If You Don’t Use Anti-Fatigue Floor Mats Now, You’ll Hate Yourself Later

Perhaps your employees see a boss, a colleague or even a friend when they look at you, but the law sees a PCBU. This is a short form for Person Conducting Business or an Undertaking.

This acronym attached to your name brings some responsibilities for you, as well.

Namely, a PCBU is responsible, to a reasonable extent, for the safety of all workers in their company.

Surely, it is not your job to hold their hands while they cross the street, but you must do your part in helping them stay safe and healthy.

One of the ways to do this includes getting anti-fatigue floor mats for the companies where employees stand throughout most of their shifts. It seems like a far-fetched idea that a floor mat will help your employees, but the facts are on our side.

What Is So Harmful About Standing?

A lot of people talk about the downsides of the sedentary lifestyle. Being on one’s feet is generally considered healthy. Just like everything else, standing is healthy when it is done in moderation.

However, if you are forced to stand for prolonged periods of time, those health benefits soon turn into the health risks.

Photo courtesy: Flickr Image by Connie Ma

Standing throughout a shift, day after day, will put additional pressure on your limbs, joints and even blood vessels. The risk dramatically increases if you are standing on a hard surface.

Negative effects of standing include:

• Lower back pain
• Hip pain
• Knee pain
• Sore muscles
• Painful feet
• Fatigue
• Discomfort
• Swelling
• Plantar fasciitis

When you stand day after day for a long time, the blood starts slowing down when circulating in your legs. It results in swellings and even creating blood clots. Also, varicose veins can occur, which is an inflammatory disease that is very unpleasant.

How Can Anti-Fatigue Floor Mats Help?

The first thing that anti-fatigue floor mats do is that they provide a layer of softness between the sore feet and the hard floor. The pressure on the joints is instantly reduced.

Besides the softness of the floor and the reduced impact on the joints, blood vessels benefit from these floor mats, as well. They encourage people to move slightly at all times. This helps the blood circulating, which is important for reducing the swellings and lowering the risks of varicose veins.

Anti-fatigue floor mats reduce the danger of slipping. This, consequently, means less work related injuries. With all these facts, it is obvious that these sorts of mats definitely make a difference. Moreover, they are the proof that you do take care of your employees’ well-being.

What’s In It For Your Business?

There are several ways your business benefits from placing anti-fatigue floor mats:

Motivated employees

If your employees suffer from back pains, varicose veins, fatigue and chronic discomfort, they will not do a very good job. Placing these mats on their workplace will show that you care about their comfort and the work they do. Such employees will be more motivated and more productive.

Reduced absenteeism

Back pains, rheumatic pains and fatigue can cause people to be unable to perform their job. That means that by diminishing these causes of different conditions, the number of sick days taken will also plummet.

Reduced inventory damages

When people fall down, they do not just place their hands tightly beside their bodies while they fall flat on the floor with their face down. Their reflexes command them to grab something or hold on to something to prevent the fall. In a bar or a restaurant, this means destroying a lot of glass. A very good mat prevents slipping and saves the inventory.

More professional appearance

Mats can really make your business look amazing. The presence of the anti-fatigue floor mats shows that you care about your employees, that you are able to recognise a smart move, and that you are a responsible businessman and employer. You will look like a real professional.

So, What Makes a Good Anti-Fatigue Floor Mat?

Now that you are aware of all the reasons why your workplace needs anti-fatigue floor mats, you need to know how to pick these high-quality mats. In order to know which ones work the best for you, you need to try them at your workplace.

Your best bet is always to rent them rather than buy them.

First, you can always return them if you change your mind. It’s hard to tell if the mat is all that you imagined. That is why Alsco offers a FREE 2-week trial period – no risk and no obligation.

Secondly, your own mats will wear out in time. If you rent any type of mats from Alsco, they will always be replaced with clean and good looking ones.

In other words, renting high-quality mats means that you get all the benefits of new mats without even having to buy them. Your fee can get as low as $1 a day.

Call Alsco representatives or fill out a form on Alsco website to get your best quote.

Photo Courtesy: Alsco NZ

Warning: Your Workplace Washroom Is More Important Than You Think

Did you know that 3 out of 4 customers said they would never return to a restaurant with a dirty washroom? This is the result of the survey conducted by Harris Poll in 2010.

Moreover, people, today use smartphone apps to find establishments with clean toilets.

That is just how important clean washrooms are to people.

In the era of social media, you can be sure that people will take photos of your dirty restroom and share them online which can ruin your reputation.

Still, some companies neglect their washrooms due to the lack of time, will or manpower to regularly maintain it.

There is a way for those companies to have properly maintained workplace washrooms because Alsco can manage washrooms for any company.

4 Reasons to Have a Spotless Workplace Washroom

Even if you don’t run a business that involves your clients and customers entering your venue, there are still some good reasons for you to keep the washroom flawlessly clean.

1. Fighting off diseases and illnesses
2. Keeping your employees satisfied
3. Leaving a positive impression on your customers and clients
4. Aesthetic reasons

Dirty toilets make a perfect environment for spreading harmful bacteria. The flu virus, E.coli and even hepatitis A lurk at you from an improperly cleaned toilet, especially if your workplace is in a school or any similar place where there are many people around.

Therefore, unclean toilets mean that your business will deal with a lot of sick days.

