Staying Updated on the Latest Happenings in the Industry
Cleaning is a rather straightforward profession. After all, it comes down to disinfecting and clearing out a space, so everyone is healthy and comfortable. With that said, not all cleaning is equal. To distinguish from the competition, a commercial cleaning company must utilize the most effective and efficient methods for achieving the result.
Thus, if you are in the cleaning industry, you need to stay updated on the latest happenings within the industry. You need to know about the newest technologies and solutions. This is the best way to ensure you don’t get passed by and that you can execute the best cleaning for your clients.
Here are some of the top examples of cleaning innovations that you might consider investing in right now and in the future.
UV-C Disinfection
It’s not like UV disinfection is some brand-new concept or technology. It’s been around for decades. The first UV disinfection lamps came out back in the 1930s. Entire UV disinfection systems started getting released around the 1950s. These systems are still being used to this day. Some of the more common use cases for UV treatment are with water treatment. It’s also widely used to reduce the risk of bacterial diseases spreading like tuberculosis.
With that being said, UV disinfection ended up experiencing a widespread gain in popularity throughout the pandemic. When COVID-19 came to light, many saw how important it was to clean more than on a surface level. It was already known that UVC radiation could inactivate the SARS-Coronavirus. While it’s different from the virus that causes the newest strain of COVID, it’s still an effective solution against both bacteria and viruses. However, because it’s not proven to be effective against COVID-19, it’s not the end-all-be-all option for cleaning against COVID. These cleaning systems are not the most widely available or affordable. More research and streamlining should be done to figure out their effectiveness of them and to make them cheaper.
That said, the technology itself has a lot of promise and it’s easily worth getting. The most important thing is to use them properly and in the right circumstances. You might find that it gets increasingly useful over time as more and more research comes out.
Robots and Drones
There is an entire population of people worried about how robots are going to take over all jobs. This fear is a little exaggerated. Robot custodians can be effectively used to clean. For instance, using larger-scale robot vacuums and polishers can prove to be a lot more efficient and effective than having to worry about humans vacuuming and polishing wide surface areas. This includes large commercial properties like high schools, airports, or even sports stadiums.
One of the best parts about using robots is the inability of them to contract diseases. When a robot is subjected to viruses and bacteria, it can’t get sick from it. There’s no risk of contamination. Best of all, human custodians can easily perform basic maintenance procedures to properly clean and disinfect them when they are finished cleaning.
Humans always have the opportunity to step in when needed. They can do things like troubleshooting issues if things go wrong. Thus, robots end up being useful for humans to make their jobs more efficient and effective. Instead of replacing their jobs, it helps to supplement them.
Another excellent opportunity in the robot space would be with drones. Drones can be very effective when used for disinfection. Drones can spray disinfection solutions and cover much wider areas than a human ever could. This can help to maximize the effectiveness of the solution. Much like with cleaning robots, humans can troubleshoot issues if they crop up during the process. They can also perform the required maintenance procedures after the drones are finished.
Antimicrobial Coatings
There are plenty of manufacturers that have started to release antimicrobial coatings. These coatings have proven to be effective not only when they are added onto a surface later, but also when they are manufactured directly into the material. The antimicrobial coating works when it’s exposed to light. What happens is that light exposure converts the humidity and oxygen into free radicals which effectively break down the cells of the viruses and bacteria present.
The good thing about this technology is that light can come from any source. It could be from LED lights, spotlights, or even the sun. The main thing that’s needed is that the coating gets activated through a minimum of 8 hours of exposure.
Currently, researchers are manufacturers are looking to make these coatings a lot longer lasting. Right now, the coatings offer around 1 year of effectiveness assuming it gets the proper activation from light exposure.
AI and Big Data
There are plenty of people that link AI or artificial intelligence with robots. They are not the same. AI is the machine learning that goes into a robot. The robot is hardware. AI can be added to any machine.
Within the cleaning industry, AI can be effectively used to track data. You can use it to track the total time spent cleaning different areas. This ultimately can help to improve the efficiency of cleaning tasks. It can help to streamline the organization and open up much more free time to better spend elsewhere.
AI can also be leveraged into janitorial management software for different purposes. Some of the best use cases for it would be helping with inventory tracking, streamlining communications, helping with scheduling, and even managing work orders.
Some Honorable Mentions:
Many other technical innovations can be used effectively within the cleaning industry. While these things might not be centered on the cleaning industry, they can be used effectively within it. These include:
QR Codes
A QR code can make for good tech innovation in the cleaning industry. While it’s not new, there are more and more use cases for it opening up every day. Clients can easily use QR codes to share or even update their cleaning checklists. Cleaning companies can also use them to attract more clients. For instance, a company can have a prospective customer scan a QR code for an augmented reality experience that shows them how their home would be cleaned.
Social Media
Social media should always be used when building a business. It can be a very effective way to market any kind of cleaning company. You can easily engage with your audience and attract new customers using social media.
Not every cleaning technology that comes out is a must-use for a cleaning company. However, you want to continue to evaluate your current tech stack and see whether or not you should be investing in newer market entries. This can keep you better equipped to remain as competitive as possible within today’s increasingly competitive landscape. Use your budget and make smart decisions and you can grow your business.
Here at Professional Choice we use the latest technology to ensure we are bringing our clients the best cleaning results every time.
Contact us today to discuss your commercial cleaning needs.
