Hello again and welcome back! In this post, I’m discussing the many, many advantages of using microfiber products as the main weapon in your cleaning arsenal. At ProCare, we use only microfiber cloths and pads for all of our cleaning jobs and with good reason.
How Microfiber Products Work:
Microfiber products are produced from polyester and polyamide fibers that are spun and then split into micro-sized strings that are 1/16th the size of a human hair. The curled ends of the strands reach into cracks, crevices and pores, picking up and removing the dirt and holding it inside the cloth or pad. When woven together, an extremely soft, absorbent and durable cloth is formed. Additionally, microfibers are positively charged, so they attract soil particles, which are negatively charged. The dirt gets caught in the microfiber and is removed by the cloth.
The Benefits of Microfiber:
In recent studies, used only with regular tap water, microfiber cloths were proven to remove 99.4% of all bacteria on smooth surfaces. That’s right, almost a 100% cleaning efficiency with no disinfectant or cleaner! The fact that no cleaning solution is required can lead to substantial cost savings! At ProCare, we do use disinfectant cleaners as a part of our spray solution on our commercial jobs. We clean public restrooms and medical facilities and proper sanitization and disinfection is a must. Our customers simply require this. However, for home use, the microfiber cloth itself is all you really need.
Reduced Environmental Impact:
High quality microfiber cloths are reusable and can be washed 300 to 2000 times or more without deteriorating their amazing cleaning ability or showing any wear. Furthermore, they don’t require bleach or detergent when washing them and you don’t have to mechanically dry them in the dryer. Just spread them out or hang them up until dry. If you or your family members are paper towel addicts like we once were, then incorporating microfiber cloths into your daily cleaning is a must. Paper towels consume a natural resource (wood pulp) and are typically bleached (boo bleach) and end up in our landfills once they are disposed of. Besides, paper towels are expensive. A properly folded microfiber cloth will offer 8 clean sides to clean with. In other words, you fold it twice to form a square and flip and fold to the clean sides as one side becomes soiled. We keep a tall kitchen trashcan just outside the garage door where we toss the dirty cloths. When it gets full or we are out of cloths, in the washing machine they go! Microfiber cloths don’t require a lot of water. In fact, they clean best when only very slightly damp. On the flip side, they are up to 7 times more absorbent than your typical cotton rag. The proper way to use one is to spray your water or solution directly on the cloth and then wipe the surface. You don’t want to spray directly to the surface, as this will actually decrease the effectiveness of the cloth. Lastly, since they don’t require harsh cleaning chemicals to be effective, this is a very environmentally friendly way to clean and results in huge cost savings.
A Better Clean:
Microfiber products leave surfaces free of any foreign material such as lint and cotton fibers usually left behind by traditional cotton rags. I also love them because they are streak free. We use a very tightly woven cloth for glass and mirrors with just tap water and the results are amazing. You won’t believe how clean your glass and mirrors get after a few uses as you remove years of cleaning solution build up.
Greatly Reduced Cross Transmission:
Microfiber products are the most effective way to reduce cross transmission or cross contamination. Microfiber products are now standard in most healthcare facilities and schools due to this very important benefit. To explain, the microfibers hold the soil and bacteria in the cloth so when you clean the next surface, you are not spreading soil and bacteria from the previous surface you just cleaned. At ProCare, we go one step further to prevent cross transmission by using a color coded system: green for countertops, sinks and fixtures; yellow for toilets; blue for glass and mirrors; and red for furniture and stainless steel. By doing it this way, we assure that we don’t clean a surface, such as a sink, with a cloth that was just used to clean a toilet (ewwww.) As we become more aware of infectious bacteria such as HIV, H1N, Staph and Influenza, preventing cross transmission is an important step in keeping a healthy, clean environment.
Other Benefits:
Microfiber products do not affect the “shine” of a surface. They are non-abrasive therefore they leave no scratches or dulling of the surface. Microfiber mops clean a much larger surface area than conventional mops and are 5 times less expensive to clean.
Cost Savings Summary:
By making the switch to microfiber products you can realize significant cost savings including:
• Greatly reduced or completely eliminated need to buy expensive cleaning products and solutions. Tap water and a cloth is all you really need.
• They are durable and reusable and should last for several years under normal usage.
• Reduced usage of paper products, especially expensive paper towels.
I hope I’ve made a strong case for microfiber products! They have become the single most important tool we use in our commercial cleaning business. It’s time to pitch dad’s old cotton t-shirts and recycled bath towels, paper towels and box-o-rags and get on the microfiber bandwagon.
Until next time! Peace!
Todd
ProCare Professional Cleaning provides a single source for all of your janitorial and commercial cleaning needs, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year including:
Day or Night Janitorial Services
Office Cleaning
Healthcare & Medical Facilities Cleaning
Restroom Sanitization
Comprehensive Hard Floor Care
Carpet Cleaning
Special Event Detailing and Services
Window Cleaning
We offer commercial cleaning services to the Georgetown, Round Rock, Leander, Cedar Park and Austin Texas area providing commercial and industrial clients with a full range of janitorial and commercial cleaning services customized based on their individual needs.
Please visit us at www.procarepro.com