November 07, 2023

Achieving greener, more efficient cleaning

70% of restaurants say that improving their sustainability is a priority, but less than half (41%) say they’re currently running sustainable operations (1). It can be challenging for food service businesses to know where to focus to make sustainability strides, and it may surprise you to learn that rethinking your cleaning tools could lead to cost and resource savings that benefit your business as well as the planet. Here’s how…

Smarter mopping saves water

Traditional mopping systems – such as string mops and buckets – can be extremely wasteful. Choosing a mop with an onboard fluid reservoir allows users to control the volume of water and cleaning fluid that’s dispensed and avoids the unnecessary water wastage of traditional systems. When Sanctuary Supported Living upgraded their systems, they calculated the change would see their site save 180,000 litres of water in a year.

Take our HYGEN™ PULSE™ Mop Kit, for example. Not only does the system reduce the need to draw on environmental resources, but it cleans more square feet in less time, helping your cleaning operation to be more efficient and cost-effective. In a sector where maintaining high hygiene standards is essential, the industry-best microfibre pad is invaluable. The high-performance microfibre is dense with 3-5 micrometre quality fibre to remove more dust, dirt and microbes than conventional cleaning products. Not only are microfibre wet pads proven to clean 45% better than string mops and 25% better than conventional mops, as the pads can be washed and reused many times, implementing the HYGEN™ PULSE™ system also meant Sanctuary are set to prevent 400kg of mop heads going to landfill.

Microfibre, macro gains

It goes without saying that keeping food preparation surfaces hygienic and preventing cross-transmission is essential, but how can you do this without repeatedly disposing of cleaning cloths?

HYGEN™ Microfibre is proven to remove 99.7% or more of tested viruses and bacteria with water only² while its patented zig-zag polyester design gives extra scrubbing power. Each cloth can withstand 500 launderings (200 with bleach), meaning you can reduce waste without worrying that you’re compromising hygiene. The four available colour options help reduce cross-contamination by encouraging cleaning with different colours by area or task.

Buy better, waste less

When purchasing cleaning equipment, it can be tempting to go with a cheaper option, but compromising on quality isn’t going to benefit your budget in the long term. The cost of replacing sub-standard equipment, plus the hidden costs of lost productivity, make durability a worthwhile investment. And if you’re buying better, you’re wasting less too by reducing the frequency with which you need to dispose of old equipment and by cutting down on unnecessary remanufacturing resources.

At RCP, durability is at the heart of every one of our product designs. View our full range of durable cleaning products and tools here.

1. Datassential
2. *Based on third party testing with water only on VCT surface. Tested Virus: Feline Calicivirus (substitute for Human Norovirus), common human coronavirus OC43. Tested Bateria: Clostridioides difficile (C. diff), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Not tested on COVID-19.