Image from: Flickr Image by tszchungwing

It is far easier to hire more staff to clean your washroom more regularly. Even better, hire a deep clean service every once in a while and let experts scrub down your washroom professionally.

Your employees will not be satisfied working in an environment that is not sanitary. This influences their morale which translates to poor motivation and even poorer productivity. This is not something that any business can afford.

If your employees do not appreciate your washroom, your potential clients and customers will appreciate it even less. Dirty washroom will make your company seem unprofessional and that will cause you to lose business.

5 Key Factors of a Proper Workplace Washroom

There are several key factors that make all the difference when it comes to a nice and sanitary washroom.

1. Regular Cleaning

You need a regular cleaning service that will make sure your washroom is always in the perfect condition. This means daily service. You need maintenance staff and you need to work out a daily cleaning schedule with them.

It can be a timetable on which each member of the staff marks the job they have done for that day and sign the sheet.

While your toilets need to be perfectly clean, this is not enough. You need to have toilet paper at all times, and you need a disposable toilet seat cover. Of course, you need a proper bin that is entirely sanitary.

2. Additions for the Ladies

Sitting on a toilet seat means that a person is more exposed to germs. The first line of defence should be a toilet seat sanitizer that will kill those germs before they make contact with your skin.

Also, it would be great to equip your washroom with special disposal units. Alsco’s Feminine Hygiene units are sanitary and discrete. They make waste disposal clean and easy.

All the mothers will be happy to find a good nappy disposal unit in your washroom. They meet very high sanitary standards and Alsco replaces the entire unit every time they do their usual maintenance rounds.

3. Fighting Off the Odour

Your washroom can look flawless, but if it smells bad, all your efforts will be in vain. The odours are the result of the uric acid crystals build-up. Even if you have regular maintenance of your toilet, this can still happen.

Your best bet against these odours is wall mounted air sanitisers. They fight off odour even before it happens. Namely, they disperse the chemicals that kill the germs and prevent the uric acid build-up.

After regular cleaning and the amazing effects of the air sanitisers, you can add an extra touch and install a couple of air fresheners. Your washroom will not only be odour free, but it can smell lovely, as well.

4. Hand Hygiene Made Convenient

A good workplace washroom helps keep your employees healthy. In order for that to happen, you need to allow your employees to maintain proper hand hygiene.

A lot of germs are transmitted by dirty hands, so you need excellent soap dispensers beside every faucet. They need to be full at all times and you can never afford for them to be empty.

Drying one’s hands is just as important for their health as washing them. Wet hands are a perfect place for the germs to get stuck and wait for their chance to infect you. You can offer your employees different hand drying options that include air drying, paper towels or even cloth towels.

In order to go that extra mile in protecting your employees, install hand sanitisers at appropriate places so that disinfecting hands can be easy and convenient.

5. Good Workplace Washroom Management

Managing your washroom is a serious task and it takes a lot of time and regular checkups. Being a business owner or a manager, you definitely have more important things to do than to check on the condition of your washroom every now and then.

A smart move is to hire staff that cleans the washroom and to contact Alsco to help you with the equipment needed for its proper functioning.

You don’t have to buy anything – simply rent it. It is cheaper and more convenient.

Make an enquiry about Alsco’s rates right now. For a price that comes down to a couple of coins a day, you can have washroom equipment installed, maintained and restocked on a regular basis.

Alsco employees do that for you – and we do it with a smile.

Photo: Movieshapers

Amazing Benefits of Work Uniforms You Need to Stop Missing Out On

You have two options: to go for work uniforms or to go for a DIY workwear policy. If you are in doubt, imagine yourself entering your business venue as a potential client.

Picture your workers wearing uniforms and then imagine the same scenery with all of them in their own clothing.

In which scenario would you be more likely to decide to take the business seriously and make a deal?

This simple test is not based on some strong scientific facts, but it is an indicator of the general attitude toward uniforms – clients like them. However, work uniforms need to be presentable and perfectly maintained.

Industries Where Work Uniforms Are a Necessity

Luckily for all other branches of industry, there are those businesses and services where uniforms are necessary. Their experience allowed everybody else to learn volumes about the good sides of having work clothes.

Uniforms in the health, military and police sectors are almost legendary. Besides those, people recognise uniforms of the kitchen staff, hotel employees and others who work in the food and hospitality sectors.

Other industries followed their lead and businesses have started to invest in proper workwear, significantly.

Frost and Sullivan confirmed that in their report on Western European Workwear Markets from 2010. Namely, companies in the UK spent over €640 million to uniform their workers. This was almost 20% of the entire amount spent on workwear in Western Europe.

Workers in Uniforms Have Better Attitudes

It has been proven that wearing a uniform changes the way employees think about themselves. Simply by replacing everyday clothes with work uniforms, employees change their attitude toward work.

Wearing uniforms :

• improves their attention span
• boosts orientation to detail
• increases overall motivation for work

This is best illustrated with a couple of experiments presented in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. The results showed that people wearing uniforms have better-sustained attention than those who perform the same task, but without the uniform.

However, the uniform should be appropriate for the task. For example, if people believe that they are wearing a doctor’s white coat, they will be very detail oriented and focused on the task that requires attention.

On the other hand, if they are told that the same coat is a painter’s coat, they will not show the same improvement in their attention for the task.

