Hand Tools Of The Trade

The Tools of the Profession

Hand Tools of The Trade

• General Tools– “Rags”

– Pads

– Hand Scrub Brushes

– Hand Brooms

– “Rags-On-A-Stick”

– Containers

Hand Tools of The Trade

• General rules of thumb– Don’t accidentally mix products

• Rinse thoroughly after use

• Don’t allow tools to become A source of cross-contamination

– Store bristles up – don’t crush

– Keep tools clean –

• They tell the story of the tool-user

“Rags”

• Call them “cleaning cloths” not rags– There is power in words – calling them rags implies custodians use only cast-

offs, and reinforces the “non-professional” stereotype

• Cloth – cotton – “diaper” cloths

• Thick• Absorbent• Soft• Washable – long lasting• Expensive initial purchase

Cloths – Cotton (cont.)

• Terry cloth• Bar towels, bath towels, Turkish towels

– Less thick – still thick

– Less absorbent – still absorbent

– Less soft – still soft

– Washable – less long lasting

– Less expensive

Cloths – Cotton (cont.)

• Recycled surgical cloths– Thin

– Less absorbent

– Less soft – almost not

– Washable – less long lasting

– Consistent size (12”x12”)

– Less expensive

Cloths – Cotton (cont.)

• Knits – “t-shirt” scraps– Thin

– Less absorbent – still absorbent

– Less soft – still soft

– Washable – less long lasting

– Odd sizes – some unusable - small

– Less expensive

Cloths – Blends

• Fabric scraps (cotton/polyester)– Thin

– Not very absorbent

– Less soft – almost not

– Washable – less long lasting

– Odd sizes – some unusable – small

– Less expensive

Cloths - Polyester

• Fabric scraps– Thin– Not absorbent– Not soft– Washable – less long lasting– Odd sizes – some unusable – small– Fairly cheap

• Not recommended – do not clean well, streak, don’t dry surfaces well…

Cleaning Cloths

• Paper & cloth blends– Wipers

• Thin• Levels of softness• Levels of absorbency• Consistent size• Disposable• Expensive – disposable

• Best used to clean a soil that would ruin A washable cloth – wipe up and toss

Cleaning Cloths

• Microfiber cleaning cloths– New technology

• Pick up and hold more soil than conventional cloths or wipers

– Washable

– Long-lasting

– Compare the useable life and the cleaning time saved with the cost to determine value

Using Cleaning Cloths

• 8-sided Cleaning Cloth

• Turn over for four more sides

Laundering Cleaning Cloths• Using bleach to decontaminate shortens usable life – bleach eats holes in

cotton– 10% bleach & water solution will kill some germs

• 10% solution = 12.8 oz./gal.• Washing machine holds 10 gallons water…• = 1 gallon bleach per load !

• Using Vindicator+ @ ½ - oz./gal. kills more germs – it just doesn’t whiten• Do not mix quat disinfectants and bleach!• Do not mix quat disinfectants and laundry soap!• Decontaminate, rinse, then launder.

Hand Scrub Pads• Used for scrubbing

– Different colors = different aggressiveness • Black – most aggressive• Brown – next most aggressive• Green – almost the same as brown• White – almost like A cloth• New blue – claim to have the aggressiveness of A green pad and the

gentleness of a white pad– Even so, use caution – some surfaces (chrome) may be scratched by A

calloused finger• Use a pad appropriate to the surface to be cleaned – don’t damage

(scratch) the surface

Hand Scrub Pads

• Rinse after use and allow to dry– Don’t accidentally mix powdered cleanser with quat disinfectants

• Do not use the same pad to clean toilets and sinks.– Store separately

Hand Scrub Brushes

• Many shapes, sizes and strengths & purposes• Short handled, long handled, or no handled• For scrubbing uneven or rough surfaces• Rinse after use• Store bristles up – don’t crush

Hand Scrapers

• Putty knife• Hand scraper (razor blade)• Use to remove foreign substances from surfaces – gum,

candy, mineral deposits, floor finish from edges, fly specks from windows, etc.

• Don’t scratch the surface• Keep clean & dry

Hand Brushes

• Counter brushes (brooms)• Whisk brooms• Keep tools clean• Store bristles up – don’t crush

“Rag-On-A-Stick”

• As a general rule of thumb, the farther you can get away from the soil, the faster you can clean it.

• Floors were, at one time, washed on hands and knees with a rag. Someone put the rag on A stick, invented the mop, put some distance between the hand and the soil, and speeded up the process

• Any time you can put the rag on a stick, you’ll clean faster

Tools-On-Sticks• Damp Mops• Deep Action Mops• Bowl Mops• Dust Mops

– Dust Magnet

• Pad Holders (Doodle-Bugs)• Swivel-Scrub Brushes• Deck Brushes• Push Brooms• Warehouse Brooms• Kitchen Brooms• Lobby (Toy) Brooms• Scrapers

• Dusters– Feather– Lamb’s Wool– Synthetic Lamb’s Wool– Cotton– Duster Covers – Extension

• 3’ – 30’– Pipe Dusters

• Flood Suckers• Paint Rollers• Tennis Ball• Other Specialty Tools

Damp Mops

• 16, 20, 24, 32 ounce weights/sizes (S., M., L.)• 1” or 5” headbands (for handle style) • Cotton, blends, and synthetic fibers• Cut-end, loop-end, banded

– Cotton cut-end cheapest – shortest life• General purpose

– Blend loop-end, banded - more expensive• Rinses cleaner, lasts longer

– Rayon cut/loop-end, banded or not• Special purpose – only use as finish mops

Damp Mops

• Clean after use, wring as dry as possible, hang to dry• Damp mops are a prime source of closet odor

– Left wet, piled in a corner they will grow molds and mildews and contaminate more than clean

Damp Mops

• Some damp mops can be laundered to extend their usable life – reducing cost

• “I don’t have a place to hang my mop”– Clean, wring out, drape over the wringer dripping into the mop bucket

• Where there’s a will, there’s a way!

