Month: October 2025

Karaoke Capers @ Peek-A-Booze

Just had to share this  before bed. I know my “Work Wife” (Maria) is going to  kill me for posting this tomorrow !!! 😂 (Not literarily btw!) Bethan will probably say it’s sweet that I sang Maria a song. (And probably laugh!) 😂

So I was in Peek -A-Booze, which is a LGBT Cabaret Bar, here in Blackpool and as it was Karaoke, I decided to go down and sing Maria a song. ❤️ I did send it to her via WhatsApp btw! 😂 😂 😂

I love Peek-A-Booze, as it is such a fun bar and Ash is a brilliant Bar Maid! (Such a laugh!)

A Guide to Asbestos

 Asbestos is a group of naturally occurring fibrous minerals that were once widely used in building materials for insulation and fire resistance. Asbestos is is a health hazard when its fibres become airborne, which can happen if it is disturbed or damaged, leading to serious lung diseases. Although banned in the UK in 1999, buildings constructed or refurbished before 2000 may still contain it, and its handling is now strictly regulated. It may hide in cement, floor tiles, insulation, walls and pipes.

Asbestos in your home can be dangerous if disturbed. If licensed professionals encapsulate it, or it remains in good condition and undisturbed, the risk is lower. But as asbestos ages, wears down or is disrupted, the risk increases. No amount of exposure to asbestos is safe. Prolonged or repeated exposure can cause mesothelioma, lung cancer and other asbestos-related diseases. Asbestos fibres can get stuck in tissues in your body. These fibres in your body can cause irritation that over time can lead to the development of Mesothelioma. This aggressive cancer forms tumours on the lining of the lungs, abdomen or heart.

Asbestos is a natural mineral known for its strength and heat resistance. Toxic asbestos fibres were mixed into construction materials like cement, floor tiles, insulation, walls and pipes. Many older homes, particularly those built before the 1980s, still contain these legacy asbestos products. If you’re DIY-ing renovations like taking down walls, removing popcorn ceilings or replacing floor tiles, use caution. Asbestos fibres can be released into the air and inhaled.

There may be a wide range of asbestos products in your home, including paint, insulation and floor tiles. Vintage consumer products in your home such as ovens, heaters, clothes dryers and refrigerators can also contain asbestos.

Older Products in Homes That May Contain Asbestos

  • Appliances
  • Cement asbestos board siding/ undersheeting
  • Insulation (attic, furnace, pipe, wall)
  • Felt backing (flooring, roofing, wallpaper)
  • Popcorn ceilings
  • Textured paint
  • Cold Water Tanks
  • Fire Surrounds

Common Exposure Scenarios

Asbestos exposure in your home can happen in a few ways. Examples include DIY renovation, drilling through drywall, replacing an old pipe or removing popcorn ceilings. These activities can release tiny asbestos fibres into the air, contaminating the room. If fibres settle on your clothes, hair, skin or shoes, you can carry them through your home, spreading the risk to others in your household. Attic insulation in older homes may contain asbestos that could fall through ceiling cracks.

Attic Renovation

Risky scenario: While remodelling the attic of your 1960s home, you find piles of brown pebble-like insulation. You decide to replace the old insulation with new fiberglass. This would save money in the winter months. You scoop the loose insulation into some garbage bags and install the new material.

Safe scenario: You suspect your attic is insulated with asbestos-containing vermiculite. You don’t want to disturb the material, which would spread asbestos fibres into the air. You leave the insulation alone and have it professionally tested for asbestos.

Drilling into Asbestos in Drywall

Risky scenario: You decide to renovate your home and remove part of a wall to open up your kitchen. You use tools to cut and remove the drywall, which generates a lot of dust.

Safe scenario: You suspect your older home was built with asbestos-containing drywall. You’re concerned if you take down the wall, asbestos fibres from the drywall will escape into your home. You opt for testing for asbestos before starting renovations  Loose vinyl tiles can expose asbestos-containing adhesive.

Removing Vinyl Floor Tiles

Risky scenario: You’ve just bought a 1950s fixer-upper in your hometown. Your first project is to upgrade the master bathroom. You decide to remove the vinyl floor tile. You remove the existing tiles with a scraper and install the new tile.

