1. Mobility

Getting workers in their assigned areas and promptly working at the beginning of their shifts is one of the biggest hurdles faced by BSC supervisors—a problem exacerbated by bringing their own supplies in and out of smaller facilities each time they clean or perform project work. Especially given the variety of cleaning and disinfecting products needed to cover each surface (at a minimum, a floor cleaner, glass cleaner, multi-purpose cleaner, and broad range disinfectant are all necessary), cumbersome chemical transportation processes can turn into a huge source of wasted time and money.

If a BSC has just 10 employees making $8 an hour, and each employee spends 15 minutes at each of 5 jobs per day loading and unloading chemicals from a vehicle or trailer and carrying them in and out of the building and to the location they’re needed, that’s $100 wasted. Multiply that by 260 working days per year, and you get $26,000 in lost profits, even before taking into account marginal workers who make more trips than are necessary, often return for forgotten tools, etc. This further costs BSCs in terms of customer satisfaction, by increasing the likelihood employees will run out of time to perform all the tasks they’ve been assigned. After all, missed work is the number 1 source of customer complaints and account churn.

2. Space Constraints

At larger locations, BSCs are usually allocated a supply closet, pantry, or other space in which to store their cleaning chemicals and tools. These spaces are often small, with less-than-adequate room on shelves or floor space to organize all the needed items. As with #1 above, space constraints contribute to wasted labor and dissatisfied customers, as employees spend time hunting for what they need instead of checking off their cleaning and maintenance to-dos (the same principle applies to overloaded carts). Tight closets also make just-in-time ordering difficult or impossible and even create unnecessary safety risks, such as increased trips and falls.

While many smart BSCs may elect to leverage chemical concentrates for their space-saving advantages, if there is a water hookup in the designated BSC storage area—and that is a big if—standard dilution control systems may not fit. Cue the ticking clock as employees learn to manually mix chemicals.

3. Price

In addition to the space-saving benefits of concentrated chemicals mentioned in #2 above (as well as increased mobility), concentrates also provide cost savings. While more expensive than ready-to-use (RTU) products when directly comparing per gallon pricing, concentrated chemicals are the most economical when it comes to cost-per-use after dilution. Because the concentrate has more cleaning chemicals and less water than an RTU, concentrates are cheaper to ship and often utilize less packaging for additional savings. To get an idea of end-use costs, we offer 2 dilution calculators based on usage and ratio.

Because dilution control systems that require a water hookup and some space in a supply closet are not feasible in many situations, the only options for the BSC are expensive portable dosing systems, pricey pods and pouches, or the labor-intensive and error-prone “glug glug” method. All of these, however, erode the cost savings associated with concentrated chemicals. 

4. Improper Dilution

If a BSC is using concentrates, accurate dilution is of the utmost importance. Diluted too strongly, a cleaning chemical will leave a residue on a surface, which will waste the product and money spent on it. Residues lead to rapid resoiling of carpets, streaks on glass, and sticky films on surfaces. In extreme cases, chemicals that are too strong can permanently damage sensitive surfaces, like aluminum and marble. On the other hand, a concentrate that has been diluted too weakly leads to poor cleaning performance. For disinfectants, watered down active ingredients may increase infection rates in schools, long-term and acute care facilities, and other sensitive environments.

In either case, the result is more labor to achieve acceptable cleaning outcomes, or a lack of cleanliness. Given that over 50% of BSC customers list a healthy and sanitary environment for building occupants as their first concern, and almost 30% cite a clean appearance, poor cleaning outcomes will invariably lead to loss of business for BSCs. 

Our Recommendation

To combat issues with mobility, space, cost, and improper dilution, Betco® created the FastPak Mobile Dilution Control Kit.This streamlined offering of concentrated chemical quarts is small and lightweight for effortless transportation and storage in tight spaces.The kit’s reusable proportioner and wall chart remove the manual mixing guesswork, resulting in perfectly diluted chemicals every time. There is no need for a water hookup, and FastPak provides huge savings over liquid pods and pouches.

Simply:

1. Twist the lid of the proportioner to set the orange fill line and secure to the bottle.
2. Squeeze the bottle gently to fill the proportioner to the fill line.
3. Pour into a secondary container with water.
   

In fact, the BSCs who tested the kit gave a 98% satisfaction rate for ease of use, cleaning power, and added value. There was also 100% satisfaction with dilution accuracy, safety, and ease of transportation. As a result, FastPak has a 98% overall satisfaction rate among BSCs.

Interested? Please click here to contact us to order.