Mammoth Cleaning Supplies

Office psychology and its effect

2012-05-15T09:20:00.000-07:00

A clean workplace is a happy workplace. It makes workers feel better and more relaxed. Not many employers take into consideration the psychological effect the state of a workplace has on the people who work there. Ask yourself - if you were coming into work everyday to an untidy, oppressive atmosphere - would you look forward to it? Chances are the answer is no.

Not only does it effect the attitude and happiness of workers, it can also make a massive impact in productivity. In order for the workplace to be efficient, the absolute core of any office - the workers themselves, have to be motivated and happy to come into work in the first place.

This also applies to when you're looking for potential new employees. If you were given two job interviews, and were given a tour around and witnessed one to be clean, bright and well maintained, and the other being dull dingy, and relatively chaotic - if offered both positions, which one would appeal to you more?

Colour

In order to promote a good working environment, first of all you need to take a look at he workspace itself. Dark and cold colours often give off negative energy, as well as make the room feel smaller and cramped in, especially if it is filled with desks, fax machines, printers and so on. When deciding on a colour scheme, you can't go wrong with white, but try not to use it everywhere - its an office, not a hospital ward. A splash of colour is always welcome to add some vibrancy and contrast to a room.

Its surprising just how much a dash of colour can change a space.

Some areas are better suited for different talks. Reception areas often benefit from reds, as these speeds up the perception of time. Purples and pinks are great for meeting rooms as they promote fantasy and imagination, whilst cooler colours are perfect as accents in offices and working spaces as a stress buster.

In high traffic areas, especially where people congregate often, such as vending machines, drinking fountains and other smaller interpersonal areas, smart use of red will encourage people to move along quicker.

Layout

When deciding the layout of an office, it should be flowing and uncluttered, so that people won't need the agility of a gymnast to make it to your desk. For an office with a single desk, it is always better to have the desk facing towards the door, so that upon people entering you don't lose too much focus from what you're doing due to having to swivel your head around, this also makes people feel easier when entering a room, as they can see your face upon entry, rather than the back of your head.
When incorporating more than one desk, this can be disregarded. Instead focus on positioning the desks in the office so that they are arranged in squares facing each other. This approach forces more face to face contact between employees, and improves their cohesion as a team and as people - ultimately leading to a much friendlier and positively productive office. Having people positioned facing away from one another tends to create a very impersonal atmosphere, and stifles communications between co-workers as hand gestures and facial expressions are taken out of the equation altogether - both of which are common factors in communication.

Most companies now go for more open layouts such as this.

Try to ensure everything your team needs is in easy reach. Give them a bin each for any waste paper, and use organisers for pens and pencils, as well as trays in draws for any other loose bits. Cluttered desks are not only untidy, they're a nightmare for the poor cleaning staff to deal with. if there are no draws available, give them a simple filing system, categorised for them so they don't just throw things in at random and inevitably lose important paperwork or documents.

Finishing touches

So that covers the colour scheme and layout. There are other things which you can consider also which can benefit a small workgroup or office. The presence of plants in a room placed just in line of sight, can provide a calming effect on workers, giving them another focal point when feeling worked up. Also artwork on walls can have a similar effect, but this can be further tweaked to suit the workers personalities, little nods in their direction make them feel at ease.

Plants and subtle lighting are excellent stress busters.

Lighting is also another major point. In an office, especially when computers are involved, dim lighting will cause eye strains and make workers agitated, where in direct contrast, but giving a similar effect, when lights are too bright they will cause people headaches - stunting any productivity, so this is something which is also key to a good balance in any office. Free standing lamps are something which can benefit, as not only to they provide subtle lighting, they also resonate a "homely" feeling, which can ultimately have a calming effect.

We hope this small guide will help you on the path to finding the right balance in the workplace. Any comments, feel free to leave some below!

How do you stop spills in the workplace effectively?

