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The Benefits of Using Dehumidifiers in Offices and Commercial Facilities

12/8/2016

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Using dehumidifiers in offices and industrial facilities is very important but for different reasons. In one of the cases, a dehumidifier can have a profound impact on the health and wellbeing of employees. In the other instance, it’s required to make sure that materials, supplies and products are kept in the best possible condition.

Moisture can be detrimental and it will impact the activities of companies that represent numerous industries. The investment in dehumidifying technology isn’t that big and the benefits could be numerous.
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The Importance of Controlling Humidity in Commercial/Industrial Buildings

Dehumidifiers are needed in numerous commercial buildings – from schools to hospital and restaurants. Industrial facilities that are used to hold inventory or to carry out production processes require specific atmospheric conditions, as well.

As already mentioned, humidity control creates a healthy environment by reducing the spread of air-borne bacteria and helping allergy sufferers breathe easily. Mildew and mold in hotels and industrial facilities can leave a bad impression on customers or render production unusable altogether. You probably already have a pretty good idea about humidity control and the various implications that it has for businesses.

Humidity control can reduce operational costs and decrease the need for facility maintenance. Product loss and downtime can both be brought down significantly, if a company decides to invest in effective humidity control and buying the equipment that will ensure the optimal atmospheric conditions. This is particularly true for facilities that can be impacted by mildew and places that work with metal (where corrosion is a significant threat).

There are numerous types of dehumidification options for commercial facilities:

  • Desiccants: desiccant systems usually rely on silica gel wheels to trap the moisture from the air. The moisture that is trapped by the silica wheels is usually removed through heat processing.
  • DX systems: such systems will first cool the air in the industrial or commercial facility and than heat it. Through the changes in temperature, such systems can easily remove excess moisture from the air.
  • Dual path systems: such systems consider of both dehumidifying and air cooling components that ensure the optimal conditions in the industrial facility. Such systems often come with automatic scheduling, reducing the burden of doing moisture control.

The Benefits of Using Dehumidifiers in Offices and Shared Work Spaces

Commercial systems that remove moisture from the air can help owners of industrial facilities optimize numerous processes and save thousands of dollars. But dehumidifiers can be used in other companies, as well. The purchase of a basic dehumidifier for an office will produce a range of wonderful benefits. Some of the most important advantages include:
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  • Reducing the risk of allergies: dust mites, mildew and mold require a humid environment to survive. These are also common allergy triggers. An office dehumidifier will reduce the risk of allergies, this way boosting productivity and reducing the risk of absenteeism. The use of such equipment is particularly important in humid climates or buildings that can accumulate moisture. For best results, the use of a dehumidifier should be combined with thorough and frequent office cleaning.​
  • Odor reduction: if you’ve ever worked in a building that maintains a strange odor, you know just how disruptive such an issue could be. Bad odor is often caused by mold and mildew. Having less than optimal work conditions will have a definite impact on productivity and employee motivation.
  • Higher HVAC efficiency: businesses that want to reduce their electricity bills and boost the effectiveness of HVAC systems should consider investing in a dehumidifier. When the air is moist, an air conditioner will be forced to work harder. As a result, it can get worn out or damaged faster. Needless to say, the AC’s operation will require more electricity in excessively humid conditions.
  • Controlling conditions, particularly in new buildings: newer office buildings are made of contemporary materials that are more likely to retain moisture inside. Thus, offices that have offices in contemporary facilities should most definitely think about dehumidification.
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Signs You Need a Dehumidifier

Dehumidifiers are needed in warmer clients and by companies operating in certain conditions. You’ll need to get a dehumidifier for the office or your commercial facility in the case of:

  • Condensation forming around the window frames (it’s easy to observe, there will be drops of water on the frame)
  • Mold or mildew forming on the walls, in the basement or the restrooms of the commercial facility
  • A musty, unpleasant odor
  • Water damage and stains that have appeared on the walls or the ceiling
  • Rotting wooden components or rust in the case of metal building components
  • Increased incidence of allergies or asthma among employees


Creating the best work and production conditions will require conscious effort and investment in the right equipment. Depending on your business and the type of facility, the purchase of a dehumidifier could be somewhat expensive. Such equipment, however, can help you save a lot of money in the long run. Take some time to assess the conditions and if necessary, start looking for the most adequate dehumidification technology
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What is a Facility Maintenance Plan and does Your Business Need One?