Safe scenario: You’re aware that asbestos was a common component in vinyl floor tiles in the 1950s. You know that using a scraper to remove the old flooring can release dangerous asbestos fibres. You consult an expert about testing and safe removal of the old tile or installing new tile over the asbestos-containing tile. Scraping a popcorn ceiling containing asbestos can be hazardous without proper masks and ventilation.

I have Asbestos Cement in the floor tiles in my bedroom. I leave my floor well alone, as I know how dangerous damaging the tiles can be.

Popcorn Ceiling Removal

Risky scenario: You’re tired of the popcorn texture on the ceilings in your home. You know many popcorn ceilings can contain hidden asbestos, but you decide to scrape it off and repaint with a smooth finish anyway. After putting on eye protection and a dust mask, you grab a ladder and go to work. After lots of scraping, a little sanding and some careful painting, you’re finally done.

But scraping the ceiling released tiny asbestos fibres into the air. These fibres easily got past your dust mask. This elevates your risk of inhaling asbestos fibres, which can cause mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.

Safe scenario: You know that if untouched, popcorn ceilings are generally considered safe. But if you try to remove it, asbestos fibres can become airborne. You also know looking at a ceiling likely won’t help you determine if it contains asbestos. Testing is the only way to know for sure. And DIY asbestos test kits are available, but they aren’t recommended.

So you hire licensed professionals to test for asbestos. These well-respected asbestos experts have the correct equipment for the job and know how to remove asbestos according to regulations and safety measures. They safely remove the asbestos-containing popcorn ceiling for you. Asbestos insulation around pipes is not uncommon, and cutting the insulation could disperse asbestos fibres.

Cutting Insulation on Pipes

Risky scenario: When fixing up the basement of your late-1800s Victorian home, you notice the insulation around some of the hot water pipes is starting to deteriorate. To keep heat efficiency, you cut the old insulation with a utility knife. Then, you replace it with new fiberglass insulation.

Safe scenario: You know that many old plumbing systems have asbestos insulation. The insulation may pose an exposure risk even before starting the project. But cutting the damaged material would release even more fibres into the air. You hire an asbestos professional to safely remove or seal the insulation.

What Can I Do About Asbestos in My Home?

The Health and Safety Executive recommends testing your home for asbestos if the building materials are damaged or you plan on disturbing them. Testing is recommended if you have damaged drywall or insulation. It’s also needed if you’re planning to remodel.

Disturbing these materials can release asbestos fibres into the air. Generally, you can’t tell which materials contain asbestos unless they’re labelled. If the building materials are in good condition or if you’re not planning a home remodel, testing is generally not required.

If you find something in your home that you suspect is asbestos, don’t touch it. Even if the material is in good condition, the best option is to leave it alone. If you do disturb something you think is  Asbestos, seal off the room and call a professional trained in dealing with Asbestos.

How Can I Tell if a Material in My House Is Asbestos?

It’s extremely difficult to identify asbestos just by looking at it, so you need to send samples to a lab for testing. It is not recommended to collect samples yourself. It’s safer to hire a trained asbestos professional for the job. They know what products to test and how to collect samples.  Search for “asbestos inspection” online to find a licensed expert in your area.

What About In The Workplace?

There should be an Asbestos Register, if your workplace has Asbestos present. It should list the locations of Asbestos Containing Materials, (ACM’s) what sort of ACM it is and any other relevant information. Your workplace should also have a Asbestos Management Plan, to keep you and other employees safe. This includes a procedure for accidental exposure. You can ask your Employer to show you this information, if needed. At our shop, it is in a Polypocket, on our Kitchen Notice Board.

What Does Asbestos Look Like?

  • Asbestos ore in its natural form may appear in a range of colours, including white, green, blue and brown. When asbestos is processed it breaks down into fluffy fibres.
  • Asbestos in household products is hard to spot by sight. But you may see asbestos fibres in damaged materials that contain asbestos.
  • When damaged, asbestos materials may show small, fuzzy fibres. They may look like frayed fabric. However, seeing fibres protruding from a product does not mean it contains asbestos. Only testing can confirm the presence of asbestos.

How Much Asbestos Exposure Is Harmful?

In general, it takes a lot of repeated exposure to asbestos for related conditions to develop. It is rare for someone to get sick from asbestos products in their home, but it is possible. Most people with asbestos-related diseases were exposed to asbestos at work for years. About 20% of heavily exposed asbestos workers end up developing a related condition.

Asbestos Safety Dos and Don’ts

If you own an older home, take every precaution to avoid damaging materials that may contain asbestos.

