Green cleaning at Mumbai Airport:

[box type=”shadow” ]Airports being high traffic area have always found maintaining washroom hygiene a big challenge. Nonetheless, with constant advancement in cleaning products, newer solutions and processes are being sought. The Mumbai airport has recently introduced bio chemicals in an attempt to provide hygienic washrooms to travellers at all times[/box]

Washroom being an indicator for measuring hygiene at any public space, the MIAL upkeep department has been constantly putting efforts to improve quality of cleaning processes and supervision. “We have ensured that we use the right cleaning solution for maintaining the flooring areas / passenger touch points / Indoor Air quality in the washrooms,” said an official.

The washrooms at the airport were equipped with air fresheners, auto janitors and other hygiene products. In spite of such solutions, the toilets did emit odour due to the negligent way of using the toilets. Passengers using toilet in India have been known to leave behind the seat and the floor wet, leading to unhygienic conditions. Despite the janitors repeatedly wiping the cubicle dry, most cleaning solutions seem to have failed to control odour or maintain hygienic washroom. “We found that the urinals and commodes aren’t used the way they are supposed to be. It leaves them dirty and frequent cleaning wasn’t the solution,” asserted the official.

Being a LEED Platinum certified terminal, using the green chemicals is an operational requisite. Green chemicals have been very effective and have surely enhanced the cleaning efficacy. The quality of disinfection and the feeling of freshness while entering the washroom is very tangible. As the chemicals are GS 37 compliant it is safe to use and environment friendly. Green chemicals being used at MIAL, simply put, is a mixture of enzymes and bacteria. The advantage of using enzyme is that the bacteria is constantly at work. The chemicals releases enzymes that contain ammonia-feeding bacillus spores. Water is used only when the urinals are cleaned manually. Lab tests have confirmed that the toilets are cleaner now.

“Chemicals are agents that help you improve the cleaning processs (Sinner’s circle). It requires a medium for application and water is mandatory for the same. However, usage of correct applicator and right scrubbing and suction machine is critical. We currently use the flat colour coded mop along with the easily manoeuvrable scrubber drier for the washrooms. Each washroom is deep cleaned daily considering the foot fall.”

About 200 toilets and 400,000 sqm of surface at the T2 Mumbai is being cleaning with green chemicals now. The workforce too is happy with the shift. The cleaning of T2 has been outsourced to two service providers engaging 800 staff to maintain the airport. Training of the cleaning staff is a continuous programme. A skill based programme is designed with each janitor which they have to mandatorily undergo during the calendar year. The training is a mix of both classroom and OJT (On the job training). These programmes are specifically designed keeping the terminal operations in mind and covers both technical & soft skills. Programmes are conducted by the OEM / Service partner and the airport operator.

There are no major changes in the SOP following the introduction of green chemicals. Effective implementation of the process is primarily attributed to effective training and monitoring.

One big advantage of using green chemicals is the savings in water. There is no need to flush after every use. Around a lakh men use the T2 toilets on an average every day and the average use of water every flush is 1.2 litres. That’s a huge saving of water.