Imperial Dade Insights

From November to February, much of the US can expect to get hit with snow, ice, and sleet. For many, preparing for the increased wet weather and associated dangers means laying down ice melt and rock salt. 

Winter weather is unpredictable. There’s just no knowing for sure how harsh it will be until we’re in the thick of it.  Last year, the foremost weather observatory in the US recorded a warmer winter than average, but sporadic weather meant that it also saw more cold fronts and above-average snowfall. In fact, winter snowfall …

When creating a winter floor care bundle for your facility, consider the winter weather hazards you dealt with last year, the problems that arose from them, and what products you needed to address those issues.  Did you deal with hazy, white ice melt residue on your hard floors? Stock up on winter floor neutralizer. Or, …

Is your commercial bathroom plagued by stained, dirty floors? Are there lingering odors in the air? These are some of the most common complaints for a commercial restroom, but they don’t have to be for yours.

With all the products and floor prep information floating around this season, we thought we’d save you from the hassle of having to figure out what the best option for winter prep is by putting together this guide.

With labor being the most costly expense for most facilities, finding ways to make cleaning your building quicker and easier for your janitorial team is likely a high priority for your business.

New janitorial innovations are hitting the market daily, making it easier for janitorial personnel to clean and maintain the areas in their facility. You’ve likely encountered common issues, like malfunctioning dispensers, under or over diluted chemicals, or concerns caused by chemicals in the air or on surfaces. Innovative cleaning solutions can help you avoid the …

Commercial restrooms are one of the germiest areas in your facility.

Did you know that your guests can leave your restroom with twice the amount of germs on their hands than when they entered? Using the restroom requires the people in your building to touch multiple surfaces and objects. Whether they’re touching the doors, toilet flush valves, or faucets, there’s a high risk of spreading germs …

Dispenser stockouts are a common plight of commercial restrooms, especially during periods of high traffic.

Grout can easily become the cause of a wide range of restroom odors.

Keeping your commercial restroom looking and smelling its best is an important part of maintaining a positive perception of your facility among guests. If your guests notice a foul odor while they’re in your restroom, it’s possible that you and your janitorial team will have to clean your restroom more often to address complaints and …

Your facility’s restroom can make or break the experience that your guests have in your business. Dirty restrooms not only make for a negative bathroom experience but can lead to an increased amount of complaints about the cleanliness of your facility. In fact, restrooms make up 5% of the space but account for 80% of …

Floor maintenance procedures of any kind can pose a safety risk to your staff and the people in your building. Risks include slips, falls, chemical exposure, and more. However, if performed correctly, these risks can be greatly reduced or even eliminated.  One of the most necessary, yet accident-prone maintenance procedures performed by you and your …

Choosing the right commercial floor finish for your facility is essential to achieving your desired facility appearance.

Have you noticed that your auto scrubber isn’t leaving your floors clean and dry after use? You may need to check your auto scrubber’s squeegee blades. The squeegee blade on an auto scrubber is used to collect water and cleaning solution from your commercial floors. When your auto scrubber squeegee blade is functioning correctly, your …

Everything you need to know to build a comprehensive hard floor care program that will keep your resilient flooring protected and looking its best.

As the need for frequent disinfection grows, high volume disinfection is becoming increasingly popular. The most popular and effective high-volume disinfection method is electrostatic technology. Electrostatic sprayer technology applies an electric charge to a disinfectant chemical. The charge allows the disinfectant droplets to evenly and completely coat surfaces and objects.

Commercial disinfectants are important to killing illness-causing germs and bacteria on surfaces that the people in your building touch regularly. Having the right chemical disinfectant can help ensure that your facility is clean and safe. There are several types of chemical disinfectants that can be used by your janitorial staff to maintain the cleanliness of …

Illness-causing germs, also known as pathogens, are easily spread throughout your facility. Routine disinfection is the most effective way to minimize the spread of germs.

Carpet extractors are a powerful tool for cleaning and maintaining the carpets in your facility. Like with any janitorial equipment, there may be some issues that require extra attention from you and your cleaning staff. One of the most common and easily preventable issues you may encounter with your carpet extractor is foaming in the …

If you’ve been looking for a way to make your cleaning program safer, more efficient, and more sustainable, an orbital floor scrubber may be a good investment for your facility. Orbital scrubbers use advanced technology to make the process of cleaning your facility’s floors easier than with a mop and bucket or a traditional disc …

When you have a wet floor, floor signs are a great way to indicate the presence of slip and fall hazards in your facility. They can also be used to indicate a general risk to your building’s guests.

