. Segmented all dry honing, scratch removal and polishing pads for marble, concrete and terrazzo. A four step process, the manufacturer claims up to 46,500 sq m per impregnated pad and roughly 2,800 sq m for dry segmented pads.
www.kgsdiamond.com/en/product-ranges/floor-finishing/floor-care
– Terrazza MC’s Green Floor Cleaning brush, combos long and short fibres for surface cleaning that removes algae, soil, oxidation, concrete film, chewing gum and weeds from wood, rubber, brick, aver tiles, concrete, terrazzo without chemicals, high pressure or large amounts of water. Beyond the floor machine model, a hand tool and back pack frame are available for stress free vertical surface use. www.terrazzamc.be
– Qleeno’s low profile scrubber vac floor machine (also battery powered version) www.qleeno.com
– Hefter’s scrubber drier offers a one minute, quick change battery system and interchangeable heads for its scrubbing or burnishing in one machine.
www.hefter-cleantech.de
– Greenspeed’s floor mop injection tool holds up to 10 dry mop heads and moisturised each mop with the correct amount of cleaning solution prior to use… an interesting replacement for the mop and bucket. www.greenspeed.eu
– Onyx manufactures a propane floor machine with a 3-disk planetary head system for high gloss and consistent smooth operation when grinding, honing, polishing, maintaining or restoring stone, concrete or terrazzo floors. www.onyxsolutions.com
– Vortex Pads manufactures a variety of segmented and impregnated diamond floor pads for the cleaning, maintenance, polishing and restoration of stone, terrazzo or concrete floors using electric and propane powered floor machines and scrubbers. www.diamondtoolsupply.com