When it comes to excitement in the cleaning industry, floor care is center stage for cutting edge innovation and technology. Everything about floor care is in flux, from the products and equipment we buy, to the processes we use and the surfaces we clean and maintain. The speed and depth of change is creating turbulence and uncertainty for manufacturers, business owners and department managers as the industry transitions from the familiar ground of “how things have been done in the past” to the uncertainty of an unknown future that is rapidly evolving.
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Filed under: Carpet, Floor Care by William Griffin
Originally Published: CMM April 2013

Concrete Cleaning, Maintenance and Restoration
Buck fifty to as much as $5.00 or more per square foot to clean, polish, stain, densify and recoat those concrete floors you walk over every day. Price varies from area to area, the size of the job and the specific services you are providing. There is no reason to let someone else make that kind of money when it could be yours for the asking. Being able to service this growing market will open doors to both residential and commercial accounts. The good news is that you probably have most of the equipment needed to get started. What you will need is training, a little practice, a few supplies and a willingness to see concrete as an opportunity for profit.
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Filed under: Floor Care by William Griffin
Originally Published: Clean Fax April 2013

In our life time it seems as if the demands on management, production workers and vendors to get more done in less time and with money has never been greater. These are the realities of a changing world and a maturing industry, economy and nation. This trend has been evolving over the last 30 years and I don’t expect it will stop or reverse itself in the future. In fact, I would expect the process to continue to accelerate as we find ways to deal with increasing demands and expectations.

Our greatest challenge won’t be in getting the work done, but in preparing ourselves to cope with the speed of change. The only real opportunity for success in this effort is to hire, train and retain the best workers available.
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Filed under: Training by William Griffin
Originally Published: CMM April 2013

Hello from China. I’ve heard about the China Clean Expo for several years and always thought it would be a good learning experience. Being one who is willing to go to the ends of the earth to learn more about cleaning, I put it on my schedule and bought a ticket to Shanghai.

It took about 14 hours to get here from Seattle via Tokyo Japan on a sometimes bumpy, but otherwise uneventful flight. I know that airplane food has gone downhill over the years, but the mystery meat Delta served for dinner didn’t look or taste like any chicken I’d ever eaten before. Luckily I wasn’t very hungry.

Shanghai China is a big city, with 23 million residents. The air, water and streets are dirty, but the taxis are plentiful and cheap. People here seem to like Americans, several told me that they envy the freedoms we have and the guns we own. People in China don’t get to vote and the police, who are everywhere, don’t carry a gun.
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Filed under: Uncategorized by William Griffin
Originally Published: CMM April 2013