Do

  • Avoid any contact with dangerous asbestos materials.
  • Take every precaution not to damage any materials that may contain asbestos.
  • Get a survey, when buying a home. If you are renting, ask if there is a Asbestos Inspection Report and ask for a copy of it.
  • Only hire trained professionals for asbestos inspections, testing, repairs or removal.
  • If you plan to demolish a building, contact your local Council and get a demolition survey done.

Don’t

  • Don’t saw, sand, scrape, drill or disturb materials that may contain asbestos.
  • Don’t sweep, vacuum or dust debris that may contain asbestos.
  • Don’t collect asbestos samples for testing without proper training.
  • Don’t perform any work on or near asbestos materials unless you’re trained and certified.
  • Don’t remove asbestos unless repair or concealment is impossible, and there’s a high risk for exposure.
  • Don’t dispose of asbestos materials with normal household waste.

Even if a repair seems minor, you should hire a professional when asbestos may be present. Improper handling of safely managed asbestos can create a new risk of exposure.

What do I do if I am Exposed to Asbestos?

If you are concerned that you were exposed to asbestos, start by speaking to your GP. (Do not attend A&E) Your GP can arrange tests, to see if asbestos is present in your lungs. However, it can take some time for these signs to show, so you may not be able to find out instantly. However, it will get put on your health care record that you have been exposed.

Sources

Managing Body Fluid Spills

Today, I had the unfortunate job of cleaning up body fluids. I won’t say what sort of body fluids it was, (or name and shame the individual) but lets just say it was RANK and that person should of known better! 🤢 It needed full PPE to clean that mess up. It lead to a a new radio keyword for cleaning emergencies. If you are in the shop and hear “Code Brown”, you know something needs cleaning.

Put it this way, a strongly worded notice has gone up!

Anyway, lets talk about cleaning up body fluids.

Body Fluids can mean several different things: Urine, Blood, Semen, Saliva and Feces. (Poo) Of course, this is not an extensive list, but you get the idea These body fluids, pose a real risk to our health and should be cleaned up, using the correct procedure.

Think Health and Safety: Always wear the appropriate PPE, when dealing with body fluids. (Apron, gloves, protective eyewear)

The Basics

The basic principles of blood and body fluid/substance spills management are:

  • standard precautions apply, including use of personal protective equipment (PPE), as applicable
  • spills should be cleared up before the area is cleaned (adding cleaning liquids to spills increases the size of the spill and should be avoided)
  • generation of aerosols from spilled material should be avoided.

Using these basic principles, the management of spills should be flexible enough to cope with different types of spills, taking into account the following factors:

  • the nature (type) of the spill (for example, sputum, vomit, faeces, urine, blood or laboratory culture)
  • the pathogens most likely to be involved in these different types of spills.
  • the size of the spill – for example, spot (few drops), small (10cm) 10>
  • the type of surface – for example, carpet or impervious flooring
  • the location involved – that is, whether the spill occurs in a contained area (such as a toilet) or in a larger area, which is open to the public. (For instance, a classroom, or a shop_
  • whether there is any likelihood of bare skin contact with the soiled (contaminated) surface.

Standard cleaning equipment, including a mop, cleaning bucket and cleaning agents, should be readily available for spills management. It should also be stored in an area known to all. This is particularly important in clinical areas.

To help manage spills in areas where cleaning materials may not be readily available, a disposable ‘spills kit’ could be used. (See Below)

Equipment

You will need the appropriate equipment, for dealing with body spills

  • appropriate leak-proof bags and containers for disposal of waste material
  • a designated, sturdy scraper and pan for spills (similar to a ‘pooper scooper’)
  • about five sachets of a granular formulation containing 10,000 ppm available chlorine or equivalent (each sachet should contain sufficient granules to cover a 10-cm diameter spill)
  • disposable rubber gloves suitable for cleaning (vinyl gloves are not recommended for handling blood)
  • eye protection (disposable or reusable)
  • a plastic apron

Procedure for cleaning up Body Fluids

Small Spills

Spots or drops of blood or other small spills (up to 10 cm) can easily be managed by wiping the area immediately with paper towels, and then cleaning with warm water and detergent, followed by rinsing and drying the area. Dry the area, as wet areas attract contaminants.

A strong anti-germicide disinfectant, should always be used.

