The war on DUST-What can be done to stop it

One of the top complaints in the cleaning industry is dust. Dust on the air diffusers, dust on top of cabinets, dust on bases of chairs, DUST EVERYWHERE!

Common Sense Building Services can help you take a stand against dust. But how? Here are 2 easy ways to cut back on the dust in your facility:

1) Choose a service that uses only HEPA filter vacuums such as a Sandia HEPA Raven Back Pack Vacuum, or if you like an upright vacuum, use the Tornado CK 14/1 vacuum

HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particle Air (Filter). HEPA filter vacuums started out in the cleaning industry as a standard practice for healthcare cleaning. But now they are used every day in museums, office buildings, factories, and many other facilities.

HEPA filter vacuums, unlike conventional vacuums, filter and trap dust, allergens, and micro organisms and keep them inside the filter, and in the vacuum. Conventional vacuums tend to kick dust back into the air, and on top of the places in your facilities.

2) Use disposable dust cloths. Using a duster is great, but when the duster is full of dust you’re only spreading the dust around. You can shake it out all you want, it’s not helping to make that duster new again.

Wrap your duster in a disposable dust cloth and use it until it’s full of dust and time to grab a new one.This is an inexpensive way to be sure you are not spreading dust around your facilities.

Choosing a cleaning service that uses these products will help you take a stand against dust once and for all.

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The Ultimate in Green Clean- Activion

In 2009 a new type of green clean was introduced to the world by Activeion. Minnesota based, Activeion produced the first tap water only cleaning product, the Ionator. Research has shown that the Ionator kills 99.9% of germs, all by using only tap water.

Common Sense Building Services has been using the Ionator as part of our Green Cleaning Program for the past 6 months, and the results have been great! We’ve used the Activeion Ionator on door and window glass, conference room tables, kitchen counter tops and tables, in restrooms, and really anywhere in an office building or museum that you can think of.

The level of cleanliness that Common Sense Building Services provides has remained the same, and all by using only tap water! We are really excited to be helping the environment by cutting back on the amount of chemicals that are used in the cleaning process. The best part, by going green with Activeion, Common Sense has not sacrificed the cleaning standards we’ve developed over the past 20 years.

Which time is the right time to have your offices cleaned?

In the past night time has always been the right time to have the janitorial services in your offices done. Lately, there has been a large shift to daytime cleaning for a number of reasons. Security, Green Cleaning, and Personal Attention are some of those reasons.

When it comes to making the choice to bid your services for day time or night time consider the following: Day time cleaning typically will cost your company more, but will allow your company to be more green friendly (If no one is cleaning at night there’s no reason to have lights on, or to have the heat or air on anything but low).

Night time cleaning is going to be more detailed. The last thing a cleaner wants to do is disturb a person working in their office. If you like to see what your cleaner is doing, and appreciate a little interaction with the person doing your cleaning, then the daytime is for you.

Day time and night time? This is a great option for facilities with heavy traffic. The day cleaner in this situation is called the Day Porter and will handle cleaning of the common areas (entrances, rest rooms, lunchrooms, etc.) after busy times in the day, and also take care of any spills, specialty projects, or emergencies that come up during the day. The night time cleaning staff will have an easier time cleaning everything at night, because the Day Porter will have lightened their load.

The decision of Night vs. Day (or Both) is ultimately up to what you want the cleaning goals to be at your facilities, and the budget that you have for janitorial services. Look into all options possible and chose the best fit for your facilities.

Musty smell in your facilities restrooms?

People will spend thousands of dollars this year on plumbers trying to figure out what the musty, sewage smell is in their office restrooms. Save your money, because the answer to your problem is simple.

The floor drains in your restrooms are meant to have water going down them more often than they actually do. Therefore, with no water going down, the musty, sewage smell comes up.

Take 6-8 ounces of Betco PUSH, and mix with a gallon of warm water for each drain, and pour it directly down the floor drain. Do this 1 time per week, and in a few weeks your restrooms will be back to smelling like roses.

To maintain, use PUSH and warm water on your floor drains every other week. PUSH can also be used in sinks, toilets, grease traps, and also for carpet spots.

