Healthy Green Cleaning at IUPUI

cordless backpack vacuum

With ProTeam backpack and cordless vacuums, the custodial staff at Indiana University–Purdue University was able to clean 6,000 to 7,000 square feet per hour of the university’s 4.5 million square feet.

In the heart of Indianapolis, Indiana’s premier urban research university educates about 31,000 students. The campus of Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) consists of 70 buildings with 4.5 million square feet of space. Building Operations Manager Jim Walsh and his team spent the last six years advancing IUPUI toward green, high-performance cleaning equipment and practices, including ProTeam backpack and cordless vacuums.

Walsh set out with specific goals toward becoming more sustainable. He wanted to improve Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), create healthier buildings and, subsequently, reduce employee and faculty turnover. To address IAQ, Walsh and his supervisors finally convinced their reluctant staff to use ProTeam backpack vacuums with advanced filtration to capture many allergens and asthma triggers.

IUPUI had backpack vacuums in the custodial closet in 2008 when Walsh started, but less than 20 percent of the staff used them. Then Walsh observed that backpack vacuums clean about 6,000 to 7,000 square feet per hour compared to 1,500 to 2,000 square feet with upright vacuums. ProTeam backpack vacuums are also certified by Carpet and Rug Institute and in line with LEED requirements, which many IUPUI buildings follow. After some education and training, management converted the entire campus to ProTeam backpacks.

Walsh also invested in about 20 units of the ProTeam cordless backpack vacuum, the GoFree Flex Pro, for cleaning stairwells and entry matting during the day. Walsh also needed them in areas without outlets, such as the enclosed walkways that connect several campus buildings. In general, cordless vacuums improve speed and maneuverability by removing the restriction of a cord and eliminating cord management tasks.

“Vacuum cords created a trip hazard for the cleaner in stairwells,” says Walsh. “We’ve been moving to the battery-operated ProTeam backpack vacuums for stairwells. It promotes better safety.”

www.proteam.emerson.com

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management October 2018 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Kimball International Launches Season 5 of Alternative Design Podcast

    Commercial furnishings manufacturer Kimball International recently premiered the fifth season of its Alternative Design podcast, according to a news release. The first episode was released on March 17, and new episodes will launch monthly. The podcast discusses forces that shape built environments, from work to housing to healthcare to human wellness.

  • Fellowes Launches New Textile Collection

    Fellowes Contract Interiors recently partnered with Momentum Textiles & Wallcoverings to launch a new line of high-end-design, cost-effective textiles, according to a news release. Part of Momentum Textiles’ Kickstart collection, the new selection offers high-quality and versatile textiles for both smaller budgets and the early design phase of larger projects.

  • University of Kentucky Receives $2.5M Donation Toward Renovation Project

    The University of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky., recently announced that it has accepted a $2.5-million donation that will transform Pence Hall into the home of the university’s College of Communication and Information, according to a news release.

  • Oregon Institute of Technology to Construct $35M Mass Timber Residence Hall

    Oregon Institute of Technology in Klamath Falls, Ore., recently announced the construction of a new, $35-million mass timber residence hall, according to college news. The facility will stand four stories, have room for 517 students, and cover 86,710 square feet to address the college’s need for more on-campus housing.