12 replies to this topic

[Mickeymains]

Hello all,

 

I am looking for a tool that I cannot find to increase the efficiency of a cleaning process. We have multiple of these gridded floors on various mezzanines. They have hundreds of square holes that are about 1.5" x 1.5" and ~1" thick. 

 

Example here.

 

The holes collect grime, and the grids need to be completely removed and cleaned out of place monthly. I want to get my sanitation crew some more bottle brushes of the appropriate size but am wondering if there are any existing tools out there that are specially designed to clean these grids. A single bottle brush can get in and clean the holes, but the process is slow and tedious. If there is a tool out there that combines something like 6 or 8 bottle brushes so that these can be scrubbed 6 or 8 at a time, I think this would greatly improve efficiency.

 

I can't find anything like that, so let me know if you have seen anything out on the internet or in catalogs!

 

Thanks.

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[kfromNE]

Are they in a location you could use a power washer? 

[GMO]

My first thought is "can you replace them?"

What an odd flooring surface.  Odder still they can be lifted out to clean.  The time taken for that, I do wonder how long the payback would be for a floor surface which is cleanable.  Are they like open grids over the lower area?  That you walk on?  Why?

 

I'd not be keen on using a pressure washer.  Even if it's low risk you'd then be firing debris around your plant.

[SQFconsultant]

We use a high power hot water/steam washer.

 

Toothbrushes make great hole cleaners too.

[GMO]

I'm guessing this kind of flooring must be common in the US then?  I'd have a retailer non conformance raised in the UK for having a floor which needs to be cleaned with high power water or a tooth brush.  

[Setanta]

Is it possible to move the mats to a less sensitive area (out of production) and spray them down?

[nwilson]

If you are absolute on keeping these floor grates, I would purchase a whole other set to cover your needs, swap them out and clean the dirty ones in another area, so you can utilize more aggressive cleaning methods (pressure washing/etc.).  This way you can clean them well, and not have to worry about your surrounding areas being contaminated, or the labor with a manual cleaning.  You could even soak them in a tub of cleaning solution to loosen grime and speed up the pressure washing step.  

[SQFconsultant]

I'm guessing this kind of flooring must be common in the US then?  I'd have a retailer non conformance raised in the UK for having a floor which needs to be cleaned with high power water or a tooth brush.  

 

I don't see them that much anymore - I do remember we had similar in restaurants but those were softer on the feet and thus food debris that would fall on the floor in the kitchen would fall  thru the holes instead of people sliding - but still they had to be rolled up and dragged outside for cleaning.

 

The ones that are being used in the farm containers are simply pulled straight out of the trailer and washed down.

 

We really don't use toothbrushes.

[Mickeymains]

To answer some questions and address replies:
- This is a small snack manufacturing company, the floors were part of purchasing the entire production line a few years ago (i have been with the company a few months).
- They could not be power washed in place as the equipment around them are not rated for power washing, and like someone mentioned, that would just create more of a mess to clean off other equipment.
- Replacing them or buying a second set is not possible in the near future. I am operating on a shoestring budget and need to make do with the hand i have been dealt.
- We already do move them to a separate washroom to clean them, and they are sprayed down, but require mechanical scrubbing to remove soils. We do not have the funds to purchase a proper power washer.
- Soaking them in a tub would also not be possible as they are ~8ft x 6ft sections and ~150lbs each. Too large to soak without more capital improvements in our sanitation infrastructure.

I am really just looking for tools and methods to make a less-than-optimal situation acceptable and as efficient as possible.

[kfromNE]

I would purchase something like in the link below. Growing up, we used something similar cleaning dairy stalls. 

 

I would also get in contact with your chemical supplier. See if you are using the best chemical for the floor at the right concentration. 

 

https://www.uline.co...-Brush-12-White

[GMO]

Now I get you.  You're very much having to deal with a situation that's not ideal.  And I think if you can't afford a power washer, a lot of other suggestions are going to come up against the same objections, e.g. a utensil washer.  The reason I say this is because what I'd be tempted to do is cut these down in size if you can.  Then the options you could use could include a soak tank or utensil washer but the latter is probably out of your price range.  However, cutting them into smaller pieces to make them easier to handle may make them easier to clean.  150lbs each is extraordinarily heavy to be manually lifting, even with more than one person.  The cleaning process is likely to lead to a person being injured.

 

Have you ever worked out the man hours though in cleaning these?  Say each takes you 45 minutes with 2 people cleaning and you have 10?  That's 900 "man minutes" in total or 15 hours.  If each person is, say, paid $25 an hour, that's $4500 a year.  If you could halve that time, $2250 spend would pay back in one year.  Possibly too small for what you need but small utensil washers start around that price range.  You could certainly get a trough for soaking in for much less than that.  But if you then think about the moral and financial cost of a serious or chronic injury as well, that might be a way to convince your superiors that it is worth investing in an alternative.

Edited by GMO, 20 February 2025 - 09:49 AM.

[Scampi]

I second kfromNE 

 

Scrub one side, flip and repeat

 

relatively quick and inexpensive

[GMO]

If you are absolute on keeping these floor grates, I would purchase a whole other set to cover your needs, swap them out and clean the dirty ones in another area, so you can utilize more aggressive cleaning methods (pressure washing/etc.).  This way you can clean them well, and not have to worry about your surrounding areas being contaminated, or the labor with a manual cleaning.  You could even soak them in a tub of cleaning solution to loosen grime and speed up the pressure washing step.  

 

This has a lot of benefits, it's something you'd routinely use in SMED to externalise the process.

 

I'm still not clear though from the op what is under these?  Are they raised above an area below or on top of a surface?  

 

I've worked in and visited snack plants and never seen anything like this.  Floors are normally resin or sometimes tiles.  

 

I disagree with the deck brush option.  That will only get the surface not what's caught in the squares.  

 

Sadly OP, I see no good option here beyond what has been suggested.  Has the site committed to a long term plan of replacing these floors for something cleanable?