Larger Spills

Where appropriate, close off the area. (Where large spills (more than 10 cm, or where a spillage have occurred in a ‘wet’ area, such as a bathroom or toilet area) I normally use my closed for cleaning floor sign for this. The spill should be carefully washed off into the sewerage system using copious amounts of water and the area flushed with warm water and detergent.

Where the spill is on the floor: Use a spills kit, to contain the spill. A scraper and pan should be used to remove the absorbed material. Use blue paper towels to scoop up the the granules, which should be put into a yellow clinical waste bag. The area of the spill should then be cleaned with a mop, and bucket of warm water and detergent. The bucket and mop should be thoroughly cleaned after use and stored dry.

Large blood spills should be contained and generation of aerosols should be avoided.

The Use of Bleach

It is generally unnecessary to use sodium hypochlorite (Bleach) for managing spills, but it may be used in specific circumstances. It is recognised, however, that some people may feel more reassured that the risk of infection is reduced if sodium hypochlorite is used. There is no evidence of benefit from an infection control perspective. Hypochlorites are corrosive to metals and must be rinsed off after 10 minutes and the area dried.

However, in many places, a blanket is in place, prohibiting the use of sodium hypochlorite, so it may not be possible to use bleach, depending on the policies n your workplace. We at BHF, are not allowed to use bleach, so a strong anti-germicide disinfectant, is what I will use.

Spills Kits

While spill kits are designed for certain spills, all spill kits usually consist of the same three elements: PPE, sorbents, and clean-up items.

Spills Kits include the following:

  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Whether the kit is designed for oils pills or a battery acid spill, there is always some type of PPE included in a spill kit. The most common types of PPE used for spills are eye and face protection, gloves, booties/shoe covers, and chemical spills usually require the use of a disposable lab coat, respiratory protection, and a corrosive resistant apron.
  • Absorbents: These are items like mops, cloths, sponges, loose powder, etc. that are created out of material capable of absorbing and containing a spill. Absorbents in put in kits based upon the type of material they are designed to soak up. For example, all-purpose absorbents are placed in universal spill kits, but a battery acid spill kit is much more likely to contain and absorbent with a chemical neutralizer.
  • Clean-up materials: Spill kits should have a dust pan or scoop to soak up the spill. Kits will also almost always include plastic bags for used PPE items to be put in for disposal. The kit itself should come in a container large enough for the potential spill. In addition to having appropriate supplies to clean the pill, the kit should include disposal materials and instructions for the worker. By properly disposing of spills and the clean-up of spills, it reduces/eliminates the potential for an environmental or public risk hazard.

Sources:

Another Day at the BHF

It’s been another busy day at the shop. Today, has been mixed duties, between cleaning and working on the shop floor. Between 2 – 3 was the busiest period on the shop floor and I had a queue of customers, wanting serving. However, the lovely Pat was on hand to give me some help.

Between that, I have tried to unblock the hoover. However, it’s a non starter, as the head does not come off the pole and taking it apart doesn’t help. Plus the tub vac is missing it’s poles and hose is missing, so I am going to see if we can get a replacement. I could really do with a upright for the stock room and stairs. The kitchen and toilets got there usual clean and I managed to get round to sorting the back lobby out and with the help of Ella, took out all the cardboard and emptied the bins.

I didn’t get round to doing the stairs, but that’s a job for tomorrow 🙂

Maintaining your Tub Vacuum Cleaner

Your Vacuum Cleaner is one of the most important tools, in your arsenal of cleaning equipment. Tub Vacs, come in all shapes and sizes, from the Numatic International range of tub vacs, (Henry, Hetty, George etc) to machines that can do wet and dry, shampooing and machines specialising in picking up hazardous materials.

So it is important that we keep our tub vacs properly maintained. If dirt builds up in the machine, it can lose suction power, making it less efficient, or cause it to block or even overheat, which can lead to a fire. A well maintained tub vac is a happy tub vac and will give you years of faithful service, if it is well looked after.

In this guide, we will look at how to maintain your tub vac and keep it at it’s best.

Clean the Filters Monthly

Dust and debris can build up quickly on your vacuum’s filter, reducing its suction power. That’s why it’s important for you to clean it out every month.

If they are washable, rinse them under luke warm water. Do not use any chemicals, as this can damage the filter. If it is non washable, take it outside and give it a hard whack against a wall, to dislodge any debris.

