How can a simple floor pad help address labor shortages, rising chemical costs, and safety concerns in commercial facilities? Facility managers responsible for maintaining hard floors in environments such as hospitals, schools, airports, and retail stores face increasing pressure to improve cleaning results while managing limited staff and tightening budgets. As a result, many organizations are reevaluating traditional floor care programs and exploring technologies that simplify maintenance while improving performance. First introduced in 1989 near Stockholm, Sweden, diamond-impregnated floor pads were originally developed to maintain polished concrete floors. Since then, the technology has evolved to support multiple flooring types, including vinyl composition tile (VCT), polished concrete, and terrazzo. Diamond pad characteristics Unlike traditional floor pads, which are primarily composed of synthetic fibers, diamond floor pads are made from a nonwoven material coated with a resin mixture containing microscopic, man-made diamonds. As the pad moves across the floor, the microscopic diamonds create a controlled micro-abrasion process that gradually removes embedded soil and microscopic layers of worn material while simultaneously polishing the floor surface. Repeated cleaning with diamond pads can improve floor clarity and gloss by smoothing the surface, eliminating the need for additional coatings. In most applications, cleaning crews use the pads with water alone. In environments where sanitation protocols require additional cleaning agents, such as healthcare facilities, crews incorporate pH-neutral cleaners into infection prevention protocols. Depending on the manufacturer, some diamond pads are coated on one side while others are coated on both sides. Pads with single-sided coating offer greater flexibility during use, as the uncoated fiber layer helps maintain consistent contact with the floor, especially on slightly uneven surfaces. The pad also absorbs machine pressure better, improving operator control. For facilities managing large areas of flooring, this streamlined approach improves efficiency and reduces the time required for routine maintenance. Grit levels Diamond pads are color-coded to indicate grit level, ranging from levels for aggressive floor sealant stripping to high-gloss floor finish polishing. Choosing the appropriate grit sequence depends on factors such as the type of flooring, the floor’s current condition, and the desired final appearance. The standard diamond pad color system offers a variety of pads for different procedures, including: Green (3,000 grit): Designed for daily maintenance, this pad produces a high-gloss finish. Yellow (1,500-1,800 grit): Used during the pre-polishing step, this pad removes fine scratches, creates a “wet look” shine, and prepares for final polishing. White (800 grit): This pad removes moderate scratches and prepares the surface for polishing. Red (400 grit): These pads are more aggressive and used for removing deep scratches, stains, or damage. Beyond these standard grit levels, manufacturers have introduced ultra-fine pads, ranging from 8,000 to 10,000 grit, which allow for a safe transition from one floor surface to the next. Streamlined maintenance processes Maintaining hard floors often involves multiple steps, including scrubbing, stripping, refinishing, and burnishing. Additionally, each stage may require different pads, chemicals, and equipment. Diamond pad systems simplify maintenance by combining cleaning and polishing into a single process. Combining these two steps significantly reduces the need for separate burnishing procedures to maintain a consistent floor appearance. Additionally, the micro-abrasion process helps remove surface contamination, including embedded soils and microorganisms, making it particularly valuable in healthcare environments. Labor remains the largest cost component in most floor care programs. By combining cleaning and polishing into a single process and eliminating stripping and refinishing cycles, diamond pad systems can help facilities reduce labor hours while maintaining a consistent floor appearance. For facilities managing large areas of flooring, this streamlined approach improves efficiency and reduces routine maintenance. Improved indoor air quality Indoor air can be two to five times, and up to 100 times, more polluted than outdoor air, according to the American Lung Association. Floor cleaning chemicals can contribute to indoor air pollution. The Environmental Working Group reports that commercial cleaning products may contain as many as 193 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can impact the environment, facility occupants, and cleaning staff. The technology in diamond floor pads enables cleaning with only water, eliminating the need for hazardous cleaning chemicals, floor finishes, and strippers. Additionally, as the millions of microscopic diamonds refine the floor’s surface, rather than aggressively grinding it, the process releases fewer particles back into the air. Fewer particles lead to better indoor air quality and reduced contamination of HVAC filters. Enhanced sustainability Facilities looking to reduce their environmental footprint can implement diamond pad systems into their sustainability initiatives. On average, traditional floor pads last for approximately 25,000 square feet, depending on floor conditions. Diamond pads have a significantly longer lifespan, covering up to 300,000 to 600,000 square feet before replacement is necessary. This longer lifespan reduces the frequency of pad replacement, generating less waste and reducing the need for larger pad inventories. Fewer pad replacements also mean less interruptions during cleaning operations, particularly in facilities where staff must frequently change worn pads during routine maintenance. Additionally, the reduced reliance on chemical products can help lower supply costs and support environmental goals. Reduced chemical use may also simplify training requirements and storage considerations for cleaning staff. Slip resistance Falls are the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death, according to the National Safety Council (NSC). NSC’s Injury Facts® reported that in 2024, 48,308 people died in falls at home and at work. Traditional stripping and refinishing processes often utilize strong chemical solutions that can create slippery conditions during application. By reducing or eliminating the need for stripping chemicals in some maintenance programs, diamond pad systems help minimize temporary slip-and-fall hazards during floor care procedures. Facilities have also reported that floors maintained through mechanical refinement often provide consistent traction compared to floors with heavy coatings. Changing floor-care perspectives As facility managers seek to improve efficiency, reduce chemical use, and maintain a consistent floor appearance, diamond floor pad technology offers an alternative to traditional floor care methods. With continued advancements in pad design and compatibility across multiple flooring types, the technology is becoming an increasingly practical solution for maintaining large commercial spaces.