2012-05-04T08:01:00.001-07:00

Whether or not its chemicals, maintenance fluids, or oils, either split by accident or as a result of a leaking drum, quick and efficient cleaning procedure should always be the first and foremost thought, and should be carried out in a safe and secure manner.

First of all, its important that you choose the correct kit for the purpose, as some kits are specifically designed for certain chemicals or oils, and also cater for different capacities of leakage. Also it is important to take into consideration that the chemical may have the potential to cause damage to you if it were to come into contact with skin, so always ensure that you wear the appropriate safety equipment.

Once you have safety equipment on, and selected the correct kit for purpose, the first thing you should do is to identify the source of the leak or spillage, and stop that if this is the case. It also may be wise to have others evacuated from the immediate vicinity for the spill site.

The next task is to stop the spill from spreading further. This can be achieved by laying absorbent socks around the edge of the spill itself, and absorbent cushions may also be used if gaps remain. This should then stop the fluid from spreading any further. If any drains are in proximity to the spill, it may be worth considering covering those up also.

With the perimeter secured, the next step would be to deal with the spill itself. Your kit should contain a number of absorbent mats. Place these down carefully over the spill, from the centre outwards, and allow them ample time to soak up the fluid. Place any used absorbent's in the provided waste bags, and store in the spill kit bag or bin provided.

Providing you follow these simple steps, you should keep damage to a minimum. We stock a wide variety of Spill kits for all your cleaning needs. Was this article helpful? Please leave us a comment below and tell us your thoughts.

Office Essentials - What do you need?

2012-05-02T07:34:00.000-07:00

A clean and tidy office is a happy office. Having the right cleaning supplies and equipment to keep your workspaces clean is important, as without them how are you supposed to keep on top of any clutter and dirt? We've compiled a list of some the most essential items below:

Ramon Hygiene Lambswool Duster

When it comes to picking up dust, the Ramon Hygiene Lambswool Duster is all you need. Its natural lanolin fibres not only pick dust up, but hold onto it. An all purpose product which is perfect for things such as Venetian blinds and bookshelves, as well as delicate things such as plant leaves and ornaments.

Pledge Furniture Polish Dust &Protect

Who else? Pledge is a household name, and has been for some time now - and with good reason! Pledge's Furniture Polish Dust & Protect formula has a combination of polishes and conditioners, which remove dust and dirt like no other, as well as protect the surface from your everyday marks. It ensures a brilliant natural finish on all your surfaces, but especially wood.

Ramon Hygiene Yellow Dusters (Pack of 10)

The Ramon Hygiene Yellow Dusters are a quality 100% cotton everyday yellow duster, and they're perfect for dusting and polishing tasks around the home or office, offering a good all round performance.

Staples Disposables Floor Maintainer

Staples Disposables Floor Maintainer cleans and renews surface gloss on all types of emulsion polished floors. A brilliant cleaning solution, which can be applied via a mop, or can be applied to larger surfaces if watered down, it can be used via a spray cleaner. This maintainer is suitable for all types of spray cleaning machines.

Draper Wet & Dry Shampoo Vacuum Cleaner

Carpets will always take a large quantity of damage, people walking up and down them all day, five days a week eventually takes its toll, and its never easy to get ground in dirt out of either. The Draper Wet and Dry Shampoo Vacuum Cleaner has a 20L tank volume and 2L detergent capacity, and is designed to remove both wet and dry dirt with ease by spraying diluted detergent deep into the surface its applied to, then it is sucked back up to leave the surface immaculately clean, and practically dry!!

Nilco Nilglass Smear Free Glass & Mirror Cleaner

Nilco Nilglass Smear Free Glass & Mirror Cleaner is the first choice glass cleaner of most glass industry professionals. This handy 1 litre trigger spray is suitable for use on reflective and general hard, non-porous surfaces including laminates, stainless steel and chromium plating. Select a small manageable area and work over surface with a lint free, soft absorbent cloth and buff until dry, turning cloth repeatedly. On stubborn deposits leave to soak for a short time before wiping clean.

