How to reduce contamination levels in factories

The biggest carrier of contaminated powdered substances i.e. lead, aluminium oxide,  into a factory or workshop is with shoes. 

Here are some points to reduce this problem:

• Use entrance mats the longer the better at every entrance to the factory.
• Control areas e.g. "No go for safety boots"
• If possible or practical get staff to wear flat soles shoes.
• Introduce an intercom system in "no go areas" so staff wearing dirty footware can communicate with management.
• Use the latest technology, vacuum entrance mats, to vacuum clean the soles of shoes and stop the dirt from entering the building.
• Maintain a regular cleaning schedule with use of specialist cleaning companies.

Reduce your floor cleaning effort

A company based in South Africa, Port Elizabeth (of all places?) has come up with a revolutionary way of reducing the floor cleaning effort.

It is actually a doormat or entrance mat the vacuum cleans the soles of an occupants shoes as he or she enters a building. This is just brilliant!

What would be better than a machine doing the vacuum cleaning for you. No labour issues, wiring leads in the way and wet patches in the path which invites accidents and lawsuits. Just pure automation. The job is done without human intervention and you can concentrate on what you do best...running your business.

What a bliss for any cleaning company trying to reduce their operational overheads. They could hire the machine out to clients.

Whats is more.... electricity usage drops! Instead of pushing a rotary/scrubber for hours, burning up precious electricity, the entrance mat cleans in seconds and ......wait for it ......switches itself off when no one is there.

All the dirt is stored in a tidy, easy to remove tray!


Just check out this website www.steponit.co.za


Check this video of the machine in action. video

How to reduce wear on vinyl floors

Well this a topic on much debate. I think one would start by adopting the thinking of prevention is better than cure. Grit or sand beneath your feet will wear away vinyl or any floor for that matter, like sand paper beneath your feet. Crunch...crunch...You got to stop dust and sand from coming in......

1. Keep your floors clean by hiring the services of a reputable cleaning company.
2. Coat your floors with vinyl floor sealer, some cleaning companies will do this for you.
3. Enclose your front entrance to divert wind from blowing dust in.
4. Use automated sliding doors to reduce dust from being blown in.
5. Keep windows closed, use the air conditioner to bring fresh air in.
6. Hire the services of cleaning companies for maintaining entrance mats or  ask your cleaning contractor about www.steponit.co.za vacuum powered entrance mats.
7. Get in touch with a good cleaning company with positive references.
8. Before occupying a building study the prevailing winds, you don't want an entrance in the teeth of the wind.
9. A paved walk way in front of your entrance can  reduce sand and dust from entering by regularly spraying it clean with water. 

A building is an investment take care of it!

Ways to prevent dirt from entering a building

• Firstly, take off your shoes before entering a building. This is obviously not practical in the business world in western countries.

• Install an entrance mat, this however still allows some dirt to enter and you have to vacuum clean the entrance mat, some cover a large areas to be effective.

• Install automated sliding doors. This prevents dirt from being blown in by the wind, most businesses use this.

• Have a lobby area with entrance at right angles to the main entrance on both sides. Almost like a T shape. This serves to reduce airborne dust from entering. Used when entrances are wide and automated sliding doors would not be practical. Wind blown will flow over the walls in front the main entrance thus preventing dust from entering, another story if the wind blows through the side entrances, turbulence may deposit dust in the main entrance.

• Always keep windows closed, in other words air-con only for fresh air. The filters (if there are any) in the air-con reduce dust from entering.

• Designate eating areas and enforce a rule not to allow employees to eat their desks. (Crumbs fall on the floor and get distributed all around the desks in hard to reach places )

• Designate areas where safety boots are not allowed i.e. carpets. This saves money in cleaning oily carpets. 

• Lastly, invest in a vacuum entrance mat. This is new on the market, it basically an entrance mat but made of steel comprising of thousands of little valves which suck up the dirt from the soles of your feet and stores it in a removable tray. This confiding the dirt in the bin. Check it out  here www.steponit.co.za

Factory floor maintenance

If your warehouse or factory has a problem with dirt and dust entering the building through heavy foot traffic, may I suggest you seriously look at investing in a vacuum powered entrance mat. It basically vacuum cleans dirt and dust off your shoes as your foot lands on the mat. 


 You will benefit from the following: 

• Reduced effort in maintaining clean floors. 
• Reduced electricity usage. 
• Reduced labour costs. 
• Improved changes of passing health and safety audits 
• Reduced wear on floors.  

For more info log onto www.steponit.co.za