9/29/2016

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If you own a commercial building or a facility, you may think that maintenance is narrowed down to cleaning and occasional repairs. If you hold such beliefs, chances are that you’ve never worked a facility maintenance plan in the past.

A facility maintenance plan can be quite beneficial and it encompasses a lot more than regular cleaning. Here’s an overview of what a facility maintenance plan is and how to come up with one.

​What’s a Facility Maintenance Plan?

A facility maintenance plan is a long-term strategy for maintaining the corporate facilities in the best possible condition. An intelligently-crafted facility maintenance plan can help you save a lot of money in the long run and it will also ensure smooth corporate operations.

The typical facility maintenance plan should focus on activities and operations like cleaning, general building maintenance, regular inspections for facility problems, HVAC maintenance, electrical maintenance, landscaping, plumbing and maintenance of all corporate/production equipment.

As you can see, the maintenance plan is all-encompassing and it should feature provisions that cover a period of at least one year. You probably know that professional inspections and proper maintenance require spending but they can save you a lot of money by preventing major disasters. This is why the maintenance plan has to take into consideration all business specifics and the most common issues that companies like yours seem to run into.

Steps to Building an Effective Facility Maintenance Plan

The document is very important but coming up with a sound facility maintenance plan isn’t the easiest task in the world.

When creating a plan, you’ll need to keep several important things in mind. The most crucial components of the facility maintenance plan are:

  • Purpose: what are you trying to accomplish through drafting a plan? Are you focusing on doing repairs and maintenance whenever a problem arises or would you like the strategy to have a preventative component? The second strategy is usually better because it prepares you for emergencies and enables you to handle those in a quick and efficient manner.
  • Roles and responsibilities: who’ll be responsible for executing the strategies outlined in the plan? You’ll need to choose a reputable cleaning company. In addition, you’ll have to hire other contractors that will be responsible for HVAC, plumbing, electrical and other kinds of maintenance. People working in the company will also need to be informed about their roles in the maintenance process.
  • Environmental and safety components: apart from thinking about facility maintenance alone, you may want to expand the document a bit. The renovation and regular maintenance activities can also focus on reducing the environmental impact of doing business and boosting the safety of your employees.
  • Scheduling and time frame: this is probably the most important component of your facility maintenance plan. Decide how often you’d like to carry out each of the above-mentioned activities. While cleaning should obviously happen at least once per week, HVAC inspections can be scheduled two times per year and you can have the plumbing inspected annually. Depending on the specifics of your business and the types of equipment being used, you’ll need to come up with a personalized calendar.

Five of the Most Common Facility Maintenance Planning Mistakes

If you’re building a facility maintenance plan for the first time, you may find out that it’s somewhat ineffective or impractical with the passage of time. The program can easily be modified on the go but avoiding common mistakes altogether will definitely be better.

Here are some of the most common facility maintenance planning mistakes you should try to avoid:
  • Not hiring enough people for the execution: in an attempt to minimize the cost of maintenance, you may want to keep some of the processes in house or hire just a few professionals for the execution. This strategy will easily backfire. Few people can never do a pristine job and the lack of sufficient human resources may potentially contribute to an emergency that will cost you a lot more than outsourcing maintenance, cleaning and repairs.
  • Lack of procedures to follow: not having procedures outlined in the facility maintenance plan is another common mistake. All players have to be available of the calendar to follow and their responsibilities. Otherwise, you’ll end up experiencing facility maintenance chaos.
  • Incorrect frequency of the maintenance processes: you can opt for professional cleaning once per month and hope that your facilities will maintain their pristine condition. It simply doesn’t work this way. The timing should be reasonable and coordinated with the manner in which your corporate activities affect the facilities.
  • No emergency plan: what’s the procedure to follow in the case of an emergency? How will you handle a flood? What will you do with an unexpected plumbing failure? A good plan should include provisions for emergency situations. If everyone involved knows how to act in the case of unforeseeable circumstances, the recovery will be a lot faster.
  • Lack of effective maintenance evaluation: the plan should also feature metrics that will be used to assess the effectiveness of the maintenance process. You have to know whether you’re doing a good job and which of the plan’s provisions are paying of.
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​Taking the time to come up with a facility maintenance plan and being prepared for all kinds of situations is one of the keys to effective business operations. You may need to hire professionals that will help you through the process or you should simply do a bit of research and decide on the most important components to include in the plan. Whichever approach you opt for, the results will definitely justify the efforts.​
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What’s Carpet Padding and Does Your Office Need It?