You’re probably familiar with the increased cleaning demands of winter, and you might be wondering how you’re going to keep up this year. 

When maintaining your VCT (vinyl composition tile) flooring, it’s important to know how to keep it looking its best for enhanced facility appearance, lower maintenance costs, and extended floor life. As you have likely seen in your searches, there are several different floor pad colors, textures, and materials. Finding the right one to maintain your …

Illness-causing pathogens linger throughout your facility, especially on high-touch surfaces.

Labor accounts for a large amount of any business’s costs. In fact, it’s the greatest cost for most businesses.  With that being said, finding ways to improve your janitorial team’s efficiency is likely a priority.  However, identifying ways to streamline cleaning tasks without sacrificing your facility’s cleanliness, health, and safety may seem like a daunting …

No matter the type of facility you have, the indoor air quality (IAQ) of your building is important. Your building’s IAQ is essential to the health and safety of your staff and guests. Poor indoor air quality can have adverse effects on the health of your building’s occupants.

College and university campuses are at an increased risk of germ spread and illness because students often spend most of their time in dorms, classrooms, and other shared spaces like cafeterias, restrooms, and recreational centers. Illness-causing germs, bacteria, and viruses are easily transmitted directly through contact between people, and indirectly via surfaces such as door …

Are you having trouble with the hand soap or sanitizer dispensers in your facility? Don’t worry, many facilities experience problems with their dispensers at one time or another. Depending on the system, your soap or sanitizer dispenser could be affected by a variety of issues causing it to malfunction.  Luckily, there are several simple ways …

Protecting your guests and building occupants’ health and safety is important. Cleaning is one of the most effective ways to lower the risk of illness by removing germs and contaminants from high-touch surfaces in your building. But, what do we mean by cleaning?

Keeping any area clean and free of illness-causing germs and bacteria is important for businesses of all types, but it is especially critical in foodservice operations and other businesses that serve food. Businesses serving food must lower the risk of cross-contamination and foodborne illness to keep guests protected from sickness. Cleaning and sanitizing are essential …

Facilities across the U.S. have realized the importance of infection prevention and mitigating cross-contamination. One of the easiest and most effective ways to prevent germ spread and cross-contamination is with a color-coded microfiber program.

Modern commercial skincare dispensing systems can enhance your facility’s hand hygiene program in several ways including reduced germ spread, limited risk of cross-contamination, and improved sustainability. As you search for a new skincare system, you’ve likely realized there are many new, innovative soap and sanitizer dispensing options on the market today, and narrowing down the …

Commercial hard floors require a robust maintenance program to keep them protected and looking great. There are three phases of floor maintenance:

Removing wet messes from your commercial floors can be a pain without the right equipment. 

Every 12 months or so your resilient hard floors will need to be restored with a strip and wax to revitalize your dull, worn flooring.  This is a two-part process. The first step is to strip or remove all layers of finish from your floor. Then, once you’ve stripped all the wax (finish) from your …

Finding the time and money to maintain your resilient hard floors can be challenging, especially in a time where staff is already stretched thin. To maintain soft, or high maintenance floor finishes you’ll likely need to burnish them 2-3 times a week, or more, depending on foot traffic and desired look. However, this may not …

Are you searching for the best high shine floor finish? Selecting the right floor finish for your commercial hard floors can be challenging. While there are hundreds of floor finishes on the market, they can generally be segmented into two groups: high maintenance and low maintenance. 

Floorcare can be challenging, especially when performing a strip and wax. There are several steps as well as various mistakes that are common which can affect the outcome of the procedure. Performing this restorative procedure is also time-consuming and expensive, so it is important to get it right the first time. However, given the time …

our floors are the very first thing people notice when entering a building. Keeping them looking their best is important. However, this can be challenging. Everyday soils are tracked inside, and as a result, floors get worn. They get discolored, scratched, and damaged as occupants track dirt and other abrasive soils inside. Additionally, the winter …

Schools around the U.S are beginning to allow students and faculty to return to onsite events. For facility managers like you, there are increased pressures to make sure the campus is clean, safe, and protected from future outbreaks. This can be a daunting task. One key strategy to keep your campus protected will be to …

Restroom hygiene can make a big impact on your occupants, and yet they represent one of the highest areas of complaint in many facilities. One of the most common restroom complaints arises from unpleasant odors. Oftentimes, guests equate the cleanliness of your restrooms with the overall service provided by your business. Providing your guest with …

Just a few months after your students return to campus, winter weather brings snow, ice, and slush. 

