ProTeam Vacuums

Seal of Approval for ProTeam

The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) sponsors a third-party Green Label program that tests vacuums for filtration, soil removal and carpet appearance retention. The Gold Seal of Approval from CRI has been granted to the highest performing vacuums.

ProTeam, with seven Gold Seal vacuums, notes that the balance between filtration and suction is critical. The company uses Four Level Filtration to trap and contain 99.9 percent of particles 1 micron and larger. HEPA filter models increase that capture rate to 99.97 percent of particles 0.3 microns and larger.

Select a vacuum with a high efficiency filter, such as micro filter or HEPA media. Layered micro-filters have been shown to greatly increase vacuum efficiency. Micro-filter bags capture nearly 2400 percent more dust than single-ply bags.

In order for the vacuuming routine to work as effectively as possible, establish a cleaning program to train employees on proper vacuum use, and ensure certain tasks and areas are completed with work logs. Frequent cleaning and proper replacement of vacuum cleaner filters is also essential for maintaining vacuum effectiveness and saving money on repairs.

 

Vacuuming for IAQ with ProTeam

Inside buildings, unseen and often harmful forces are at play. Pollen, dust mites, fungal spores, dander and emissions brought in from outside combine with off-gassing from furnishings and chemical pollutants from within.

People can inhale particles down to 10 microns and smaller. A micron is a unit of measurement used by the cleaning industry to indicate 1/25,000 of an inch. When indoor air is polluted, these microscopic particulates can lodge deep in people’s lungs, causing headaches, fatigue, shortness of breath, asthma and respiratory illnesses.

Placing mats at entryways helps stop dust from being spread throughout a building, but eventually, dust gets around. Carpets act as a dust sink, so particles stay trapped until removed by a high-efficiency vacuum. When dust lands on hard floors, it sits until disturbed by the ventilation system or the shuffling of feet, then flies back into the breathing zone.

Removing dirt and dust from the floor in a building to improve IAQ requires more than an upright, broom or dust mop. Push brooms and dust mops never truly eliminate allergens from a building. They tend to move dust to new locations in the same space, and send microscopic particles back into the air. They also redistribute dirt and fine particulate on and into the floor, leaving scratches and dulling a high gloss finish.

An effective vacuuming program is required. Suction-only, high-filtration backpack vacuums by ProTeam help maintain the appearance and longevity of both hard surface flooring and commercial carpeting. The ideal vacuum balances high-efficiency filtration with high-powered suction—enough to extract the majority of dirt and dust from carpet or hard floors.

Dust bunnies typically reappear in 24 hours after a floor has been dust mopped, compared to 72 hours with a high-filtration backpack vacuum. Backpacks, like the ProTeam Super CoachVac HEPA and Super QuarterVac HEPA, also clean 52 percent faster than dust mops.

 

In the Air: How to Improve IAQ with ProTeam

The role floor maintenance plays in indoor air quality (IAQ) is becoming clear. From building owners to occupants, concerned parents to school administrators, environmental groups to government agencies, the focus is on reducing recurring problems like asthma, allergies, sick days and lost productivity. With the pressure on, maintenance crews across the US are working to improve the health of the indoor environment, starting with floorcare.

Environmental Protection Agency data shows that indoor air pollutants can be over 10 times higher inside than out. The Occupational Safety Association estimates that over 30 percent, or 1.4 million, of non-industrial buildings struggle with indoor air quality problems. Between school, work and home, people spend up to 90 percent or more of their time indoors.

The problem is obvious. The solution is in cleaning technology and processes, especially in high-efficiency vacuum filtration.

 

Good Things Come in Threes

If you take a Super CoachVac HEPA or a Super QuarterVac HEPA, add a 42 to 59-inch telescoping wand and a Xover floor tool, expect the atmosphere of your building to change. Building occupants with an eye for details will notice that dirt and dust don’t settle in the corners anymore. Building occupants with asthma or allergies will notice that they are feeling better. This three-fold cleaning revolution will prove that you don’t need a superpower to be the hero that saves building occupants from indoor pollutants and irritants.

 

Xover Floor Tool

What could complete this trifecta of cleaning perfection? The Xover floor tool is designed so that the powerful suction of the Super CoachVac HEPA or Super QuarterVac HEPA is distributed across the 14-inch wide tool.

Many other floor tools fail to clean effectively because the suction is strongest in the center where the vacuum wand attaches, but is weak at the sides of the tool. Without the suction spread evenly across the width of the brush, floor coverage may be patchy, especially along edges and in corners. But custodial workers using the Xover tool enjoy 44-percent more effectiveness with every swipe.

ProTeam’s innovative tool transitions effortlessly from hard floors to carpets, gliding into corners and under furniture with ease. The larger mouth opening picks up large debris, and the shoe brush allows for carpet agitation for enhanced soil removal. This tool was designed for the everyday user, and, paired with a powerful vacuum and a telescoping wand, it should be the secret weapon in every custodial closet.