Much higher levels of cleanliness achieved at a primary school in Herning

"The Vikan cleaning concept provides much higher levels of cleanliness" and "is less physically tiring to work with than the previous system."
Cleaning staff, a primary school in Herning.

About the school

The medium sized school has approximately 600 pupils aged 7-15 years on roll.

Challenge

In 2006, along with similar sized schools across Denmark and Sweden, this school took part in an independent comparative field study to evaluate the efficiency and resource usage of a number of cleaning systems.
The school's existing protocol used various brands and mops compositions for cleaning floors, and applied three procedures during the weekly cycle; dry mopping or vacuuming, wet mopping and then drying. For removing stains and cleaning inventory items, cloths were dosed manually with cleaning agents and then washed after use in the assigned washing and drying machines.

The year-long field study took an objective and subjective look at the effectiveness of the cleaning protocols within the school in terms of the ergonomics, efficiency, effectiveness, cleaning protocol and design offered by the different systems available, including the Vikan microfibre-based solution.
With floor cleaning known to occupy 65-70% of the operator time available, the study focused the investigation on floor cleaning efficiency and resource usage, both in terms of time and the volumes of water and cleaning agent consumed. The inter-Nordic cleaning standard INSTA 800 formed the basis for the assessment. This standard provides a rating based on visual assessment and objective measurements of the quality of cleaning, independent of the cleaning system, frequencies and methods used. Data on the perceptions of cleaning staff and others were then added to the study through the use of questionnaires and interviews.

Solution

The study results demonstrated Vikan's cleaning protocol of dry and damp mopping performed visibly and objectively better than the existing work process using competitive tools. This was due to Vikan's ability to better remove soiling, including loose dirt, dust, stains and other adhering contaminants.
The use of the self-contained Vikan cleaning trolley and its pre-prepared damp pocket mops, dry mops and polishing cloths was also shown to save time; in preparation beforehand, during deployment and in readiness for the next day. The questionnaire results revealed that staff perceptions of the cleaning results were positive, as were their views on the ease of use offered by the Vikan tools.
In summary, the study concluded that the professional cleaning solution from Vikan delivered real benefits; better cleaning results can be achieved move efficiently i.e. a time saving of 10% which equates to over half a day per operator per week; the tools were less physically demanding to use; consumption of both water and cleaning agent were reduced in this case by over 75%; the ability to launder Vikan microfibre products allowed for higher levels of hygiene; and an extended material lifespan also cut costs.