Avoid These Data Center Cleaning Mistakes Part 1 -Using a Floor Buffer-
There are cardinal sins when it comes to Data Center cleaning. Sins that any facilities or data center manager wouldn't think twice about firing a cleaning company for committing. Sins such as unplugging a machine, damaging fiber optic cable, spilling water, etc. Those are mistakes punishable by death... death of association, as in “that cleaning company is dead to me” and those are not the mistakes we will be discussing. The mistakes we outline in this series are mistakes that go unpunished and in fact are at times encouraged by the unaware.
Using a Floor Buffer on a Raised Floor
A fast way to remove old finish or wax from vinyl flooring is to use an orbital floor machine. A fast way to remove the value of your raised floor tiles is to use an orbital floor machine. An orbital floor machine, or floor buffer, has its place, a data center with raised flooring isn't the place. Solicited as an effective way to thoroughly clean your raised floor tiles, is nothing more than an ill-informed cleaning company attempting to save time and money. This is money they are saving at your company's expense. The practice of using a floor buffer is very common in office janitorial cleaning, so it's understandable that standard janitorial companies believe it's acceptable to use these machines in critical environments such as data centers.
An orbital floor buffer has it's place, a data center with raised flooring isn't the place
ere are 3 reasons why using a floor buffer in a data center is a mistake -
1. It damages the tiles. Raised floor tiles achieve their anti-static properties by means of micro bumps that have peaks and valleys that enable static dissipation. The abrasive pads used on floor buffers will wear down the micro bumps removing the anti-static properties. Some companies will retort that they use a non-abrasive pad. But that doesn't take into consideration that the dust and dirt on the floor isn't being completely removed. Instead because of the speed at which the buffer operates and the weight of the machine pushing down on the tile any dust and dirt is being collected by the “soft” pad and turning that pad into an abrasive surface effectively “sanding” down the micro bumps. This is known by the manufacturers of the floor tiles and stated on their documents under "maintenance".
“Don’t flood the floor with water or cleaning agents. Don’t buff, wax, oil or polish; they are unnecessary and may interfere with the conductive properties...”
“Don’t wax, buff or polish. It will cause problems.”
“Don’t buff, wax or polish...”
2. It doesn't clean. Although it quickly removes scuff marks and lightens the tile, it simply is spreading dirt and debris or sending it flying to another area of the room. Most raised floor rooms that have been serviced with a floor buffer have brown edges on the tile along the wall. The dirt has to go somewhere. The machine isn't able to get the edges of a room effectively so any particulate that is flung to the edges of the room are left. Wouldn’t you rather have your money go towards removing dirt, not simply moving it to another area in the data center?
3. It brings a harmful variable into the data center. Would you run to everywhere you needed to go within your data center? If there was an emergency maybe you would move as quickly as you could, but on a day to day basis you probably wouldn't find yourself sprinting in that environment. Why? Although it's a fast way to get from point A to point B, it only increases the possibility of an accident and is an unnecessary risk. It's the same with using a floor buffer. At the speeds the buffer is moving, you're only increasing the possibility of an accident. It takes the operator to loose concentration for one moment or to not fully understand operation and the machine can do the rest, pulling straight into a server rack or other equipment.
Conclusion
Your data center is the heart of your operation. Don’t let sneaky sales tactics or a cleaning company’s ignorance cost you needlessly. Cleaning an office building does not give one the skills needed to clean a data center. There are standards and proper ways to effectively clean your data center. Don’t be fooled by supposed “data center cleaning” companies. In the next article we'll discuss the mistake of "Insufficient Rinsing"