Cleaning systems for buildings are coming of age. Today, the market has many products that serve every need of households, apartments, hospitals and other buildings. From innovations in mops to the use of products made of bacteria that eat up the dirt to metal polish, there are umpteen products that make cleaning easier. Stylish soap dispensers that cost Rs. 200 onwards, clean air dispensers that cost Rs. 1,000 onwards, hand driers that cost upwards of Rs. 4,000 are now available. Automatic paper dispensers, which make getting hold of paper towels in bathrooms easier, have hit the market.
If you are fed up of using cotton towels for kitchen chores and wiping your hands, use napkin rolls. You can roll them from a couple of inches to any length, cut and use them. The unit comes with a blade that makes tearing easier.
Mops and poles
Modern mops seem to have introduced dignity of labour. One no longer needs to rinse the dirty cloth by hand. It is taken care of by the wringer buckets. By operating a lever, one can rinse the dirty cloth. If you go for single wringer bucket trolley, costing about Rs. 3,000, the dirty cloth is rinsed in the same bucket. Double bucket ringer trolley, costing Rs. 4,000, ensures that clean water is stored in a separate bucket and your floor can be that much more clean. An amazing range of mops have hit the market. You may use a longish vertical attachment to clean the area under your TV cabinet and a round one to clean the fan. The modern telescopic pole allows you to clean the top of the air-conditioner without you having to climb on a stool or table. Mops that can reach up to 35 feet are available. Cleaning a fan that is fixed at a great height has become easy. The mop can be extended in five stages. When not in use, its height can be reduced, like the aerial on your car. Dust pans come with tall handles and one can sweep and remove dust without bending. You also get the ones with covers. You get brooms of same height (with horizontal attachments). Other products such as window cleaning kits, window washer, floor brush, plastic squezees, curved brushes (for removing dirt from pipes and rounded surfaces), round brushes for cleaning ceiling fan blades, removing cobwebs and dusting walls, and scrapers for cleaning sharp and blunt edges are available.
Air curtains
Air curtains — the equipment fixed at the entrance over the head to release air forcefully — keep premises cleaner. Besides preventing entry of pests and dust, they also ensure that cooler air does not escape out of the building and thus reduce the load on air conditioners. A three-foot- long air curtain costs about Rs. 8,500.
Scrubbers made of wood or tiles are available in great variety. From the ones that clean an area of a few sq. ft. an hour to those that clean 10,000 sq. ft. have been introduced. The ones mounted on automobiles can cover a greater distance. Among the latest mats are vinyl looped mats, which are said to be ideal for main entrances because they prevent entry of dust into the houses.
In buildings facing roads, which are likely to get a lot of dust through doors and windows, PVC curtains which come in colourful or plain (transparent) strips may be used. The transparent strips arranged in a row and hung from the top of doors or windows prevent entry of dust.
Liquids
Private companies have introduced a range of liquids, both chemical and herbal, for almost every application. Indi Cans has come up with a cigarette odour remover. A spray or two of the liquid is enough to get rid of the bad smell from your room or car.
You also have a range of room fresheners, car fresheners, part-foam spray, carpet cleaners, tile cleaners, computer cleaner, steel polish and metal polish.
Automatic flush
If you thought that you have to plan automatic flush for urinals at the planning stage of the building, today’s products love to disprove you. A simple automatic flush, costing Rs. 8,500 and which runs on battery, can be fiitted to the existing one. It holds only 150 ml of water and ensures minimal use of water. In case the automatic system fails, it can be used manually too. A 6v Lithium battery is enough to make it run for a year.
A company, Jade International, has already introduced systems that keep public places such as toilets odourless. The Churchgate station in Mumbai is said to have adopted the system and commuters are said to be happy about it. For those who find it odd to use the commode used by others, there are seat covers.
All these products were on display at the recent Clean India Show at Kanteerava Stadium. One stall was clearly attempting to change the perception of people that plastic is an enemy of the environment.
Claiming that its plastic is bio-degradable (so says a certificate purportedly issued by the National Toxicology Centre of Pune), the company stall keepers said paper, made of wood, is more harmful to nature. They advocated the use of bio-degradable plastic garbage bags.
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