White spots near the entryway of your office?

I think we all can agree this winter was snowy, icy, and cold. Because of all the salt you put down due to these conditions you may be seeing the effects in your office carpet this spring.

Salt being tracked into your office day after day, week after week, can cause a white build up near your entrance and in heavy traffic areas. No matter what you do those white spots just won’t seem to go away.

Here’s a tip: you should have a neutral cleaner you’re using in your facility, (Such as: Betco PH7 Neutral Floor Soap). Lightly mist your neutral cleaner over the white areas using a spray bottle.

Next, take a carpet extractor, (if you don’t have an extractor or spotter, this will take longer, but grab yourself a towel, water, some elbow grease and get to work) and go over the spot using warm water and pulling every direction that you can. You may have to repeat this step a couple times to get your carpet back to where it was.  If you don’t have any of these tools, don’t have the time, or just want a reliable outside company to clean your carpets, call Common Sense Building Services, Inc.

Common Sense gets your restroom floors and grout clean

Common Sense Building Services has noticed when starting a new account that your restroom floors and grout are not nearly as clean as they should be.

Next time your in the office restroom look right next to the wall at the floor grout. Then, look at the grout where your feet are. Notice a difference? This is a sign that your restroom floors aren’t being scrubbed like they should. With winter behind us, spring is a good time to have your restroom floors scrubbed.

Common Sense offers restroom floor scrubbing as one of our many services, but if you have an in-house cleaning service that you want to get the job done, then give them the right tools to do it. Shop for Floor care products and equipment at CleanerCorner.com

The Tornado BR Vario is a versitle scrubbing machine that works great in tight spaces like a restroom.

Cleaning Tip of the Day

Problem: Rust Stain in Carpet

Tip: Lemon Juice is not just for cooking folks. Grab one of those cute little lemon bottles and squeeze onto rust stain. Next take a clean towel, such as a micro-fiber cloth and blot at stain. This should do the trick!

* Just like any other cleaning product, you should test the lemon juice in an inconspicuous area of your carpet or rug first.

Cleaning Tip of the Day

Problem: Red wine spill on white carpet

Tip: Before reaching for chemicals, grab a terry cloth towel and some cold tap water. Wet towel and start blotting (no rubbing!) the stain with the towel. Stain will soak up into towel so remember to rotate to a clean area of the towel and repeat wetting it with cold water. You’ll be surprised what this no chemical trick can do.

* Remember the quicker you get to the spill, the better this will work.

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Common Sense Goes Green with Activeion

Common Sense Building Services, Inc. has recently teamed up with Activeion to bring the the green cleaning revolution, the ionater EXP, into our accounts.

The ionater takes tap water and converts it into a powerful cleaning solution that removes dirt and kills 99.9% of all bateria.

Read more about Activion, and find the ionator EXP at www.CleanerCorner.com

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Common Sense Celebrates 20 Years

Since 1991 Common Sense Building Services, Inc. has been providing quality, cost effective cleaning services to businesses throughout Minneapolis, St. Paul, and communities surrounding the Twin Cities Area. Maintaining a strong business over the past 20 years is a product of having hardworking staff members, a passion for keeping all of our customers satisfied, and always striving to improve our services. We look forward to providing exceptional cleaning services for many, many years to come.

Tip: Choosing the Best Janitorial Company for Your Facility

Finding the best janitorial company for your facility can sometimes be tricky, but if you follow these helpful tips your decision will be a breeze.

1. Know Your Facilities Needs

  • Frequency of cleaning?
  • Specialty cleaning tasks? i.e. carpet cleaning- 2 times per year
  • Likes and dislikes of the current janitorial program?

2. Ask for References

  • Call references to find out more about the company.
  • How long has the company been in business?
  • Is the company too small, or too large to do the job you require?
  • Do they clean facilities similar to yours?

3. Thoroughly read through any service contracts

  • Look at everything, not just the price
  • Be aware of: hidden fees, incomplete specs, and the terms of the contract.
  • Know the ins and outs of your contract.