What’s more, workwear must be of the right size to ensure the proper protection of every employee.

Uniforms are Practical in Many Ways

There are two main ways in which uniforms are practical:

• They help workers protect their own clothing 
• Industrial workwear protects people at work
• They help differentiate employees who work in different departments

People working in the food industry cannot imagine going to work and not wearing their uniforms. Overalls, aprons, and headwear protect them from splatter and stains, while also protecting the food from being contaminated.

In large companies, there are many departments and people can get confused. However, if a company decides to provide logo uniforms in different colours for every department, this problem is solved efficiently.

Other practical sides of logo uniforms include the fact that customers can easily spot a member of staff when they need help.

Also, uniforms with a logo advertise your company wherever your workers appear.

Customers Have More Trust in Uniformed Staff

The first impression is very important and long lasting. That is why every business should make the most of the fact that uniformed staff leaves an excellent impression on the potential clients.

It is more likely for a client to have more trust in an inexperienced worker in a uniform than in an expert in a DIY attire.

Harris Interactive (now Harris Poll) conducted a research on how customers feel about businesses that have their employees wear uniforms. It shows that 2 out of 3 adults claim uniformed employees leaves a positive impression on them.

People said that uniformed employees seemed more professional and that they felt enticed to do business with that company.

DIY Workwear Is Not That Bad

There are situations when a logo uniform cannot be put into a good use.

Places that do not have direct and personal contact with their clients usually do not have uniforms. They may have a dress code – like law firms, but it is unlikely that their lawyers will have obligatory logos on their suits.

However, wherever possible, high quality and well-kept uniforms should be introduced. Today’s competitive market demands that businesses use every means possible to reflect their professionalism and excellent service. Uniforms greatly help achieve that effect.

Uniforms are a better option for those businesses that involve a large number of workers. They make much more sense when a company needs to boost the team spirit and the sense of belonging.

Alsco Uniforms Boost All These Benefits

Businesses can hope to get all these benefits from their logo uniforms only if the uniforms are flawless. They need to be perfectly clean, ironed and maintained.

One messy uniform on a worker can drown all your efforts to build an image of a professional business.

Maintaining all the uniforms at the same time is quite a chore. It consumes a lot of time and it is a work that needs to be done repeatedly. Luckily, you do not have to do it.

Alsco rents uniforms for all kinds of businesses. Your workers just need to wear them and put them back in one of our lockers. We will come over, take the worn uniforms and replace them with freshly cleaned and ironed ones. All this is included in one fee.

Contact Alsco representatives and make an enquiry about this excellent service. They will tell you all you need to know about how to get perfect uniforms for your business without having to think about their maintenance.

Why Is Alsco Necessary for Your Business

Do you feel like a Jack-of-all-Trades sometimes? Every small business owner does. You start by doing what you do best and end up being an accountant, a driver, a sales representative and a marketing manager.

At times, having so many responsibilities stop you from the one thing that should be your priority – running your company.

It is important that you keep your eyes on the big picture. You shouldn’t lose time on the less important tasks that can be done by somebody else. Let the professional rental service like Alsco take care of those things for you.

Alsco will supply you with all sorts of materials and equipment that you need. Moreover, we will take care of it, replace it and restock it. In other words, you talk to an Alsco representative and you can forget about dealing with your uniforms, washroom hygiene, mats and First Aid Kits. They are our responsibility from that point on.

We at Alsco understand how challenging it is to run a business. That is why we tend to be reliable, flexible, efficient and budget-friendly. Learn how Alsco can work for you and save you time and money.

Contact ALSCO now. Our friendly staff will give you all the info you need to make your life easier and your business better.

Never Stretch Your Budget

You will spend only what you really need to spend. Also, there are no upfront fees. We care about your business and we want to make sure it runs smoothly. That means that you get your equipment and all that you need to do your work.

On top of that, you can always count on our ability to be flexible. That is right. Alsco allows you to tailor your orders according to your business flow. Using our rental service instead of buying your equipment fits into your budget perfectly.

If you buy your materials in bulk, you will get a fair price. But, that price does not include restocking, maintaining and the time spent dealing with all that equipment. What is worse, you don’t even need some of the stuff you buy. We will help you avoid trapping your money.

Let’s say you run a restaurant. You need aprons, tablecloths, headwear and many other details. You don’t need to bother buying all that stuff. Rent your well-fitting workwear from Alsco and forget all about washing, ironing and maintaining it. We do all the hard work for you.

Do you expect busy days during Christmas season? Never mind. Give us a call and we’ll boost your supply. Business is kind of slow? Say no more. We will slow down, as well and you will get the service you need. At times, you won’t have to spend more than $1 a day on our services.

Save Your Precious Time

In business, time directly converts to money. Think about the time you spend thinking about your workers’ uniform maintenance. Let alone doing the actual work of washing them and ironing them. Now add the tablecloths, towels, and napkins. Don’t you have anything better to do? Leave it to Alsco to provide you with fast and flexible service.

How about your First Aid Kit? Do you know if it is up to date? Does it comply with all the Health and Safety laws? You don’t have the time to check and missing out on details like that can cost you a lot of money in fines.

Stop worrying about it and rent it from Alsco. We will restock it, check up on it and upgrade it so that it always complies with all the necessary laws and regulations.

