Hospitals, hotels, offices, restaurants and industrial customers are among the many businesses that rely on dust control products — floor mats, wet/dry mops, and other items — to minimize building maintenance while improving appearance and productivity.
And servicing these dust control products has become an important part of business for many industrial laundry companies and linen supply plants.BIRTH OF A MARKET
The dust control market was born from the needs of several industries, according to the Textile Rental Services Association of America (TRSA).
AT&T requested products that would reduce the dust that was interfering with its electromechanical systems used to run switchboards. Textile manufacturers created floor mats and dust mops, which textile rental companies then serviced.
As manufacturing grew and the automotive industry and others began using petroleum in their processes, there became a need for clean wiping materials. Shop towels filled the need. Increasing emphasis on environmental stewardship has positioned reusable shop towels as the preferred choice to disposable paper products.STOP DUST, SEND MESSAGE
Professionally cleaned floor mats can capture 70% of the dust and dirt tracked into a building, according to TRSA.
They protect high-traffic areas and carpets from wear and tear. Floor mats also absorb water, mud, and internally generated soil. By doing this, they reduce slippery conditions, and the opportunity for slip-and-falls.
Many hard-surface floors are not slip-resistant, especially when contaminated with dirt, sand and moisture. Floor mats collect these contaminants and provide a slip-resistant surface for traffic areas, TRSA says.
Further, manufacturers can copy company logos, create photo-realistic backgrounds, or spread a veritable rainbow of eye-catching colors and give companies and organizations the ability to create their own unique mat.MOP UP
When a rental floor mat doesn’t catch all the dust, specially treated dust mops can be used to collect and hold dust from walls, noncarpeted floors and other sources.
Rental dust mops are treated to help attract dust and dirt, so when they are sweeping they are grabbing dust and dirt. Rental dust mop strands are strong enough to withstand pushing, pulling and twisting, and provide maximum soil and dirt absorbency.
Wet mops are used for many types of cleaning procedures on any type of hard flooring. A loop-end, rental mop is superior to a cut-end style and will absorb five to six times its own weight, TRSA says.WIPE DOWN
Shop towels can be used wherever machinery, furniture and equipment has to be wiped down. Shop towels also can be used to wipe hands.
A service agreement with a textile rental company provides a continuous supply of towels, TRSA says. There is no need for a large storage area when renting towels, and customers can be assured they won’t run out of clean towels.
Shop towels can be printed with a company’s logo or slogan, and can be dyed to show their end uses.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Matt Poe at [email protected].