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GDI Cuts Cleaning Time with Tennant CS5 Micro-Scrubbers



GDI Integrated Facility Services is a building service contractor responsible for cleaning the campus of St. Thomas University in New Brunswick, Canada. GDI had been cleaning floors in hallways, bathrooms and common areas using a mop and bucket. The antiquated process was labor-intensive for staff, who needed to use their time to thoroughly disinfect high-touch areas. Mopping in the traditional way was time-consuming for several reasons. The mop-and-bucket technique essentially redistributed grime and debris between the areas being cleaned. To prevent this, employees stopped frequently to dump and refill the water bucket.

Mops also became stained during use, which required employees to clean and dry the mop heads on a more frequent basis. This process took considerable time, and the mop head never really looked clean, prompting GDI to purchase replacements. Additionally, mopped floors dried slowly, increasing the risk of slip-and-fall accidents for the university’s students, faculty and staff.


Challenge

GDI needed to find a mechanized solution to streamline floor cleaning and provide uniform results. By automating cleaning, employees would have more time to sanitize doorknobs, countertops, faucets and other frequently touched surfaces while still ensuring the floors were kept clean. Mop heads would not need to be laundered, saving water and improving efficiency. Plus, the overall environment would reduce the risk of accidents since floors would dry faster.


Solution

Once introduced to the CS5 Compact Mini-Scrubber, GDI recognized the innovation and consistent results that could be achieved, and the price was in line with their budget requirements. GDI purchased eight CS5 mini-scrubbers to clean the floors at St. Thomas University. The CS5 provides faster drying time than mopping since it offers nearly full water recovery. Concerns about cross-contamination were drastically reduced since the CS5 continuously uses clean water. Plus, the CS5 is quiet so it can be used without interrupting students and staff.

CS5 in Storage Position

"We are exceptionally satisfied with the performance and versatility the CS5 scrubber offers and pleased with the choice we’ve made."

Davis Hilton
General Manager
GDI Integrated Facility Services

Results

With the CS5, GDI was able to reduce overall cleaning time by up to 50% in some instances. This time-savings has allowed the cleaning team to address other areas of the building, like disinfecting high-touch surfaces. Employees quickly saw the benefit of the CS5 after one use. The scrubber cleans areas in one pass, so there was no need to go over the same spot multiple times as with the mop-and-bucket technique. Transitioning through doorways and across different floor surfaces became much easier, too, since there was no risk of spilling a bucket of filthy mop water. In fact, GDI employees can move the battery-powered CS5 with one hand, leaving the other hand free to open doors. Its ergonomic design reduces wear and tear on employees’ bodies. 

Maintenance became much simpler too. After a day’s use, employees simply empty the dirty tank, wipe the squeegee and wash the brush. The compact design makes for easy storage in tight spaces without being in the way. The process takes about five minutes to complete, so employees are free to focus on in-depth cleaning and other priorities. “We are especially pleased with how much brighter and cleaner the floors are throughout each building. Clean floors provide the students and staff confidence that the campus is a healthy and safe environment,” said Davis Hilton, General Manager at GDI, “We are exceptionally satisfied with the performance and versatility the CS5 scrubber offers and pleased with the choice we’ve made.”


Tennant CS5 Compact Series Micro-Scrubber

GDI wanted to replace mop-and-bucket cleaning with an automated floor cleaning solution that provided consistent results and was easy for employees to use. Tennant’s CS5 Compact Series Micro-Scrubber met their needs and their budget. The walk-behind scrubber uses clean water throughout the mopping process and does not redistribute dirty water on floors. Instead, it reclaims dirty water so floors are uniformly clean. Floors dry quickly, which lessens the risk of slip-and-fall accidents. The CS5’s tanks are easily removed, which makes filling and dumping water easy and quick. The durable and compact design cleans tight spaces and stores in crowded storage rooms with ease. It’s quiet, which allows GDI to clean while students are in class, and while staff and faculty are on campus. As GDI discovered, the CS5 offers a budget-friendly solution to mechanized floor cleaning that provides consistent results.

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