Think Health and Safety: Make sure to wear a dust mask and protective clothing when cleaning non washable filters. The face mask, will stop you inhaling the dust, while the protective clothing, will prevent you from getting dirty!

Clear any Blockages

Tube and/or hose blockages in your vacuum cleaner are another cause of poor suction. Fortunately, it’s easy to clear them.

  • For the floor brush, use a screwdriver to undo the screws holding the brush assembly. Be careful when removing the brush, as the plate is spring loaded. You can then use a flat head screwdriver, to pull the gunk out the neck of the the pipe. On some models, the neck has a clip, which allows you to disassemble it.
  • For the pipes: Disconnect the pipes from your tub hoover and use a hose to wash out the inside. You can feed the hose down the pipe, is it is easier. You can also do this for the telescopic poles too. Make sure to wait for the pipes \ poles to dry, before recaching them to your tub hoover.

Empty the Bag When Full

Your Tub Vac will loose suction, once the bag is full. Once it is full, it will need changing. You risk causing the bag to explode, if you carry on using the tub vac with a full bag. So it is important to stop when the bag is full and swap it for a new bag.

Keep your Tub Vac Clean

I wash out my Tub Vacs once a week. Thankfully, the motor casing, clips onto the top, so I can wash out the tub where the bag sits. This involves removing the motor off the top and removing the bag. Then I wash out the tub out with mild disinfectant and warm water. Once washed out, I tip out the water and use blue paper roll to dry it out, before reattaching the bag and motor casing.

I also give the outside of the casing a wipe, with a damp cloth, making sure to be careful around the switches. Alternatively, cleaning wipes, is another good way to give the outside of your tub vac a good clean.

The wheels are what keeps your tub vac moving and they can also get caked up. I spray mine with a little DW40, to get the gunk loosened and then use my flathead, to remove the grease and gunk from the wheels.

Check the Hoses, Plug and Cabling Regularly

You should check your hoses, to make sure they are not kinked or have tears in them. This can inevitably cause loss of suction. Kinks can easily be fixed, by gently untwisting the hose. Tears on the other hand, will require a replacement hose. This will be something that your supervisor will normally need to order.

It is important to check the cabling, to make sure it isn’t damaged and inspect the plug, to make sure that it is secure, isn’t damaged and the pins are not loose. I also check the cabling for nicks in the sheath and for any damage to the cable itself. I check both my tub vacs, each time I use the Tub Vac. If your machine has a damaged plug or cabling, DO NOT USE IT – Put a Notice on it to warn others not to use it and report it to your supervisor.

The same goes, if the motor is making fully sounds or if you smell burning. In these cases, yank out the plug, alert your supervisor and put a do not use notice on it.

Talking of cabling, it is important not to overstretch the cabling when vacuuming. This can cause the cable to become damaged. It is also important not to allow cables to trail across a room, as this can be a tripping hazard. Where possible, unplug and move to another socket, when hoovering a large space. If this is not possible, put a Cleaning In Progress Sign, over the cable, so people can see you are cleaning.

Make sure to use the cable rewind, if your tub vac has one. If not, make sure to securely wrap the cable round the machine and secure the plug, when storing.

 

Washroom Deep Cleaning

 

Today’s task, was to sort out the Washroom. It was a right mess and needed urgently attending to. it was a job that I knew needed to be done and would take up most of my day. The 1st job, was to empty the room of anything that was not fixed down. This meant carrying thing out and cluttering the break area. However, there was no where else to put it all.

Here’s our empty washroom. It needed a good clean, so that was the 1st job on the agenda. The good old Vel Mop came out and I used this to sweep the floor clean.

As you can see, the lino was looking rather tired and dirty and that was my next job on the agenda. If you have seen my post on cleaning Safety Lino, you will know that is a real pain in the neck to get clean.

Thankfully, this is where neat disinfectant poured on to the floor and a deck brush comes in handy. The deck brush. gets deep down dirt (which is stuck in the abrasive surface of the floor) out. I also used my deck brush, to scrub the skirting boards clean, at the same time. (Making sure to rinse my deck brush in the bucket, at regular intervals)

 

Here is the floor, after it had been scrubbed with the deck brush. It looks so much brighter and alot more clean! I really had to scrub it hard, to get it to look this good! (Good old elbow grease was needed here!)

