Education Highlights: Success Story

Smart Cleaning for Safe and Healthy Schools

Chemical Management System Improves School District's "Team Cleaning for Health" Program.

The way a school looks, smells and feels can have an impact on the physical and psychological health of its students. What's more, cleaner schools create a more favorable learning environment.

Recognizing this, the Syracuse School District, Syracuse, N.Y. recently implemented a "Team Cleaning for Health" program to make its schools healthier and safer. The program allows the school's custodial department to accomplish more cleaning in less time with fewer products.

John Melfi, team cleaning coordinator, Syracuse School District, took care to select cleaning products that are safe for their intended use, user-friendly and perform well. Melfi chose the 3M™ Twist 'n Fill™ Chemical Management System and implemented it in March. While price wasn't one of the district's primary concerns, Melfi was pleased to discover that the per-gallon cost of the 3M product was less than that of cleaning products previously used. Custodians use a total of 200 3M Twist 'n Fill dispensers installed throughout the district's 42 buildings.

"The 3M Twist 'n Fill System complements our 'Team Cleaning for Health' program," said Melfi. "By using a consistent cleaning product, we've been able to better coordinate and unify our cleaning process."

Adopting this system allows custodians to carry fewer products on their carts. This makes for a streamlined, efficient cleaning process.

The system's dispenser accurately blends cleaning chemical concentrates automatically with water to produce consistent, effective, ready-to-use cleaning solutions.

Ray Wentworth, custodian and trainer for Syracuse School District, has been most impressed with the 3M hospital-grade quat disinfectant, an effective disinfectant for cleaning surfaces at risk of transmitting infection through secondary cross contamination, such as drinking fountains. "It leaves a cleaner, fresher smell," he said. "It's not often you find a cleaning product that works well and is both user friendly and minimizes environmental impact."

The Twist 'n Fill System is easy to use; it automatically dilutes chemicals and eliminates direct employee contact with chemical concentrates, one of Melfi's main concerns. "Some of the packet systems we used previously caused burns," said Melfi. "The 3M product greatly reduces that risk."

Environmental impact is another benefit of the Twist 'n Fill System. Melfi remembers the Environmental Protection Agency regulations associated with the pre-measured packets the district used previously. "The Twist 'n Fill System eliminates the need to continually rinse and dispose of individual packets," said Melfi. "And you're assured a correctly-proportioned chemical every time."

In many ways, the Syracuse School District's expectations have been exceeded. "Choosing a chemical management system was a process of trial and error," said Melfi. "The 3M product was our winner. It's a quality cleaner that minimizes contact with concentrated chemicals and it is easy to use - you simply put the product in the dispenser, twist it, and you're ready to go."

For more information about 3M chemical management systems, call 1-800-404-8930.

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