The term industrial cleaning covers a diverse range of cleaning activities in an even wider field of scenarios. Typical places that require industrial cleaning include manufacturing and production environments such as factories, food processing plants, breweries, scientific laboratories and waste recycling plants. Mechanical and electrical environments such as power stations, tanks, refineries, plant rooms, railways and dockyards also need industrial cleaning services.
Types of services
Industrial cleaning services can include activities within the interior of facilities such as mechanical scrubbing and de-greasing of hard floors, as well as equipment and machinery cleaning and de-greasing. Industrial cleaning is also often performed on the outside of buildings and can include high level cleaning of roof girders and lighting as well as external cleaning of cladding, ducts, solar panels, windows and signage.
Some facilities that require industrial cleaning operate 24 hours a day. This makes the prioritisation of site safety and cleanliness essential. If industrial equipment is working continuously it will soon begin to deteriorate if it is not kept clean and in good working order. Similarly, if the building itself is not kept clean then signs of deterioration will soon begin to show as it meets the demands of round the clock use.
Deep cleans are commonly required for the equipment used in assembly lines within manufacturing facilities. For example, an assembly line may need to be degreased and sanitised when it has become contaminated. Assembly line equipment may also built-up layers of dirt that may prevent machines from working to their optimum capacity, in this instance a comprehensive industrial clean is essential.
Industrial cleaning services are also often needed when a facility is changing hands, for example end of lease cleans of industrial units and warehouses. A particular unit may have been rented by one company for many years and may have been used for heavy manufacturing or other industrial purposes. In order to bring the building back to standard for the next occupant, a thorough deep clean is often required.
Due to the sometimes-hazardous nature of industrial cleaning, for example when cleaning operatives are required to work at heights on the outside of buildings, staff often require specialist training. Industrial cleaning staff should be specially trained to work at high level on specialist machinery such as cherry pickers, scissor lifts and scaffolding towers and should have the necessary qualifications to operate this machinery.
Equipment
Some of the actual cleaning equipment required to carry out an industrial cleanse could also be potentially hazardous to cleaning operatives and the wider environment around them. Therefore, staff training should include instructions on the safe use of industrial cleaning equipment such as scrubber driers, rotary buffers, steam cleaners and pressure washers.
In the past this equipment has been heavy and hazardous due to either being run on noxious diesel fuel or being electrically powered, with the associated dangers of cables and electric shocks ever present. Cleaning machine technology is evolving to produce lighter, battery powered and robotic cleaning solutions. This new technology is of benefit to both the operatives and the environment.
The field
Industrial cleaning is a specialist field that often requires the creation of bespoke cleaning solutions, due to the unique nature of each facility. Cleaning jobs can vary so much in size and scope, as well as presenting challenges due to the industrial processes housed within a facility, that a targeted cleaning plan is commonly required. Industrial sites often have their own industry safety standards too, so it is essential that they bring on a professional industrial cleaning company with qualified staff to meet their compliance requirements.
Manufacturing processes are often varied and sometimes hazardous in themselves, potentially dangerous environments include flour mills containing combustible flour dust or manufacturers of dangerous military equipment. High risk scenarios can also include facilities that cannot be contaminated by the cleaning process such as food manufacturers that must control bacterial contamination and scientific laboratories with dedicated clean zones.
Therefore, the remit of cleaning solutions and the range of cleaning equipment required by industrial cleaning companies are many and varied. This is why industrial cleaners often specialise in a particular type of industrial cleaning that targets certain hard to clean and maintain environments, thereby enabling them to offer specialist knowledge and a dedicated service.
Types of industrial cleaning that a company may specialise in can include high pressure spray cleaning, immersion cleaning, foam cleaning and sandblasting. Specific services that may be offered include hydro-blasting of clogged drains, tank desludging, cleaning of food production equipment and kitchen extraction cleaning.
So, we can see that there is a great range and scope within the industrial cleaning industry. There are many solutions on the market to enable industrial cleaners to do their job effectively. If you want to explore some of the types of specialist industrial cleaning equipment available on the worldwide market, then why not visit the Interclean Show in Amsterdam next year.
Interclean is the world’s leading platform for professionals in the world of cleaning and hygiene. The show will be held at RAI Amsterdam from the 10TH to the 13TH of May 2022. To find out more about the event and browse the list of exhibitors showcasing industrial cleaning equipment at Interclean visit https://www.intercleanshow.com/amsterdam/.