1/25/2016

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Commercial Carpet Padding
What’s a carpet pad and does your business need it? If you’ve never heard about the existence of carpet pads in the past, you’re not alone! These, however, can be quite practical. The right pad makes your carpet a lot softer and also increases its lifespan.

​Now that we’ve told you about the existence of carpet pads and the fact there are numerous varieties, it’s time to take a look at the essentials. Determining whether to get a carpet pad for the office is far from a challenging task, as long as you take some time to assess the pros and the cons of the purchase.

Let’s Start with the Basics: What’s a Carpet Pad?

The carpet pad is a piece of supportive material that’s usually positioned underneath a carpet designed for home or commercial use. This material is soft, which means it can be cut according to your preferences. A carpet pad can be positioned underneath any type of carpet variety, regardless of the surface area or the shape.

Chances are that when renovating and furnishing the office, you were told that a carpet pad isn’t a necessity. This is far from the truth and people are quickly understanding the range of benefits.

​The primary purpose of the padding is to absorb the shock of impact that the carpet would otherwise be subjected to. This is how the selection of the right padding can increase the lifespan of the carpet significantly.

Comfort is an Added Benefit

Making the surface underneath your feet softer is an added benefit of using carpet padding rather than the primary one. The same applies to the noise absorption properties of the pads. This is why they’re often chosen for retail stores and high traffic areas.

​Because many people believe that the creation of a softer surface is the primary goal of carpet padding, they commit a number of mistakes when choosing a cushion. Choosing a pad that is too soft will make it bottom out due to a lot of traffic. As a result, it will not provide the necessary support to the carpet.

The other common mistake is buying a very thick carpet pad. Once again – this mistake will keep the pad from doing its main job, which is protecting the carpet against wear and tear. Choosing the most appropriate variety will be essential for enjoying all of the benefits and enjoying commercial carpets for a much longer period of time.

Types of Carpet Pads

Now, let’s move on to a slightly more complicated territory – the diversified world of protective carpet pads.

​The market has several main varieties to offer, each one with its specific characteristics:
  • Rubber pads (waffle): this is used to be the most popular carpet pad variety. Today, it’s lost some of the appeal due to more innovative options. The rubber that this pad variety is made of happens to be too soft to offer proper support, especially in the case of commercial carpets.
  • Urethane foam: one of the most inexpensive and lightweight carpet pad options. The urethane foam pad is not suitable for high traffic areas because it will be flattened quickly. Urethane foam is best suited to residential use.
  • Bonded urethane: also known as rebond, this is one of the most popular and practical padding products for commercial venues and offices. It’s made from the same high density urethane used in automobile and furniture manufacturing. The densities vary and you can choose one or the other on the basis of traffic or the heaviness of the carpet. For light traffic areas, the rebond cushion should have a weight of five pounds per cubic foot and a thickness of 3/8 inch. For heavy traffic, the weight increases to 6.5 pounds per cubic foot while the thickness remains unchanged. 
  • Wool and synthetic fiber pads: as the name suggests, these are made of either natural or synthetic fibers. The pads are mostly used with commercial carpets in high traffic areas because they provide excellent support, they are breathable and mold-resistant.
  • Specialty pads: these are supposed to address a particular problem. There are moisture barrier products, air filtering pads and odor absorbing pads. Some experts find the qualities of these questionable and advise against the purchase of specialty pads.

The Big Question Remains: To Pad or Not to Pad?

If you have expensive carpets in your office or your retail store, you may want to invest a bit more in the purchase of a quality pad. The investment will pay off in a longer lifespan and reduced maintenance expenditure.