Once scrubbed, I washed the floor with clean water. Because of the cleaning process, it took ages for the floor to dry and left footprints, every time that  someone went to the loo, so I was continuously having to re-mop, which slowed the drying process down.

Thankfully, I was able to put the heater on, which helped to dry the floor. The floor was dry the time I had finished covered on the shop floor.

 

Putting everything back was the last job. Both of my Tub Hoovers, (We have a pair of Henry Vacuum Cleaners) plus the mop, vel mop, buckets and the box that I keep all the toilet rolls, paper towels and spare hoover bags, needed putting back neatly.

As you can see, the space is much tidier now and you no longer fall over things to get to the sink.

I hope the washroom remains tidy, after spending most of the day sorting it out. My boss was really impressed with what I have done and the effort I have put in.

 

Finally, I have to post this – Lucy (Our Deputy Manager) took this picture of me in my Tabard, rubber gloves and radio in hand. I am also wearing my new glasses, which look really nice on me.

My neighbour Steph also had come into the shop today with her fella, so it was nice to see her. I served her at the till, while I was on lunchtime cover.

I am back in tomorrow and have a list as long as my arm of jobs to do. It never stops at the BHF, but that’s how I like it.

 We are a great team and I love everyone I work with. (Especially Maria, Lucy and Bethan!)

Keeping your Cleaning Store Organised

It is important that you keep your cleaning store organised. This helps to make your job easier, as you will be able to find everything much quicker.

Lets have a look at how we organise your cupboard or cleaning store.

Mechanical Equipment

Mechanical equipment, such as vacuum cleaners, floor polishers, scrubber washer dryers, trollies, and buckets, should be kept together, against the edge of the wall. Drum vacuum cleaners, should have their hoses disconnected and should have hoses hung on hooks. In addition, wet floor signs should be either

Mops

Mops should be hung up to dry on hooks. the mop head should never be allowed to touch the floor, as this can cause cross contamination. Spare mop heads should be kept on the shelves, in your cleaning store.

Scrubbing and Polishing Pads

These should be rinsed out and then hung up on hooks to dry out.

Organising Your Shelves

Your shelves should be tidy, with everything neatly organised. I suggest having a shelf for your cloths, bin bags, dusters etc. On another shelf, have your chemicals, making sure that your frequently used chemicals, (such as toilet cleaners, cleaning sprays etc.) Make sure that you rotate your stock, to make sure that you use the older chemicals 1st.

On your very top shelf, keep your paper products, such as toilet rolls, paper towels, blue paper rolls etc.

I suggest having a pair of plastic swing bins under the shelves. One can be used for keeping your clean mop heads in. (Such as Kentucky Mop Heads and Socket Mop Heads) Use the other one for your dirties, which need to be laundered. (Mop Heads and Cloths)

Finally, keep all your 5L bottles on the floor. (Floor Cleaners, Floor Polishes, Strippers and Liquid Soap, that come in these commercial size containers.

Keep Your Store Clean

Like anywhere else, it is a good idea to keep your cleaning store clean. Make sure the shelves are wiped down at least once a month and make sure the floor is swept and mopped once a week. Always clean your “Hopper Sink”, each time you empty a bucket or use it to wash out equipment. This will help to maintain a hygienic environment.

Washing Dirty Cloths, Mops and Other Equipment

Mop heads, cloths, tabards etc, should be machine washed, at a minimum of 60 degrees. You should put equipment for the wash, into a red dissolvable bag and placed in your dirty laundry bin, Doing this, means that you don’t have to touch dirty equipment again, when putting it in the washing machine.

Personal Hygiene

It is important that you regularly wash your hands, even if you are wearing gloves. This is a important infection control measure. Alcohol gel is another really good way to keep your hands clean, if they are not visibly soiled and you are not near a sink.

Cleaning Colour Coding

Why do we Colour Code in Cleaning?

Colour Coding, helps to prevent cross contamination. This is why we use the 4 colour codes, when cleaning. You wouldn’t use the same cloth or mop for cleaning the toilet and then use it to clean the kitchen.

What are the colour codes and what are they for?

Red 

Red cloths and equipment is used for toilet areas, that are high risk.

Green 

Green cloths and equipment is used in kitchen areas and is often in restaurant areas too.

Yellow 

Yellow cloths and equipment are mainly used for changing rooms.

Blue 

Blue cloths and equipment are used for general cleaning that is low risk.