Get Exceptional Service

Alsco is a business with a long tradition. This means that we understand all the challenges that you are facing first hand. That is why we do our best to provide the service that truly makes a difference to our clients.

There are several aspects of our service that you should take into consideration

• Our materials and equipment are always top-quality
• Our customer service staff goes the extra mile to meet your needs
• We offer a two-week trial period on our rental services

On top of all that, Alsco offers First Aid training for your employees. If the person trained leaves your company, we will gladly train their replacement free of charge.

Using Alsco rental service is a necessity rather than a luxury. It saves time and money and takes a lot of responsibilities off your shoulders. In addition, it is budget-friendly and flexible.

We always take the specifics of your business into consideration when providing you with our services. Get your best price quote from your local Alsco branch and start saving money while letting us do all the work.

Photo: Sigre

What Every Business Owner Needs to Know About First Aid Compliance

Did you know that you are twice more likely to get hurt doing a job in New Zealand than doing the same one in Australia?

Facts and figures gathered by the WorkSafe New Zealand show that health and safety records in New Zealand are two times worse than those in Australia.

Naturally, New Zealand is doing something about it and a new Health and Safety at Work Act were made in 2015. It is a good and honest attempt to make workplaces safer. In order for it to work, everybody needs to do their part.

One of the many things a business needs to do is to become First Aid compliant. Accidents happen from time to time, whatever you do to prevent them. Still, both prevention and being prepared for them makes all the difference between a safe and unsafe workplace.

Additionally, you risk a big fine for not being First Aid compliant. Therefore, here are some key points that every business needs to know about First Aid.

Three Things to Think About: First Aid Requirement Categories

There are three main factors you need to think about when you are trying to make your business First Aid compliant. Your workplace needs to have:

• First Aid Kits and facilities
• Trained first aiders (not all businesses need this)
• Properly displayed and distributed information about first-aid arrangements for your employees

A number of necessary First Aid kits, facilities, trained first aiders and additional arrangements depend on many factors. Type of your business and number of employees are the most important ones.

The First Step: Assessing Your Workplace

In order to make your workplace safe, you need to conduct a proper assessment. To do that, you need to read and understand the Workplace First Aid Needs Assessment Checklist.

This checklist consists of questions about factors that influence safety at your workplace. This includes:

• Likelihood of getting hurt or ill at your workplace
• Workplace specific hazards
• Number of workers
• Workers with disabilities or special needs
• Shifts, overtime and work hours
• Type of building
• The proximity of emergency services

Your assessment will help you determine the number and position of your Kits, their inventory, as well as the number of trained first aiders.

Number of First Aid Kits and Their Positions

Every workplace and every company vehicle need at least one First Aid Kit. You need one Kit for every 50 employees. Also, if you have a multi-level workplace, every floor needs its own Kit.

Place your First Aid Kits near hazardous areas at your workplace. Also, if you can, place it near a washbasin with hot and cold running water.

Remember that a wall-mounted First Aid Kit needs to be light enough to be carried by a single person. First Aid Kits need to be easily visible and properly marked.

Things You Must Have in a First Aid Kit

Your workplace Kit will be different than the one that you use for your vehicles. Also, when you assemble your Kit, take into account the specifics of your workplace and the hazards that are more likely to occur than others.

First Aid for Workplaces – A Good Practice Guide from 2011 suggests the following minimum of every First Aid Kit at a workplace:

• The First Aid Manual
• Saline solution or wet wipes
• 20 adhesive dressings in different sizes
• 2 eye pads
• 2 triangular bandages
• Safety pins or clasps
• 6 wound dressings, approximately 12 cm x 12 cm
• 2 wound dressings, approximately 18 cm x 18 cm
• 2 pairs of disposable gloves
• One resuscitation mask

Keep in mind that all wipes, pads, bandages and dressings need to be sterile and individually wrapped. In addition, dressings need to be unmedicated. This is just a suggestion and you should add the items according to your Assessment.

If you operate a high-risk business and you have over 100 employees, or if there are no emergency facilities nearby, consider setting up a First Aid Room.

Your Workplace First Aiders: Training and Certificates

Only certified organisations can offer First Aid training that is recognised by the HSWA.

Once obtained, the certificate is valid for two years. After those two years, the first aider should take a refresher course.

However, if the certificate has expired and the certificate holder has not attended the refresher course within 3 months, they need to take the entire course again.

Proper Way of Informing Employees About First Aid Arrangements

Informing your employees about the First Aid arrangements is just as important as having those arrangements. You need to know what to tell them and when to do it.

What to tell:

• Number and location of all First Aid Kits
• Number and location of all First Aiders
• Procedures to follow in case of emergency
• Location of the First Aid Room, if available

When to do it:

• When they first get the job or change jobs within the company
• When something important changes about First Aid
• When they once a year, just to remind them

Shortcut to Your First Aid Compliance

All this is can be quite overwhelming for a business owner. You should read through everything that NSWA recommends, but you should also consult somebody that makes First Aid their business. Alsco is the ace up your sleeve when it comes to First Aid compliance.

You get to rent managed First Aid Kits that are absolutely compliant with current laws. Alsco maintains them, restocks them, takes care of them and checks upon them.

All that – only one fee.

Call 0800 4 ALSCO and enquire about the First Aid rental service.

Pros and Cons of Workplace Uniforms

Military and the police take pride in their uniforms. For their occupations, wearing a uniform is not a matter of choice, but a part of their job.