During the winter months, ice melt and salts are used to keep sidewalks and entryways from getting slippery, helping to protect the safety of building occupants. While protecting people from injury, ice melt creates a range of cleaning challenges inside the building. Although ice melt is applied outside in parking lots, on sidewalks, and near …

Floor care is complicated, and when you add snow, ice, and salt to the equation, finding the right floor care solution can seem nearly impossible.

Combating the spread of Coronavirus was a primary focus for businesses in previous years. Yet, as we enter peak cold & flu season, preventing the spread of germs remains priority as you work to increase building hygiene and safety. 

VCT is one of the most flexible and popular floor types found in commercial buildings today.  Vinyl composition tile, VCT for short, is 12” square tiles that are glued to the surface of a floor. It is then coated with a finish to give the floor its desired wet-look. It is most commonly found in …

Whether you are finishing your facility’s floor for the first time or trying to restore the look of your floor, you need to select the right floor finish to keep your floors protected and looking great. Each floor finish is unique and selecting the best one will be based on the needs of your facility. …

Hard floors are common in many commercial facilities, requiring weekly and in some cases daily maintenance. Mopping is an age-old floor cleaning technique and is still one of the most common methods to clean commercial hard floors.

When the cord on your janitorial equipment doesn’t quite reach the outlet, commercial extension cords offer a way for you to work beyond the equipment’s standard power cord length. Extension cords provide electric power to a device, or in this case, a piece of janitorial cleaning equipment when its own power cord does not reach …

Germs are everywhere. They are a part of everyday life and are found in and on people, in the air, in the soil, and in water. Some germs are not harmful but others can lead to serious illness and infections, reiterating the importance of cleaning to reduce germs. The germiest parts in any facility are …

Cleaning and disinfecting is the best way to remove germs from surfaces and to prevent illness from occurring in your facility. In any facility, the two main types of surfaces are hard and soft surfaces. Most EPA-registered disinfectants clearly state their ability to be used on “hard, nonporous surfaces.” This leaves many questioning how to …

In any commercial building, hard flooring is susceptible to irritating and unsightly scuff marks. Although not damaging, scuff marks ruin the appearance of bright shiny floors.

There are many misconceptions about the meaning of “solids” and their role in floor finishes. It has been a longstanding belief that the quality of a floor finish is related to the amount or percentage of solids in a floor finish. This would mean all high solid floor finishes are high quality and will be …

Even with comprehensive daily and periodic cleaning procedures like vacuuming and cleaning with an auto scrubber, commercial hard flooring will eventually experience damage and begin to look worn. The top of your floor is covered with a finish to protect against wear and damage but over time will begin to accumulate dirt, scratches, and the …

Gloves, a form of personal protection equipment (PPE), are one of the first lines of defense in protecting workers from injury and other serious health risks. As the 2019 Coronavirus situation continues there is a high demand for personal protection equipment, including gloves. As a result, it may be difficult to get the gloves your …

Implementing an effective cleaning and disinfecting process is important to protecting your facility against Coronavirus.  However, as the situation regarding the novel Coronavirus outbreak continues there is a high demand for infection control products. Facilities are more aware of their cleaning and disinfection protocols, and are requiring additional product for more frequent disinfection processes. Orders …

Orders for infection control products like disinfectants and other related items have increased across the nation as Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) continues to spread. Manufacturers of these products are having difficulty keeping up with demand, and your current disinfectant may be temporarily unavailable. If you can’t get the disinfectant you regularly use, other disinfectants, like bleach, can …

[Updated: February 3, 2021] Now, more than a year after the original Coronavirus cases surfaced, the world continues to combat the spread of Coronavirus in full force. While Coronavirus has rarely left the news for more than one cycle, there’s been increased attention around the emergence of “new strains” of Coronavirus.  The original strain originated …

Common in most facilities, wet mops are used to complete various cleaning procedures. Wet mops are the perfect tool to combat floor stains in entryways, maintain heavy traffic areas, clean spill-prone spots, or to perform floor disinfection. However, there are several different types of wet mops, and each type is designed to tackle specific floor …