As already mentioned, to enjoy the benefits, you have to choose the right cushion variety. Most consultants will help you go through the products, understand the differences and choose the right variety. An appropriate weight and thickness is very important, especially for high traffic areas.

​Keep a few things in mind when making a purchase. High density padding is usually best for places that see a lot of traffic. The higher the density, however, the higher the price of the pad is going to be. A more expensive, high density pad will remain in a good condition for approximately 10 years. Needless to say, this is the variety that will simplify office or store maintenance and keep the carpets from premature wear.
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The Essentials of Getting Your Business Ready for Winter

11/13/2015

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Have you gotten your business ready for winter? If you’re scratching your head at this point and wondering what winterizing your business is all about, chances are that you’re not prepared for the cold months.

A couple of adjustments and preparations will create the perfect atmosphere during the winter, boosting productivity and making employees feel really cozy in their workplace. Most of these changes are relatively easy to implement, if you’re aware of the main challenges stemming from the cold weather.

Get Insurance

Winter storms, heavy rainfall (and snowfall), strong winds and other extreme weather conditions could cause damage to your facilities. This is why you need to get the right insurance or renew an expiring policy before the start of winter.

There are various types of insurance that business owners should consider, some of them being more important than others. Property insurance will provide coverage in the case of building damage. In addition, some of these policies will also cover losses stemming from damaged equipment and inventory.
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Commercial auto insurance is another good idea because the harsh weather conditions and the riskier driving during the winter may also lead to some serious problems. It’s better to get a bit more insurance than what you think you need in order to 100 percent safe.

Protect the Floors from Damage

The substances used to treat streets and sidewalks against ice (salt being one of the most common picks) can easily be brought inside the office. Though these substances and chemicals aren’t damaging to asphalt and concrete, they can have a serious negative impact on the beautiful floors in your office.

On top of salt, shoes will be bringing moisture and dirt inside. These can damage hardwood floors and turn the carpets into the ideal breeding grounds for bacteria or mold.

Welcome mats are probably one of the simplest and most effective options for protecting the floors. Increasing the number of times that the floors are vacuum cleaned and mopped during the week will also be quite effective. You need the right cleaning company and you should also reach an agreement about increasing the frequency of doing floor maintenance.

Look for Leaks and Other Problems

Make sure that the building is in a good condition before winter starts. Making repairs when the weather is cold and wet will be a big challenge. One of the most important things to do is identify leaks. These can remain undetected for a long period of time, leading to the waste of large amounts of water. In addition, the leaking water could freeze during the winter, making the issue even more problematic.

Another good suggestion is to check on insulation and caulking. If everything is in perfect condition, you’ll get to keep the office properly heated while reducing the environmental impact of the process.

The AC units should also be examined, especially if you’re going to use those for heating purposes. Get the filters thoroughly cleaned or changed, if necessary. Taking these measures in advance will help you enjoy a warm and comfortable office throughout the winter.

Get Ready for the Removal of Snow and Ice

To reduce the risk of getting snow and ice inside the office, you may want to think about their proper removal from the external premises like the company’s parking lot.
There are treatment options that will prevent ice from forming bonds with the ground. Use such opportunities before December and get the area surrounding your office treated. One of the simplest things you can do is either salt down the area or use a bit of sand.

Whichever option you choose, getting rid of snow and ice will be essential for ensuring your corporate operations. This is particularly true for corporate premises that welcome customers or are used for business meetings.

Buy a Backup Generator

Power shortages are common in the winter, especially if you live in a place where storms are a common occurrence.
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A backup generator gives you peace of mind and enables you to continue working for a few additional hours in the case of electricity being shut off. The market has many options to offer and choosing a generator will depend entirely on your budget and individual preferences.

In essence, you should prepare for the worst. Even if winter isn’t as harsh in the city where you work, there could still be a few emergencies during the cold months. Prepare the office building and buy the necessary equipment to guarantee productivity regardless of the weather. Such equipment will definitely come in handy one day and the purchase should never be considered a waste of money.

By Cliff Derksen
Owner of First Impressions Janitorial
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