Miners, health workers, and industrial workers cannot imagine their day without their uniforms. For some, it is there for protection, while for others – it is a symbol of the work they do. Either way, uniforms are important.

Other businesses follow their lead these days. They choose to rent uniforms from Alsco, although these are not obligatory for their line of work. Different hotels, restaurants, and similar establishments are among those that opt to introduce this practice.

You can be a judge of whether it pays off or not to have them after you read the pros and cons of uniforms at the workplace.

Workplace Uniforms: Pros

• When staff wear uniforms, it makes the business look more professional. Waiters, chefs, and other staff in the catering business resemble a team or an army in their uniforms. They look classy and professional in good catering uniforms.
• Having your uniform over clothes prevents your clothing from wear and tear. All sorts of stains end up on uniforms during work hours. After work, your employees simply leave them for Alsco workers to take care of them and go home in their clean wardrobe.
• Properly designed uniforms can play an important role in safety in the workplace. They can be made of special kinds of materials, and have reinforcements on certain parts or special markings or symbols on them.
• Uniforms boost the team spirit within a company. Just like all the players in a team identify with it by wearing the same jerseys, your employees will have a stronger sense of belonging to your company.
• Employees who wear uniforms are walking advertisements. Your logo, colours or even the slogan of your company can find their place on your uniforms. Wherever your employees go, it all goes with them.
• Uniforms make everybody equal. Some people like to dress up, while others do not have the time or the money to do it. Once employees are all in the same uniforms, those gaps become invisible, and everybody is the same.
• When a person puts on a uniform, it changes their set of mind. Uniform means that the leisure time is over and the work begins. People who wear uniforms are more productive.
• The staff that wears uniforms is easily recognised by the customers. When a customer needs to be serviced or has a question, they do not want to wait. If they have to wait, they will give up. So, contact with a member of staff needs to be made quickly. If staff members wear uniforms, customers will easily find them and ask for help.
• Pools and studies showed that customers feel that they are getting better service when serviced by people in uniform. Also, they tend to trust staff wearing uniforms more.

Workplace Uniforms: Cons

While all this sounds great, there are also some downsides to wearing uniforms. Here are some of them:

• Uniforms suppress the individuality of the employees. They make everybody look the same, so the personal style of the employees is affected.
• Sometimes, uniforms can be uncomfortable. Also, they do not look good on everybody.
• Unfortunately, uniforms are not free. They cost money and that needs to be paid by an employer or the employee.
• Uniform maintenance is always annoying.

Easy Fixes for Uniform Downsides

Still, the reasons for having uniforms at work greatly outnumber the reasons for not having them. Moreover, all four reasons for uniforms are easily fixed.

• Personal style can be expressed through accessories or ways the uniform is worn.
• Uncomfortable uniforms can be altered and staff can be included in the process of choosing the uniforms. Learn how to determine the right size of your workwear for maximum comfort and you won’t face this problem again.
• Firstly, the money spent on uniforms comes back through advertisement. Moreover, renting uniforms from Alsco means that the cost can be managed.
• If you use Alsco’s managed garment system you do not worry about maintenance anymore. You get your uniforms washed, ironed, folded and delivered in time. It is all included in the price of your rental.

The Best Way to Deal With Uniforms

Obviously, uniforms are a good idea and the downsides are fixable. Your first concern is the choice of uniforms. That is something that a designer and members of your staff can help you with.

Another thing that can worry you is the maintenance. With a certain number of washings, uniforms will wear out. Not if you rent them. Alsco always brings you freshly washed and ironed uniforms in perfect condition.

The last, but not the least is the price. Again – not a real problem. Renting is better than buying. For as low as $1 a day, you can forget about your worries when it comes to uniforms.

Let’s say you buy a uniform and your employee gets replaced with another person who does not fit into the same size. Do you buy a new uniform? No. You simply contact Alsco and enjoy the amazing flexibility of their service.

Call 0800 4 ALSCO today. People from the nearest Alsco local branch will answer all your questions and help you deal with your uniform issues.

4 Ways Cloth Towels are Better Than Hand Dryers

Did you know that drying your hands properly is just as important as washing them well? If you leave your hands all wet or moist, all sort of dirt and bacteria will stick to them.

At your own home, this is not a problem. You have your fresh and clean towels and not many people use your bathroom. But, what happens when you need to wash and dry your hands in public?

Public washrooms have several options for drying your hands. They include hand dryers, paper towels, and cloth towel dispensers. Alsco can offer different hand drying options for your washroom.

Still, you might want to take a closer look at Alsco’s cloth towel dispensers, because they are better than all the other options for many reasons. Here are the 4 main reasons why this is better than hand dryers.

Hand Dryers Spread Harmful Microbes

It is better to dry your hands with a hand dryer than to leave them wet, that is for sure. But, if there is an option to use cloth, rather than a jet of air, you should do that.

Scientists from the University of Westminster conducted an experiment, comparing different hand drying methods.

They concluded that hand dryers increase the number of bacteria on hands. Moreover, they can spread the bacteria, by blowing them around the washroom. This increases the chances of contamination.

On the other hand, cloth towel dispenser isolates the microbes by retracting the used portions of the towel to a separate chamber. You never touch them after they have been used.