What does it take to convert paper and cardboard into a sturdy and absorbent wiper that, in its second life, cleans offices, kitchens, restrooms, and everything in between? Travel the recycling path to learn what it takes to accomplish this feat. Collection and sorting The first step is to collect the recyclables. This happens in communities nationwide through curbside recycling programs or at municipal drop-off sites. Once collected, the mixed recyclables are delivered to a materials recovery facility. There, workers sort the paper from plastic, glass, metal, and other items. To accomplish this, recyclables are placed on conveyor belts, where workers remove nonrecyclables, dangerous items (such as needles), and “tanglers” (plastic bags and hoses) that can jam machines. The recycling facilities use various mechanical sorting methods. For example, screens separate items by size and shape. Light paper rises to the top of the pile, while heavier glass and containers fall to the bottom. Magnets pull steel cans off the belt. Air blows lighter plastics and paper up. Lasers identify and separate different types of plastics, and eddy currents push metal items (like aluminum and copper) off the belt into a separate chute. The facilities also use automated machines equipped with sensors and artificial intelligence to separate different grades of paper. Newspaper, cardboard, office paper, and mixed paper are compressed and baled together in large cubes. Paper mills purchase the bales and implement the next steps. Paper processing At a paper mill, bales are broken down and fed into industrial shredders, which cut the paper into fibers. Large, tank-like machines called hydrapulpers mix fiber fragments with water and chemicals to create a slurry, known as pulp. During this stage, contaminants like staples and plastic are removed. Next, the pulp goes through a wash cycle using air bubbles and water. Bubbles lift ink particles from the pulp, and water-based washing systems remove impurities like glue and other contaminants to ensure a higher quality of recycled paper product. The clean pulp is spread over a mesh screen to rain out water. Next, the wet pulp goes through a series of rollers and heated cylinders to dry it and squeeze out any remaining water. Then the pulp fibers are pressed together to create a bond. To make double re-creped (DRC) wipers, disposable cleaning tools with a cloth-like feel, a proprietary technology blends recycled fibers with raw, virgin fibers. This process enhances the strength, bulk, absorbency, softness, and appearance of paper-based wipers. The process mixes in a synthetic latex resin to bind the fibers and create a double re-crepe cellulose base, which gives DRC wipers double the strength of ordinary paper towels when wet. Finishing the product Finally, it’s time to convert the dry web of fibers into a finished sheet. DRC wipers are made from industrial-sized mill rolls which are converted into wipes, wipers, and paper towels. The final DRC product is a high-quality wiper that is made with 40% recycled fibers. The next time you throw out paper, consider recycling it instead. Paper recycling is an essential part of sustainable waste management that reduces deforestation, decreases landfill waste, and uses less energy than manufacturing new paper. The limited effort it takes to put paper in a recycling bin will give it a second life. RECYCLING 101 Do your building residents need guidance regarding which paper trash is recyclable? Refer to the tips below: Paper Only recycle clean and dry paper. Recyclable paper includes paper bags, office paper, newspaper, magazines, and junk mail. In general, don’t recycle store receipts on shiny paper, glittery or shiny wrapping paper or greeting cards, or envelopes with plastic windows. (Or check with your local recycler.) Cardboard Shipping boxes, cereal boxes, paperboard packaging, toilet paper rolls, shoe boxes, and tissue boxes are all recyclable. Some padded envelopes that use shredded newsprint can be recycled, while others with plastic or bubble wrap can’t. Look for a How2Recycle label on the envelope to be sure. Banished from recycling bins Throw these items in the garbage: Pizza boxes that are greasy, cheesy, or stained with sauce. (You can tear off the clean parts of pizza boxes and place them in recycling.) Used napkins and food packaging with grease or food residue. Laminated or wax-coated paper (sticky notes, waxed boxes, and laminated papers). Bubble wrap, Styrofoam, and packing peanuts. Wet paper or cardboard (it’s harder to process and may not be accepted). Don’t put recycling in plastic bags, as they can get tangled in recycling machinery. Don’t “wishcycle,” by putting nonrecyclable items in the bin, hoping they’ll get recycled. When in doubt, throw it out.
