Escalators and moving walkways are a common sight in shopping centres, airports, railway stations and other public buildings. The task of cleaning these is often put on the back burner, but over time stubborn dirt builds up, some of which leaves sticky residues. To keep escalators and moving walkways looking as good as new and to give visitors a pleasant impression, they need to be cleaned regularly. Escalator cleaners are a practical solution that minimise the need for manual work.
Escalator cleaners can be used to efficiently and thoroughly remove dirt from the treads of escalators and moving walkways. Working systematically with the machine's powerful suction ensures that the necessary cleaning result is achieved quickly without damaging the electronics.
Cleaning the treads of escalators and moving walkways should take place at off-peak times, i.e. with little or no public traffic. Before work can begin, the area must be cordoned off with barrier tape, posters or signs to prevent accidents. Work is carried out from the bottom of the escalator, while it runs upwards away from the machine. The same applies to moving walkways – if the running direction is not correct, it must be changed.
In the next step, a profile template is used to check which manufacturer the escalator or moving walkway is made by. Why? Because the water used for cleaning must not be allowed to reach the electronics under the escalator or moving walkway. Escalator cleaners have inlet combs that seal the space between the grooves to keep water out, and these must fit each model exactly. Once it has been established which comb is required, it can be easily retrofitted on the machine.
Another check is required before cleaning to make sure that nothing is trapped in the grooves, such as stones, chewing gum or other debris. This soiling must be loosened manually with a scraper and then removed altogether with a dry vacuum cleaner.
Before starting cleaning, stubborn stains such as drink residues, oil, etc. can be pretreated with detergent. Once the detergent has been left to work for five to ten minutes, cleaning can commence.
In order to know when all steps have been checked on preliminary inspection, a mark can be applied to the first step. Some manufacturers include such markings as standard.
Once the escalator cleaner is filled with water and a low-foam detergent containing corrosion protection for aluminium, the operator pushes it towards the moving escalator. The machine is then positioned so that only the front half is on the escalator, it is then switched on and supported by the handle throughout the cleaning process. Most models are about half as wide as the escalator steps or the moving walkway elements, so one half is cleaned first, then the second half of the full width is cleaned with an overlap.
The escalator cleaner works on the grooves with brushes, while the inlet combs make sure the grooves are sealed as well as possible. The vacuum created by the turbine ensures the water does not run off, but instead can be completely suctioned out. To ensure this, the machine should have a good suction system with a powerful turbine and several suction hoses.
For maintenance cleaning, a detergent concentration of 10 percent is sufficient, compared with around 40 percent for a deep clean.
The time taken to clean escalators varies depending on the level of soiling. Maintenance cleaning of an escalator with 50 steps takes about 20 minutes –- a deep clean of a heavily soiled escalator takes much longer, since several passes are required.
In addition to cleaning the treads, other measures are required for a thorough clean. The step risers should not be forgotten, and handrails, glass surfaces etc. should also be cleaned.
There are escalator cleaners available on the market that also clean the risers, i.e. the front face of the steps. However, these models cannot be used while the escalator is running, so someone is required to switch it off. In addition, the user has to move the machine from one step to the next, and the operator has to keep moving the escalator along a little further during the cleaning process in order to reach all the steps.
However, if the escalator has been cleaned with a machine that only cleans the treads, the risers must be cleaned manually with a hand pad afterwards. However, as the risers usually have very little soiling, manual cleaning is not especially labour-intensive.
Handrails on escalators and moving walkways should not be left until the deep clean only, because they are frequent contact points for skin/hands. However, cleaning these surfaces requires little effort: a microfibre cloth is pre-impregnated with detergent, and simply held against the handrail as the escalator or walkway moves along.
Finally, well-maintained glass and metal surfaces also ensure an attractive appearance. Glass surfaces can be cleaned efficiently and thoroughly using a window and surface vacuum cleaner. What's more, no water drips onto the steps or floor, meaning there is no risk of slipping. The stainless steel treads in front of the escalators can be sprayed with detergent and then cleaned with a microfibre cloth.
Streaks on stainless steel surfaces, such as side walls or panelling, can be easily removed with an alcohol-based glass cleaner.
Once all the work steps have been completed, the direction of travel of the escalator or moving walkway must be changed back if this was adjusted at the beginning.
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