Fresh portions of the towel are kept in another chamber and they are sterilised. This means that there are no microbes waiting for you on your towel.

Cloth Towels Are Environmentally Friendly

It can be argued that hand dryers are a more eco-friendly option than paper towels. However, cloth towels are definitely the greenest option.

Cloth towels do not need electricity. Also, they can be washed, sterilised and reused. Even when they cannot be used as towels anymore, that cloth can be recycled or even reused for other purposes.

Cloth Towels Do a Better Job

Have you ever dried your hands completely using a hand dryer? Nobody has. Hand dryer always leaves a little bit of water between your fingers.

Don’t you hate the line that forms behind you while you are drying your hands?

On the other hand, using a cloth towel dispenser is fast and efficient. Clean and sterilised towel reaches to all the folds and wet spots on your hands and dries them quickly.

Cloth Towels are Easier to Use

Truth be told, hand dryers can be a bit loud. They usually work using sensors that trigger the jets of air when needed.

However, the jets of air stop if you move your hands away from the sensors. It is quite a chore to dry your hands while trying to keep the air jets working. This leaves you with a part of your hands dry while the other parts are still wet.

When it comes to cloth towels, everybody knows how to use them. Drying your hands with a cloth towel is something a two-year-old can do anytime, anyplace.

This particularly makes sense in the environments where children spend most of their time – schools. School washrooms must be perfectly safe and promote health according to all the New Zealand standards.

So, if you are looking for the best way to dry your hands, a cloth towel dispenser in your workplace washroom is the answer. Don’t worry about replacing or washing your towel. Once you rent the dispenser from Alsco, we do all the work.

You get the dispenser and we regularly come to replace the towel with a freshly sterilised one.

This is not expensive, either. Enquire now and get the best price for the most efficient, hygienic, easy to use and environmentally friendly way to dry your hands.

Photo Courtesy: Flickr Image by Owen Photography.

How Clean is Your Clean Restaurant?

Great food and perfect ambience are synonymous with your restaurant. People from all over flock to experience the buzz you have created. Your hard work and efforts have paid off.

From all of us at Alsco, we would like to congratulate you for a job well done. We look forward to your continued success and more!

There is, however, a great challenge that every success story tends to miss. It’s quite easy to overlook because they lurk at a microscopic level. Yes, the dirt and germs! They plague each and every corner and can overthrow you from the pinnacle of your triumph.

Yes, the dirt and germs! They plague each and every corner and can overthrow you from the pinnacle of your triumph.

We know you have tried all measures to keep your restaurant and your kitchen spick and span. As expressed earlier, chances are there are still minuscule organisms invisible to the naked eye.

So how clean is your clean restaurant really?

According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in six Americans gets sick from foodborne diseases every year. These are caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites that are found in most institutions in the food industry.

Part of a restaurant’s operation is its regular cleaning and sanitizing chores. As this becomes routine, it also becomes easier to oversee some areas.

Let us help guide you to effectively cover those spaces.

Follow Where the Hands Are

The dirtiest equipment in the office? It is nowhere near the restroom as others may think, it is right in front of every desk – the keyboard.

It can harbour more harmful bacteria than a lavatory seat. You will never know where your customers came from.

Items and equipment that are in direct contact with their hands or fingers need special attention.

Is the Sneeze Guard guarded?

We often see this glass contraption in buffets or food bars where items are displayed on counters. Its primary use is to avoid contamination which ironically is the same place where all the germs are collected. Glass and mirrors easily collect dirt.

Also, imagine the number of persons pushing their fingers onto it – you can never be sure where they previously stuck their fingers right?

Alsco’s wipes and some glass cleaning liquid can do a remarkable job at maintaining the cleanliness of your sneeze guards. Make sure to keep to your cleaning agenda with an hourly swipe at that glass, whether it looks clean or not.

The Hands that Touch the Door Handles

Hands are in direct contact with door handles. If you average, for example, a hundred guests every day, chances are 70% of them touched your doorknobs. Now keep that thought in mind and think about the door handles of the restroom.

It is, therefore, important to cleanse it hourly or as frequently as possible.

The Telephone

You find them on the counters, the front desk, and in the kitchen. It is as close to being a keyboard and worse.

Not only are the hands there, but its mouthpiece can also have plenty of viruses. You can address these issues in two ways.

Either have your visitors and customers involved or you and your staff can add to your hourly cleaning routine.

You may have Alsco’s soft kitchen wipes beside the phone and a hand sanitizer. Add an appealing catchphrase like “Don’t spread it, wipe it” – your imagination and creativity is key to this project.

Telephones in the kitchen area should be a major concern. This is the part of the restaurant where food is kept and handled all the time. It goes without saying that extra care is essential.

Have your crew involved, and if you can do it with your customers, it will be a lot easier to implement simple rules around the kitchen.

The Mats that Matter

On average, the pairs of feet that enter your establishment can bring in a little over a hundred grams of dirt per day. That is the primary reason why floor mats regulate the inflow of travelling dust and grime.

The biggest question, however, is how efficient your mats are in keeping up with their purpose.

The rental lift-and-lay mats from Alsco is a trusted solution for providing excellent results.

They are many times better than ordinary mats you find in the market. Check this link out to learn more.

