Now that the professional cleaning industry is evolving faster than ever before, some terms traditionally used in the industry are becoming less common or being replaced. According to Ron Segura, president of Segura Associates, who works with large organizations and cleaning contractors to help them operate in a more efficient and cost effective manner, these seven jan/san terms are fading away:
Chemical-Free Cleaning: This describes a type of cleaning using water and no chemicals. It is being replaced with the term “engineered water,” which more accurately indicates how water is mechanically changed to act as an effective cleaning agent.
Strip-and-Wax: This term had its heyday in the 1980s; it has now been replaced by “refinished.”
Buffers and Burnishers: Buffers traditionally referred to low-speed floor machines and burnishers high-speed equipment. Today, most industry professionals simply refer to these machines as either low- or high-speed equipment.
Spray-and-Vac: While this is the official ISSA term to describe systems that apply chemicals to surfaces, rinse clean these areas, and then vacuum up moisture and soils without touching surfaces, most industry professionals refer to this as no-touch cleaning and leave it at that.
The Old “Sustainability”: The term sustainability, originally defined as protecting today’s resources for future generations, now refers to organizations that use resources responsibly, fairly treat their workers, and give back to the community-all while ensuring economic growth.
Extraction: More commonly used than most of the other terms listed, instead of extracting carpets, many technicians now use the term carpet “restoration.” Restoration refers to the most thorough, restorative cleaning possible for carpeting.
Chemicals: While it has served us well, the term “chemicals” now conjures up a number of thoughts and feelings, from chemical abuse to chemical reactions. Because of this, the word is losing favor in the industry, being replaced with the term cleaning “solutions.”
“And just as some jan/san words are disappearing or being replaced, new ones are growing in importance,” says Segura. “For instance, the term ‘group purchasing organization’ is now on the lips of many more [cleaning] contractors looking to reduce their cleaning supply costs.”