Winter is quickly approaching, bringing its own mix of harsh conditions and cleaning challenges. Now is the time to start preparing for the wet wintery effects that come with snow, ice, and slush. Soils, snow, and ice melt are abrasive and can cut carpet fibers and scratch hard floors, dulling floor appearance and causing lasting …

Winter months are quickly approaching and that means ice and snow are on the way,  and slick sidewalks and slippery parking lots are also on the horizon. As a business owner, you are likely familiar with the increased dangers of wintery weather and the associated dangers that come with slippery sidewalks and entryways.   Before the …

Without proper cleaning and sanitization procedures, foodservice operators are putting their customers at increased risk of foodborne illness. A food poisoning outbreak will negatively affect customer’s perception and satisfaction with your business, giving your business a bad reputation. A bad reputation can mean lost sales and may even put you out of business.

Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) can be intimidating to first time users, and even veterans, who may be using a new or different cleaning product for the first time. It is important for anyone handling or using commercial cleaning supplies to become familiarized with SDSs. Understanding how to read and apply the information on a Safety …

Whether it is in the office, bathroom, kitchen, classroom, or elsewhere, selecting the right can liner for your trash receptacles will cut your costs and save resources. Often little thought is given to the best trash can liner size, material, or seal. But, failure to have the right can liner will result in wasted money, …

As summer comes to an end, college students will be moving into their dorms for the new school year. Students, as well as their parents, are excited and expecting a clean dorm room with minimal dirt, odors, or stains. This means you’re likely preparing your custodial staff or contracted cleaning crew to do a deep …

Carpets can have a large impact on the way your facility is perceived. If your facility’s carpets are worn, stained or dirty, people will notice and leave with a negative impression of your business. Commercial carpeting, especially in high traffic areas, will experience noticeable wear and damage if it is not properly maintained. Once damaged, …

Slips and falls are the number one accident problem in commercial kitchens. Slips and falls are also a leading cause of workers’ compensation claims. 85% of worker’s compensation claims are attributed to employees slipping on slick floors. Greasy kitchen floors are a major contributor to this problem. Commercial kitchen floors present special challenges and require …

Foul odors from dumpsters or compactors can turn a tenant or guest’s good experience into an unpleasant one. Offensive odors will create the wrong image of your facility, leaving guests with a negative impression of your business’ cleanliness. Any facility that is discarding waste in a dumpster or compactor is going to experience foul odors …

Abrasive soils are tracked through your facility every day, scratching and dulling your hard floors. A dull and dirty floor can hurt your business’ image and lead to increased customer complaints. It is important to the life and appearance of your resilient hard floor that you have a complete and practical floor care program including …

Dirty and discolored grout affects many facilities even when consistent cleaning procedures are in place. Stained grout leaves guests with a negative impression. When guests believe that your facility isn’t well maintained, they may be hesitant to return, resulting in lost business.  

A major problem in commercial restrooms is foul odor. Restroom odors can leave your guests believing that you do not properly maintain your facility or that your facility is unclean.  But what your guests do not realize is that even when you are performing consistent daily cleaning procedures, your facility can be plagued by foul …

In the average commercial facility, restrooms take up 5% of the space but contain 20% of the dirt and account for 80% of building complaints.

It doesn’t matter if you are maintaining a school, hospital, office, or any other facility – cleaning and disinfecting is an important part of your maintenance routine. Keeping your facility clean will reduce the spread of illness and enhance your facility’s overall appearance.

It is critical to the life and appearance of your facility’s carpet to identify and remove a stain as soon as possible. If your facility has carpet, you will eventually have stains, but with proper identification and removal, you can avoid lasting damage and costly restorative procedures.

Quat-based disinfectants are popular cleaning and disinfecting solutions used to kill bacteria, mold, and viruses. When used properly quats are highly effective. When used with the wrong cleaning tools, quat disinfectants become less effective and the disinfecting that you think is killing bacteria is not actually happening, even when you’re using the right dilution ratio.

Whether it’s a coffee stain in the break room or soda spill in the cafeteria, regular spot cleaning is critical to the appearance of your facility’s carpet. Carpet cleaning procedures depend on the type of carpet and soil damage acquired.

Toilets are one of the biggest pain points of a dirty restroom.  Dirty restrooms leave employees, customers, and visitors with a lasting negative impression. Stained toilets are quickly noticed and can harbor bacteria which produce those unpleasant odors. Thankfully, much of this restroom distress can be reduced through proper toilet cleaning procedures and the right tools. …