Washroom Dispensers – Touched by Unwashed Hands

It is ironic that a tool that dispenses soap and sanitisers can actually be a breeding ground of germs and disease. They can spread throughout your washroom like wildfire, it can most likely contaminate other areas of your establishment too.

A better and healthier alternative is to go with the industry trend in sanitizer and soap dispensers. Touch-free dispensers are making a new wave in the market. A regular dispenser can cost around $0.028 USD per hand wash considering all factors.

An automatic no-touch dispenser ensures that only the required amount of soap is dispensed each and every time – making it brilliantly economical.

As the saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.” Hopefully, we were able to guide and help you be more conscious about your restaurant’s cleanliness.

Alsco is an industry leader in providing healthier, safer, and greener solutions. We can offer customized solutions to tailor-fit your needs.

Contact us now and our professional sales representatives are on standby to answer your questions and give you a free quote.

Photo: Free-Photos

Café 101 – 11 Useful Tips to Successfully Run a Café Business

Who wouldn’t like to start a cafe? The joy from smiling customers who you get to serve your masterpieces is way better than pushing pencils on an 8-hour job.

While you’re already drooling and your creative think tank is overflowing, let me first burst your bubble.

As this is a very popular venture, starting a cafe requires not only your desire but a lot of strategic planning.

Consider the fact that you are not the first to set up shop – competition can be tough and compelling. There is more to just the aroma of the coffee you serve than meets the eye.

Starting a cafe? Partner with Alsco, for one annual fee, you’ll have a constant supply of clean, hygienic and high-quality linens every single day! Contact Also now!

Check out these facts:

• The average “life” of a café is between 2 and 3 years, then they are “adopted” by a different owner.
• 70% of cafes shut down its operation within the first 12 months.

Be that as it may, every business venture has its own corresponding risk and impending challenges. You have to be battle-ready to move forward. This is no fairy tale land but a success story is inevitable if you acquire the right attitude and motivation.

What direction should you be headed? What should be avoided and whose advice should I heed? Questions will overflow but here are 11 practical tips to step up your game in starting a cafe.

Let’s go through some tips on how to start up your cafe

1. Make that Dream Come True

It doesn’t come easy, you may want to overlook the settings. The general appearance of your café can be built from the bottom up. Never let your emotions get the better of you in making a decision. Knowing the right people will help you realize the amount of investment you need to put it. Negotiations can be very tedious and may entail a lot of drawbacks, be prepared.

2. Go to the Drawing Board

With your emotions checked, it is now time to foresee realistic business goals before buying a café. Marketing and Operations are the key to success and should be the focal points of the business. Entice investors and banks with a well-planned business proposal.

3. Secure the Permits

Everything should be legally taken cared of. Setting up any business for that matter necessitates all the required permits. Manage your time well to spend enough time in acquiring insurances, permits, and licenses.

4. This is When Creativity Kicks In

Look around you, almost every business venture has a theme, from a rock concert to zen. Make your think tank work and come up with a motif, it pays a lot to make a random feasibility check of the business area. Make your café stand out!

5. Be Professional

It may come to you as a hobby but you always have to consider that running a business involves customers. You have to be consistent in dealing with all aspects of operations. It has to reflect on how you conduct yourself as an owner and a leader to your staff. By professionalism, we mean that standards have to be met – like presentable catchy menus and an engaging website.

6. Be Your Own Customer

I am pretty sure you are a critic of some of the cafes you have visited before. What can you do differently? How will others react? Fill in the shoe of a customer to find ways and means to continuously improve your craft.

7. Communication is Key

As with any other relationship, open communication not only with your staff but most importantly with your customers will substantially improve your service and your revenue subsequently. Make sure that policies are consistent and attainable. Do away with line items that you foresee will cause confusion.

8. Never be a Snob

Suppliers are your friends. Develop a lasting relationship with suppliers and distributors because if you take care of them, they will surely take care of you. You will never know when an emergency will strike and having them as your best buds can actually mean a lot.

9. Learn to Embrace the Concept of Change

What is trending now may not have the same impact the next week, or month. Our fast-paced lives continuously evolve in a surprisingly short amount of time. Your great concept for a menu may be the talk of the town this month but never expect it to be eternal. You need to learn to adapt and innovate. Take some time to be on top of what’s hot and what’s not.

Marketing and Promotion

10. Marketing is the Lifeblood of the Business

You may have the most lucrative shiny shimmery shop but if no one knows about it, it’s as good as a nothing. There is a variety of marketing channels that you may want to juggle – although it is advisable that you strategically plan these marketing plans.

Traditional marketing includes flyers, word of mouth, and old-fashioned ads. Digital marketing is the fad nowadays, utilize the many avenues of the world wide web and make good use of social media.

11. Establish Relationships

As mentioned earlier, word of mouth is a very good marketing opportunity. As with taking care of your suppliers and distributors, it is best to establish a fanbase. These “regulars” will give you a stable audience so provide them with perks like loyalty discounts and incentive programs.

Alsco can Help

Also is a leader in providing convenient and economical solutions for maintaining the highest linen standards for any business venture. Our fully-managed tea towel rental service is no exception: we offer quality fabrics, sizes, and colours with no up-front capital outlay; regular pick-up and delivery; and a flexible inventory management system.

Partner with Alsco and find out how it feels to have an endless supply of clean linen. Enquire now!

