QuickDraw from Kaivac Inc. enables quieter,
no touch cleaning.

The University of Houston conducted a study to find out which noises, commonly found in medical centers, are the most disturbing to healthcare workers. The researchers placed sound meters throughout various locations in 13 Houston-area medical facilities.

Measurements of sound were taken throughout the day for approximately eight hours at a time. The meters indicated that the most common medical center sounds were intercom and paging systems, call bells, telephones, conversation, and noise from floor care machines, vacuum cleaners, and other cleaning tools.

Once the data was collected, approximately 300 healthcare staff members from the 13 facilities were asked to list the noises that bothered them the least and the most. According to the report, the least bothersome noises included:

• Normal conversation at shift changes and throughout the day
• Loud conversation by staff members, patients, or residents
• Call indicators
However, the most bothersome noises were identified as:
• Intercoms and door buzzers
• Telephones ringing
• Cleaning equipment

Noise from cleaning equipment, which was ranked as the top bothersome noise, was a popular choice that surprised the researchers. They found that vacuum cleaners, floor machines, carpet extractors, and even some janitorial carrying carts produced an average of 80 to 85 decibels (dB) of noise or "unwanted sound."

Studies indicate that these noise levels are loud enough to interfere with normal thinking, telephone conversation, and can make it difficult to work. It can also be the source of physical effects, such as fatigue, frustration, irritability, mood swings, as well as interfere with alertness.

The noise on campus
Noise, specifically from cleaning equipment, is not just a problem in medical facilities. Similar studies, which have been conducted in schools and colleges, also indicate cleaning tools and equipment are considerably noisier—and more bothersome—than once realized.

For example, at Western Maryland College, Westminster, MD, researchers sought to find the noisiest locations on campus. Using sound meters—similar to those used in the Houston study—researchers tested busy indoor areas, such as cafeterias, the student union building, social areas around the campus, dormitories and exterior noise, such as construction, cars, and traffic.

They found that the loudest sources of campus noise were hair dryers at 85 dB, stereos playing in dormitory rooms were at 90 dB, loud car radios at 93 dB, but the loudest noise came from vacuum cleaners. In this study, vacuum cleaners averaged 95 dB, which over a prolonged time can result in skill and task errors and even impair speech.

Studies conducted in other educational facilities have found that persistently high levels of noise can interfere with reading, reading comprehension, and even test scores. One researcher in Munich, Germany found that "noise increased stress in children, lowered reading scores, impaired memory, and reduced the quality of life…for students as well as instructors."

Cleaning, Green, and noise
The jansan (cleaning) industry has been undergoing somewhat of a revolution during the past few years. Green Cleaning—the use of environmentally preferable cleaning tools, chemicals, and equipment that have reduced or minimal effect on the environment—is not only all the rage, but many industry experts believe it is significantly helping to professionalize the industry. This is because the connection between cleaning and cleaning products with occupant health and the health of the environment has never been so clear.

Currently, some jansan equipment manufacturers, who view unwanted sound as a Green issue, are beginning to address the noise problem created by cleaning tools and equipment. "Noise is obviously a Green issue," said Robert Robinson, president of Kaivac Inc., developers of the No-Touch Cleaning™ system, "and this being recognized by many in the industry today."

Furthermore, these manufacturers are not only promoting Green, they are also looking to enhance worker productivity since loud cleaning equipment can directly impact the health of cleaning workers and building occupants. "Imagine a hospital housekeeper working with a loud vacuum cleaner for hours at a time. Over time, this can affect worker productivity, efficiency, and may be as harmful to their health, just as inhaling the fumes of powerful cleaning chemicals," noted Robinson.

He is seeing more cleaning equipment manufacturers engineer quieter cleaning equipment. For instance, some newer vacuum cleaners have smaller, quieter, but still very efficient motors. Others are adding sound "quieting" devices into their machines to help muffle noise.

Robinson’s company has just introduced a quieter no-touch cleaning machine that produces just 65 dB of noise, about the sound of a muffled wall air conditioner approximately 50 feet away. "We find that medical facilities, as well as other types of locations that must be cleaned during the day or when people are around, appreciate the quieter machine," he said. "And, 65 dB does not impose a significant impact on workers or the indoor environment."

Other ways to reduce
cleaning noise
Selecting quieter cleaning equipment is not the only way to soften cleaning noise and other steps to address the problem can be relatively simple. For instance, recall the Houston study mentioned earlier where a number of healthcare workers complained that even some janitorial carts, used to haul cleaning supplies, tools, and products, produced bothersome noise. Applying WD40 or a similar lubricating product to wheels can help eliminate this noise. Additionally, carts with large rubber wheels tend to be quieter and easier to use and maneuver.

Other steps hospitals can take include:
• Installing touch-free towel dispensers. Conventional pull paper towel dispensers can be noisy as are electric hand dryers. Touch-free paper towel dispensers are much quieter to use and can help regulate paper usage at the same time.
• Liquid soap pump dispensers should be replaced with foam dispensers or touch-free dispensers. This will reduce misuse, while limiting the noise once produced by a standard pump.
• Selecting vacuum cleaners with sound muffling designs and engineering, as mentioned earlier, will significantly help. Additionally, some vacuum cleaners now have vibration and sound absorbing wheels, which makes transporting them from area to area quieter.
• Transferring from upright vacuum cleaners to canister vacuum cleaners can help as well. Though more popular in Europe than in the U.S., canisters are often much quieter than upright vacuum cleaners. Because of this, they are garnering more interest in the U.S., especially in Day Cleaning situations.

Trends in cleaning
For years, the equipment used by professional cleaners had changed very little. Vacuum cleaners originally designed and introduced shortly after World War II are still available today. However, in the past few years, we have seen major technological advances in the industry involving vacuum cleaners, floor machines, as well as the introduction of no-touch cleaning equipment. Additionally, the industry is now very quickly adopting Green Cleaning and interest in quieter cleaning tools and equipment is not far behind.

12/1quiet canister
vacuum cleaner from Tornado Industries

Day Cleaning, which in its simplest form can be defined as cleaning while building occupants are present, requires the use of less intrusive—and quieter—cleaning tools, especially vacuum cleaners. Some building owners and managers prefer Day Cleaning systems for security reasons and because studies have found that they can cut energy costs, sometimes significantly.

"With the growing interest in Day Cleaning, some canister vacuum cleaners have become much smaller, lighter, more powerful, and quieter," said Jim Hlavin, director of product development at Tornado Industries, manufacturers of professional carpet cleaning and floor care equipment. "This helps them ‘blend in’ when vacuuming around building occupants instead of interfering with building workers and staff."

One advanced canister that has just recently been introduced has a sound level of less than 60 dB, about that of soft office conversation. "This is significantly quieter than most upright and backpack vacuum cleaners," Hlavin said.

In addition, some canister vacuum cleaners now incorporate state-of-the-art multistage filtration systems as well as built-in HEPA exhaust filters. These advanced filtration systems help protect indoor air quality and are especially useful in schools and medical facilities. "This makes these new canisters not only quiet but Green as well," said Hlavin. HPN