Nilco Citrus Air Freshener

Nilco Citrus Air Freshener leaves a lingering fine fragrance which combats odours for long periods. Power fresh citrus air freshener also gives of a fragrance with top notes of orange and subtle hints of lemon, lime and grapefruit. To increase fragrance life still further it can be sprayed on to it can be sprayed onto fabrics. Ideal for commercial, industrial or janitorial applications. Eliminates odours in large areas such as changing rooms, wash rooms and toilets etc.

Ramon Hygiene Dust Buster Kit

Ramon Hygiene Dust Buster Kit can be rotated up to 270 degrees which makes this dust buster a very adaptable cleaning tool. This dust buster cleaning kit is ideal for use in hotels, schools, hospitals, office areas, homes and liesure industries. This dust buster enables janitors and cleaners to get in to difficult places such as the top and back of cabinets, radiators and desks. The frame has a plastic hook to fasten the mop onto, this stops it slipping off when cleaning very narrow spaces.

Janitors Cleaning Trolley

Janitors Cleaning Trolley janitorial trolley offers economy and comes complete with yellow PVC bag. Low priced universal janitors cleaning trolley, ideal for both internal and external cleaning and janitorial use. With hooks to hang refuse bags, front platform for mop buckets. Multi-use trolley with trays to store cleaning supplies. Cleaning Trolley carts are easy to use and convenient to have around. This janitors trolley makes transportation of cleaning equipment easier and more cost effective in working environments such as hospitals , hotels, guest houses and residential care homes.

Long Handled Cobweb Brush with Extending Handle

Long Handled Cobweb Brush with Extending Handle allows for easy removal of cobwebs from any hard-to-reach areas. Domed cobweb brush Ideal brush for cleaning ceilings and corners. Contoured shape and soft bristles remove dust and cobwebs from corners and baseboards.

And that just about covers our comprehensive round-up on office essentials and cleaning products! Leave as a comment below and let us know what you think!

Hand dryer woes?

2012-04-30T07:40:00.001-07:00

UltraDry Pro unit

Have you ever been into a public washroom or worked somewhere, and you've washed your hands and then gone to dry them on the automatic hand dryer, only to be confronted by a feeble amount of air, almost to the point where you feel you could blow your hands clean yourself far quicker? We're sure it's happened in the past to you - so when it comes to making sure your employees or clients have an efficient hand drying system available to them, you're going to need the best.

We now stock Hygequip automatic hand dryers, which are fantastic solutions for small, medium and large traffic areas, such as company and public bathrooms etc. Every product in the range is ultra durable and vandal resistant, with a long life motor so you get the peace of mind that it won't break down.

UltraDry Commercial unit

Hygequip are an ever expanding company, and currently ship their products to 35 countries worldwide. We stock an extensive range of their quality products, and will continue to offer more as time goes by.

In the hand dryer range we currently offer the UltraDry Commercial (Pictured left), and UltraDry Pro (pictured above) units.
Click the links beneath the pictures to find out more about these exciting new products.

Just how clean is your Kitchen?

2012-04-25T08:03:00.002-07:00

As harmless as they look?

If you work in the food industry, or run a commercial kitchen you'll know how important it is to keep things clean and free from contamination at all times, especially when it comes to food preparation areas. One of the main carriers are flies, which can carry a worrying amount of bacteria and diseases, such as Salmonella, conjunctivitis, cholera to name but a few. Not only can they be dangerous to humans, but it can also severely damage your business if somebody were to eat anything contaminated from your restaurant/takeaway, and end up ill as a result. So how do you deal with these pesky critters?

One of the most effective ways of doing this would be an electronic fly killer. These little boxes attract any flying pest into their soothing blue lights.....and promptly zap them. Quick, effective, and a good step in the right direction if you wish to safeguard the health of your employees and customers, and the hygiene of your food prep areas.

UltraControl 30W Unit

We now stock Hygequip Electric fly zappers, these are excellent, energy efficient and effective units, with simple to maintain parts and deep capture trays. venture over to our electric fly killer section and take a look at what they have on offer, we're sure you'll be pleasantly surprised!