A Quick Word On Dusters

10 Dusters Yellow Standard 50 cm x 35 cm

Dusters are yellow, but are used for general low risk cleaning. In colour coding, they can be classified as yellow with red trims.

Keeping Equipment Separate

It is important to keep equipment separated. This includes equipment and cleaning cloths. You should make sure equipment is stored separately at all times.

Mops should be hung up on hooks, along with scrubbing and polishing pads. Cloths should be hung up on string, to drip dry.

A Guide to Floor Maintenance

Floors need maintaining, especially polished floors. There are 2 things that need to be done to maintaining polished floors:

  • Spray Cleaning
  • Full Strip and Polish

We will be looking at both tasks in this guide.

Think Health and Safety: Always wear the correct PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)

Spray Buffing

Spray buffing, is a quick and easy way to clean a polished floor. It takes minimal effort and can be done quite quickly.

For this you will need:

  • A buffing machine with a buffing pad
  • Vel Mop or Vacuum Cleaner
  • Dustpan and Brush
  • Wet Floor Sign
  • Trigger Spray of Floor Maintainer
  1. First, make sure all equipment is assembled.
  2. Make sure to also put your wet floor sign out, with the side marked “Cleaning In Progress” outward.
  3. Now you need to spray the floor, using small amounts on the area you want to clean and use the buffing machine to buff the floor, moving left to right.
  4. Repeat this, working across the room, working from the furthest point towards the door.
  5. Once complete, remove the wet floor sign.

Strip and Polish

This takes considerably longer, so I will break it down into steps.

For this you will need:

  • A buffing machine with a buffing and scrubbing pads
  • Vel Mop or Vacuum Cleaner
  • Colour Coded Mop and Bucket
  • Dustpan and Brush
  • Wet Floor Sign
  • Floor Cleaner
  • Vinegar
  • Polish Remover
  • Non slip High Gloss Floor Polish

Step One: Sweep and Wash the Floor

  1. Make sure to also put your wet floor sign out, with the side marked “Cleaning In Progress” outward.
  2. Use your Vel Mop or the Vacuum Cleaner, to remove the dirt from the floor.
  3. mop and bucket, to wash the floor, using your floor cleaner. Wait for the floor to dry.
  4. Empty your bucket and wash

Step 2 – Strip The Polish

  1. Pour floor stripper into the bucket, (neat) and then systematically mop from the furthest point to the door. You will need to use a scrubbing pad on your machine, to remove the polish.
  2. Let the floor dry.

Step 3: Neutralise

We need to neutralise the floor or the polish will not work. To do this, dilute a cap full of vinegar into a bucket. Mop on, making sure to fully mop the solution into every part of the floor. Using the machine, work across the floor, moving left to right.

Wait for the floor to dry and empty and wash out your bucket.

Apply Polish

Types of Polish: Water-based polish is used for hardwood floors. Polyurethane is an oil-based polish can also be used on wood floors, as well as on lino flooring.

Now we need to apply the polish. To do this, fill your bucket with polish, only using enough for the room you are working on.

Mop using a systematic approach, rom the furthest point to the door.

Wait for the polish to dry and dry and empty and wash out your bucket.

Buff the Floor

Use the machine to buff the floor, working across the room, working from the furthest point towards the door.

Return all equipment and remove the wet floor sign.

And that’s how you maintain a wood and lino floor 🙂

Suggested Products for Floor Care

F2e Carefree Eternum High Gloss Floor Finish 5LEvans Vanodine Clean & Shine Floor Maintainer 5L5 Litre High Solids Floor Polish PN5411 - hygiene4lessEvans5L Floor Stripper (PK-2)

 

Another Busy Day At BHF

It has been another busy day at the shop today. I have been an apprentice till operator, so my ‘Work Wife’: Maria, has been showing me the ropes. I got the hang of it quite quickly! So for once, I was on the shop floor all morning!

At lunch, myself and Maria managed to miss each other again, as we were both going to Macci’s for lunch, but managed to both be in the wrong place at the wrong time!!!!

Then I ended up using my deck brush to scrub the lino in the loos, locker room and the kitchen as part of my daily clean. The Lino has never looked so clean! You can click here, to view my post on cleaning Safety Lino.

I did manage to pick up a bargain though – a really nice hoody, with staff discount. (ÂŁ1.50, which is a real bargain!!)

I’m on the air now with Drivetime.