Last week, Senators Chris Coons (Democrat-Delaware) and Jon Husted (Republican-Ohio) introduced the Safer Choice Program Authorization Act (SCPAA) to authorize and strengthen the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) voluntary Safer Choice Program. The bill authorizes US$6 million annually from fiscal years 2028 through 2034 to support program operations. The Safer Choice Program helps consumers, businesses, schools, and institutions identify cleaning chemicals and other products that meet rigorous standards for human health, environmental safety, and performance. The SCPAA codifies EPA’s long-standing Safer Choice and Design for the Environment Programs, which have helped drive innovation in safer chemistry for decades while providing consumers and institutional purchasers with a trusted federal label for safer products. The Safer Choice and Design for the Environment programs have operated successfully for more than 30 years under administrations of both parties but have never been formally authorized by Congress. The SCPAA would provide statutory certainty for these widely used programs and the stakeholders that depend on them. “This legislation provides long-term certainty for manufacturers so they can invest in safer chemistry, and so Americans can continue to lead in innovation,” said Senator Coons, co-chair of the Senate Chemistry Caucus. “Our bipartisan bill would support and authorize this important program while expanding consumer choice in their everyday products,” Senator Husted said. The bill would: Formally authorize EPA’s Safer Choice Program. Maintain rigorous, science-based standards for participating products. Strengthen protections against conflicts of interest in product reviews. Ensure continued maintenance of EPA’s Safer Chemical Ingredients List. Support transparency, stakeholder engagement, and public access to safer product information. “The EPA Safer Choice Program has spent decades being the stamp of approval for cleaning products that are both high-performing and safer for people and the environment,” said John Nothdurft, Vice President of Government and Public Affairs, ISSA, the association for cleaning and facility solutions. “This bill gives manufacturers the certainty to invest, gives purchasers a trusted federal benchmark, and gives the American public confidence that the products used in cleaning their schools, hospitals, and workplaces meet a rigorous, science-based standard. ISSA strongly supports this legislation and urges Congress to act.” Any organization involved in the value chain and decision making for EPA Safer Choice products can contribute their stories using the form on the Making Safer Choices website here.