Of course, hygiene doesn't just stop there, and a fly killer is only one factor. Don't forget to check out our Commercial Kitchen section as well for all your hygiene needs!!

Cleaning Clothes & Workwear

2011-02-11T07:57:00.000-08:00

Our sister site MammothWorkwar.com is currently running a month long competition to win £100 in workwear vouchers to spend online at Mammoth Workwear. To be in with a chance visit The Ultimate Handyman workwear competition page.

How to Clean a Toilet the Eco Friendly way

2011-01-07T03:38:00.000-08:00

There are many toilet cleaners available these days and companies are always telling us that there cleaner kills 99% of germs and works in half the time of other cleaners, adverts on TV constantly bombarding us with useless facts about little green monsters that live in the toilet bowl. Well have you ever noticed they rarely say how to clean your toilet the Eco friendly way.

It seems to me we should all in the very least know that there are products out there that try to avoid the use of harmful chemicals, why do we depend so much on the commercial aspect when buying a brand, surely it is more important that the brand we use is thoughtful to it's surroundings and comes in a no frills environmentally friendly bottle. I guess we all get sucked in by the special effects and colourful adverts at some time or another, the truth is it is the consumer who drives sales so until our attitudes change toward the things we buy then so will continue the commercial route.

Many of us simply do not have time to create home made Eco friendly cleaners with baking soda and white vinegar, although these home made cleaners work superbly they often do require a little longer to work there magic. Well times are changing and it is becoming cool to be environmentally friendly, footballers and movie stars are now driving around in Toyota Prius'es and Smart cars, OK we don't all have the money for such accessories but we can all do our bit.

Offering alternatives is a good place to start and some companies are now doing this, (finally). The key is not just in the manufacturing of the product but the effect it has on the environment once it enters into the system such as water ways. This new way of ensuring minimum impact on our Eco system is called "beyond biodegradable" which ensures that anything reentering into our environment and water reservoirs is completely absorbed naturally, the other method is called "Enzymatic cleaning" by which this means using less carbon in the manufacturing process such as electricity and also a completely natural process to clean waste water without adding any chemicals.

There are many ways to clean your toilet the Eco friendly way using a variety of home made potions so you do have alternatives.

White Vinegar & Baking Soda

Simply pour white vinegar into your toilet bowl and leave it to stand for half hour. When sufficient time has passed take a toilet brush and cover with baking soda use the brush to eliminate any remaining staining and flush away the dirt. You can use baking soda alone, although you must leave overnight to get any stubborn marks off, do this at bedtime to ensure no accidental flushing.

Greener Toilet Cleaner

For those of you that prefer the more simplistic method of buying a dedicated toilet cleaner we offer a greener alternative to traditional cleaners. The greener toilet cleaner is highly effective & made from 97% natural materials and being thixotrpic it clings to surfaces as well as any modern cleaner, kills germs and most importantly causes minimum damage to the environment upon reentering the Eco system.

For a full range of alternative Eco friendly cleaning products please visit our website, we are constantly upgrading our range in an effort to reduce our impact on the environment and we encourage everyone to do the same.

5 Natural Green Cleaning Solutions

2011-01-05T08:06:00.000-08:00

The following 5 ingredients can be used for general purpose cleaning in and around the home and are considered environmentally friendly to both humans and the planet.

1. Vinegar; often in it's white form is a popular choice for cleaning windows and glass in general, highly effective at removing pet odours, carpet stains and tarnish marks from wood. White vinegar also adds flavour to many food types.

2. Sodium or salt is an excellent cleaning agent and can be added with water to disinfect worktops, floors and even in with a hand wash to remove stains from clothes. Can also be mixed with washing up liquid to remove oil from hands.

3. Baking soda often found in toothpaste and many recipes in cooking is also a great cleaner it's ability to foam up is especially useful on carpet stains such as wine if used quickly.