Sources and Recommended Reading
1. ‘How To Start A Café’, Wikihow (website)
2. ‘How To Run A Café’, Businesses For Sale (website)
3. ‘Attributes Of A Successful Café Owner’, Craig Reid, The Café Ninja (blog)
4. ‘My Top 5 Tips For Café Success’, Craig Reid, The Café Ninja (blog)
5. ‘A Passion for Caffeine: How To Start A Coffee Shop’, Sydney Morning Herald
6. ‘The 11 Biggest Mistakes You Can Make When Buying a Café That Could Cost You Tens Of Thousands Of Dollars’ (pdf), Rita Srblin, The Café Coach (website)

Image Courtesy: Flickr Image by avlxyz

Hand Sanitiser vs. Soap and Water – Which is Preferable?

Washing hands is an effective way to minimise the spread of germs and deadly diseases. In recent times, we are fortunate to have multiple ways to keep our hands clean thanks to the invention of hand sanitisers.

Now, here is a quick question: Is hand sanitiser more effective or superior to washing hands the old fashioned way?

Washing Hands with Soap

Over and again, washing hands with soap and water has been proven to rid bacteria that could cause debilitating disease. Washing with hand soap, however, does not necessarily mean it can kill the bacteria.

When washing with soap, dirt, and germs trapped within the natural oils of the skin are lifted and suspended in water. In order to ensure efficacy, washing hands must be done well.

To effectively wash hands:

• 1-3 ml of soap should be used, with just enough water to make a lather.
• Scrubbing between fingers, fingernails and wrists should be done in no less than 20 seconds.
• Thorough rinsing should be done, and lastly
• Hands should be dried after washing.

Recent research has shown that drying is very important to the effectiveness of hand hygiene. If you do not dry your hands properly after washing, it could turn into a breeding environment for bacteria to spread.

The Facts about Hand Sanitisers

Hand sanitiser use bottled gels as an alternative for old-fashioned handwashing with soap and water.

Do hand sanitisers virtually kill 99% of germs as they claim? Of course, they do. However, not precisely on the hands. The truth is, these products are commonly tested on inanimate surfaces and the claim of its effectiveness is based totally on that. But, if tested on hands, the outcomes will be exceptional.

Hand sanitiser is an excellent alternative when the right facilities are not available. However, it shouldn’t replace washing hands with soap and water because there are more aggressive forms of bacteria available that sanitiser cannot fight.

Additionally, hand sanitisers aren’t as efficient as soap and water in reducing dirt and grease. So if your hands are visibly dirty, it is better to wash with soap and water. If not, you can make use of hand sanitisers.

The main ingredient in hand sanitiser is alcohol. The alcohol kills the bacteria by softening the bacterial membrane, permitting the alcohol to render micro-organism useless.

But this doesn’t mean that you should use any hand sanitiser containing alcohol. Always choose the one with at least 60% alcohol — anything less is regarded as ineffective.

It is also essential to know how to use hand sanitisers properly. Firstly, do not be too conservative with the quantity. Squirt two to three pumps of the product on the surface of your hand, rubbing the entire surface of your hands. Ensure you do not exclude your fingers and underneath your nails; don’t stop until the product dries out.

Hand Hygiene In The Workplace

Having a pleasant and safe working environment is one of the most crucial requirements for any employee. After all, most of us sacrifice almost all of our weekly hours to work at a paid rate.

So long as working conditions are concerned, there are some things that generally tend to irritate some employees, including poor water quality or access to none at all, unfavourable temperatures, offensive odours, messy kitchen environment, and a lack of hygiene.

The workplace is perhaps the most common place to contact diseases. However, the only way to reduce the contamination of diseases is to ensure that the environment is kept clean, and it involves more than simply emptying bins or vacuuming the floor.

Wiping off your keyboard, telephone, and desk is the number one place to start eliminating bacteria. The kitchen region is likewise critical. Having things like liquid soap, clean towels, towel roll dispensers, and bench wiping liquid can also help this region stay clean. Finally, and most significantly, is the washroom area.

Particularly in working environments such as schools, hand sanitisers bring about reducing the spread of infection via dirty hands.

The Ultimate School Washroom Guide shows you how to take proper care of your school washroom and protect the health of all the staff and students.

Keeping hands clean is vital in reducing the spread of diseases because it’s our hands that do most of the work and come in contact with multiple people as well as items around the office. Good quality liquid soap, sanitising systems, and anti-bacterial products must be made available at all times.

So, Which is Better?

In case you are evaluating whether to spend money on hand sanitisers or on hand soap dispensers, there shouldn’t be a debate.

Both are very important in the workplace to help workers stay healthy and happy. Both are effective at protecting you from bacteria and viruses.

If there are specks of dirt or oils on your hands, the best way to clean it is to use hand soaps with water. Hand sanitisers should not replace hand washing with soap but in areas where there is no water available, or instances when you need to immediately disinfect your hands, hand sanitisers come very handy.

These should have a significant place in your office, too — have them strategically positioned in some areas of the workplace e.g doorways, elevators, floors etc. If this is implemented, it will be much easier for them to remember to keep their hands clean.

Need a hand soap dispenser or hand sanitisers in your workplace? Alsco provides fully-managed hand care systems and supplies for a convenient and cost-effective hygiene solution for your workplace.

Enquire now and get the best price quote!

Image Courtesy: Flickr Image by Chiot’s Run