The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) is alerting Texans to the presence of New World screwworm (NWS) in the state following confirmation of an NWS detection in a bovine in Zavala County. The three-week-old affected calf was found with larvae from the parasitic fly in its umbilical area. New World screwworm flies have been moving north through Mexico since they were first detected there in November 2024. NWS flies were endemic in Texas and many southern states until their eradication from the U.S. mainland in 1966. NWS flies are endemic in Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and parts of South America. The current outbreak is considered to have begun in Panama in 2022, with the flies migrating north since that time. NWS flies are now present in all countries of Central America and much of Mexico. The larvae of the parasitic fly primarily infests livestock, pets, wildlife, and other warm-blooded animals, including, in rare cases, people. NWS flies lay eggs on or near open wounds and body openings, such as the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, or genitals. When the eggs hatch, the larvae burrow into and feed on the living tissue of the mammal, which can cause severe harm and even death. While not common in people, if you notice a suspicious lesion on your body or suspect you may have contracted screwworm, seek immediate medical attention. “DSHS and other state agencies have worked closely with the federal government and local partners to monitor the screwworm fly as it made its way toward our southern border,” said Imelda Garcia, MPH, DSHS chief deputy commissioner. “Now with confirmation of its presence in South Texas, we ask all healthcare professionals and clinicians to be on the lookout for NWS larvae infestations in their patients and to alert their local health departments immediately if they suspect a screwworm case.” Providers should consider NWS in patients who have traveled in areas with animal or human cases of NWS and who suffer from a painful, foul-smelling wound containing visible larvae. Deep wounds with extensive tissue damage are also evidence of larval infestation, even if no larvae are seen on initial examination. There is no human-to-human transmission of NWS infestation. Texans may be at risk if they live in areas where the flies are present and they spend a lot of time outdoors during the day. Sleeping outdoors and working or living with animals near reported NWS fly populations are also risk factors. Because any break in the skin can attract NWS flies, open wounds of any size should always be cleaned and covered. EPA-registered insect repellents are also recommended when outdoors in areas where the flies are present. Wearing loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirts, pants, and socks will also limit the areas where scrapes or insect bites may occur. Clothing should be treated with a 0.5% permethrin insecticide. Anyone who sees or feels larvae in a wound should cover the wound and contact their healthcare provider immediately. Larvae should only be removed by a healthcare provider to prevent further tissue damage and illness. Do not attempt to remove or dispose of eggs or larvae yourself. The food supply in Texas is safe from screwworm. Current state or federal meat inspectors examine each animal to ensure they do not have signs of disease or pests, including screwworm. Additional resources include: DSHS Regional Zoonosis Control offices New World Screwworm (NWS) | Texas DSHS Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s NWS webpage Texas Animal Health Commission’s information on reporting and responding to NWS in animals in Texas Stop Screwworm: Unified Government Response to Protect the United States
Recent nationwide wastewater surveillance reveals an average norovirus trend, with rates rising in nearly 50 areas. In California and the Northeast, WastewaterSCAN recorded an upward trend to high levels of norovirus. From Aug. 1, 2025, to May 7, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s NoroSTAT program reported 1,194 outbreaks, compared with 2,534 during the same period last year. The CDC said current numbers are average compared with past data. However, the agency’s tracking is based on confirmed cases reported by state agencies and may miss many illnesses. Several norovirus strains are currently circulating, including GII.4, a common strain for years, and GII.17, a more mutated strain that partially evades prior immunity because people have had less exposure, NBC News reported. During the 2024–25 season, GII.17 surpassed GII.4 as the predominant strain in the U.S., causing about 75% of outbreaks. The newer variant isn’t more contagious itself, but experts said the virus spreads more easily because fewer people have partial immunity to it. Most norovirus outbreaks happen when infected people spread the virus to others through direct contact, the CDC said. Norovirus is also the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis-related vomiting and diarrhea among people of all ages in the U.S. Norovirus outbreaks occur year-round but are most common from November to April, the CDC said. In years when a new strain emerges, norovirus illness can increase by 50%. Each year in the U.S., norovirus causes, on average, 900 deaths (mostly among adults aged 65 and older), 109,000 hospitalizations, 465,000 emergency department visits (mostly in young children), and 19 to 21 million illnesses.
Stone, wood, resilient, and carpet flooring each demand a different care technique—and getting it wrong can be costly. Join Cleaning & Maintenance Management (CMM) on June 16 for a free webinar, Floor Care Basics and Beyond: Maintaining Natural and Manufactured Flooring. In this session, we break down the right approach for each surface type, from daily maintenance to long-term preservation. You’ll learn how to match chemistry to material, avoid common mistakes that void warranties, and build a maintenance schedule that balances appearance, performance, and budget. During this fast-paced, one-hour interactive session, you will learn strategies from your peers to: Identify the correct care strategy for stone, wood, resilient, and carpet floors, including chemistry do’s and don’ts. Build maintenance schedules that extend floor life cycles. Avoid common mistakes that damage surfaces or void warranties. Select tools and equipment that match your floor systems. Improve appearance while controlling long-term maintenance costs. The expert panel for this webinar includes: Kathleen Misovic, CMM Managing Editor (Moderator) Michael Bocanegra, airport facility supervisor, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport Jesse Cash, vice president of operations, AK Building Services Marty Jollette, general manager and director of training, Renue Systems In addition, the webinar will include a dedicated Q&A session. Bring your most challenging questions and get ready for real answers. Sign up now for, Floor Care Basics and Beyond: Maintaining Natural and Manufactured Flooring webinar.