4. Lemon juice can be used in many cleaners to deodorise unwanted smells and the acidic properties of lemon is also especially effective medicinally and a rich source of vitamin C.

5. Sodium borate often known as Borax has many uses including as a cleaning solution, a food additive given E number E285 although banned in some countries it is often used as a preservative, Borax in it's commercial form is partially dehydrated. Other terms used to describe this are sodium tetraborate, or disodium tetraborate. Caution should be used with any chemicals natural or otherwise.

Of course there are many other natural cleaning solutions but these are the 5 most common found in the average home, water is also one of them and is often used in conjunction with either of the above. Try to use naturally occurring ingredients where ever possible to minimise impact on the environment. Mammoth cleaning supplies now offer a range of Eco friendly cleaning products made from 97% natural chemicals.

Eco Friendly Cleaning Alternatives Explained

2011-01-05T05:41:00.000-08:00

While many cleaning products may claim to be Eco friendly it is still important to check in which manner they are Eco friendly. Some companies can call there products green if they are developed in a environmentally friendly way, this could be less use of water, energy and hazardous raw materials or that the products are manufactured, packaged and distributed with a minimum impact to the planet.

For something to be truly green and environmentally friendly it must avoid the use of chemically-reactive agents and harmful toxins, the manufacturing process must also be to an acceptable level of which you would expect anything being made on an industrial scale, of course not everything can be avoided in the present day such things as transportation of green cleaning products that would often be by road or sea, although it is now often also more profitable for the companies making and buying these products to set up depot's closer to there stores this saves on road miles and of course pollution and fuel savings.

Environmentally friendly products must also be biodegradable and although it has taken some years to fine tune our efforts on making these products more efficiently the good news is that the efforts are paying off and now we have a new term "beyond biodegradable" this term refers to the most up to date methods for producing such products including the use of hydrocarbons that are left to naturally ferment. These methods include turning waste dirty water into useful clean and mineral rich water and even useful none harmful gasses. These new techniques are widely regarded as the most sustainable way to produce truly green cleaners.

Other methods include Enzymatic cleaning by which consumption of energy used to clean waste water is dramatically reduced and no chemicals are added which would result in expanded use of chemical oxygen demand & biological oxygen demand both are required to normally treat waste water.

Each of us has a responsibility to keep our planet healthy and pollution free but this is not just about the environment this is about the health and well being of ourselves and our children and our children's children. Many chemical cleaners are harmful not just to the Eco system but to us humans and animal life also, maybe this is the best explanation of why we should all at least be making some effort no matter how small. Some of the more potent cleaners can emit harmful organic compounds which are extremely volatile and can cause dermatological diseases such as dermatitis and other far more serious skin conditions & even respiratory problems often suffered by cleaning industry workers through prolonged use.

We have taken the initiative to offer green cleaning alternatives and although there is much work to be done and room for much improvement it is in making a start that can truly make a difference, while these cleaners can cost a little more really we are all making a far more important saving.

Visit our website for more information on green cleaning chemicals and biodegradable alternatives to traditional cleaning cloths. We love to hear from our customers about new Eco friendly products and ways to help the environment so if you think we have missed something simply leave a comment below, while we cannot supply all products which are green it is essentially up to the customer to buy green when possible.

Mammoth Cleaning Supplies

2010-11-11T02:22:00.001-08:00

Mammoth Cleaning Supplies based in Peterborough, United Kingdom is part of the Mammoth group of companies supplying industrial cleaning products and janitorial equipment including industrial hygiene machinery and work clothing.

Offering a complete range of hand dryers, vacuum cleaners, floor polishing machines & refuse disposal units such as wheelie bins, dust bins and sharps bins for the medical profession. Mammoth Cleaning Supplies cater for all business types large and small and offer trade accounts and free delivery on larger orders. Mammoth are aware of the responsibility to provide alternatives to the more traditional hazardous cleaners that can be harmful to environment and as such we are constantly expanding our range of Eco friendly cleaning products and green. leaning chemicals.