Damp Mops

• Use separate mops for rest rooms, locker rooms, shower rooms; kitchens & dining rooms; & general use– Don’t allow your tools to become A source of cross-contamination

– Mop heads are available in different colors – makes keeping them dedicated to an area easier.

Damp Mops

• Microfiber Damp Mops– New technology

– New method of use

– Washable

– Long-lasting

• Compare usable life, and time savings to cost to determine value

Damp Mop Handles

• Many styles– Loose-bar, fixed bar, “clamp”, screw-in, etc.

• Each has advantages & disadvantages

• Many materials– Wood & steel, plastic, fiberglass, aluminum…

• Each has advantages & disadvantages

Bowl Mops (Swabs)

• Don’t use the same bowl mop in bowls, sinks & drinking fountains– Don’t laugh – it happens!

• Rinse thoroughly after use– Don’t accidentally mix products

• Quat disinfectants & acid cleaners, if mixed, release noxious gasses

Bowl Mops (Swabs)

• Hang to dry– If not allowed to dry – become breeding ground for bacteria, molds &

mildew

• Don’t allow your tools to become sources of contamination

Dust Mops

• Disposable/reusable; pre-treated/not; cut-end/loop-end; 3”/5” wide; 12”/18”/24”/36”/48”/60”/72” long; “quick-change” or swivel handle styles – etc., etc.

Dust Mops

• Use a brush or vacuum to clean after use– Treat new dust mops w/ Super Hil-tone @ 2 oz. per linear foot– Retreat @ 1 oz. per linear foot– Hang, head down, overnight before using

• Treating and using immediately will create slippery floors

• Some styles may be laundered to extend usable life

Dust Mops

• Dust magnet– Synthetic sheet – uses static charge

– Seem expensive at first glance

• If used once and tossed

• If cleaned and reused can be competitively priced

– Light weight, maneuverable, no treatment, cleans corners…

Dust Mops

• Microfiber– New technology

– Washable

– Long-lasting

– Weigh the useable life against the price to determine value

Brooms

• Many sizes, styles, fibers – each has specific purpose– Push brooms

• Fine to coarse bristles – straight or “flagged”– Choose by surface & soil size – Push broom blocks have two handle holes – change sides to wear

bristles evenly

• “Corn brooms”– Large to small; coarse to “flagged”; straight or angled

• Choose by surface & soil size

Brooms

• Clean regularly to keep bristles from matting• Store with bristles up & out to prevent flattening and

shaping

Dusters

• Many materials– Feathers, lamb’s wool, synthetics, cotton…

• Many sizes– 12” – 30’

• Use carefully – don’t chase dust from one place to another

• Keep clean & store properly

Dusters

• Duster Covers– Use static charge to hold dust

– Use & dispose

– Relatively inexpensive considering how many dusters they save

Containers

• Utility pails– Pail and cloth cleaning often faster than spray and wipe cleaning

• Keep pails clean

• Mop buckets & wringers– Clean after use – especially stripper & finish

– Wringer styles – down press & side press

• Each has advantages and disadvantages

Waste Containers

• Small, medium, large, larger, really large, huge.– Waste baskets to tilt trucks

• Soft plastic, hard plastic, metal• Always use a liner – or several if leaky

Waste Containers

• Whatever the size, style, or material – they all need to be cleaned – routinely – Inside & outside

– Sanitary cans & bio-hazard waste cans & laundry containers

• Need to be decontaminated (disinfected)

Summary

• Custodian’s hand tools are the tools of the trade – keep them clean and store them neatly (a place for everything and everything in its place)– You never see a mechanic toss a greasy wrench into a jumbled tool

box…

– If you did, would you come back?

Summary

• The condition of the worker’s tools tells the observer much about the quality of their work and the quality of the worker.

Hand-Tools of the Trade

Are there any

Questions?

Quiz1. The two consistent rules of tool care are:

, and .

2. Use different damp mops in different areas to prevent .

3. (T/F) Treat dust mops immediately before use.4. (T/F) Add disinfectant with detergent when you launder cleaning

cloths to kill germs.5. (T/F) Waste cans don’t need liners since they’re washed out

regularly.

Quiz6. (T/F) Mop buckets should never be left filled with cleaning

solution overnight.7. (T/F) Push broom blocks have two holes; one for left-handed

people and one for right-handed people.8. (T/F) If cleaning cloths are large enough, they can have up to 16

usable sides.9. Cleaning pad color tells you how they are.10. (T/F) The condition of your cleaning tools tells the observer a lot

about you.

Answers1. The two consistent rules of tool care are: keep them clean, and

store them properly .2. Use different damp mops in different areas to prevent cross

contamination .3. (F) Treat dust mops immediately before use.4. (F) Add disinfectant with detergent when you launder cleaning

cloths to kill germs.5. (F) Waste cans don’t need liners since they’re washed out

regularly.

Quiz6. (T) Mop buckets should never be left filled with cleaning solution

overnight.7. (F) Push broom blocks have two holes; one for left-handed

people and one for right-handed people.8. (T) If cleaning cloths are large enough, they can have up to 16

usable sides.9. Cleaning pad color tells you how aggressive they are.10. (T) The condition of your cleaning tools tells the observer a lot

about you.

Hand Tools of The Trade

Thank You For Your Participation