Cleaner Air In Anchorage
by Allen Rathey
Darin Hargraves, training supervisor for the Anchorage, Alaska, School District believes the air
inside the classrooms and buildings of the district is cleaner than ever because of better, faster
and more cost-effective cleaning methods--including the use of backpack vacuums.
The district serves 50,000 students spread from the big city of Anchorage to much smaller,
outlying areas. Darin estimates his staff of 300 operations workers cleans about seven million
square feet in 60 elementary schools, nine middle schools and six high schools.
Hargraves says cleaning in Alaska isn't much different than cleaning in the lower 48, with
possibly one exception: "We live in such a cold environment our buildings are built very tight.
We can't just open a window to let fresh air in," he notes. That makes indoor air quality even
more important. "It's a big, big issue for us."
Looking for Performance
That's part of the reason why Hargraves started using backpack vacuums. He'd seen the machines
and learned of their superior filtration during his years as a cleaning supply sales person. When
he switched careers three years ago he took his first-hand experience with him.
"One of the best ways to see the benefits of backpack vacuums is to just try it. See it and use it
and see what it can do," Darin says. "The suction is strong enough to dig deep into the carpet and
pull out the dust and dirt." The Four-Level Filtration® catches the dust and removes it.
Hargraves is replacing his old canister cloth bag filter vacuums with the backpacks. Using the
old machines cleaning workers could actually see the dust escaping the bag as they worked.
"When you look at a cloth bag filtration system really what you're doing is picking up and
redistributing the dirt," Darin explains. "There's a lot of peace of mind with the backpacks,
knowing when you pick up the dirt it's going to stay in the bag. You're not going to have to make
additional efforts to pick it up a second time."
Hargraves says the backpacks have definitely reduced the amount of dust in his buildings.
“When you haul the dirt out of the building the environment itself is going to be cleaner."
That makes an important difference in another area as well: the district's bottom line.
Balancing the Budget
Like many school districts, Anchorage School District has its share of budget worries. Hargraves
says his department took roughly a 7% budget cut this year at a time when new buildings are
under construction and the school population is growing. "The amount of staff that we have
today is less than what we had five years ago," he says. "We can't afford to do business as usual.
We looked at backpacks out of necessity."
Hargraves saw the backpacks as a way to improve productivity and close the gap between the
available manpower and the growing square footage. "Our people can cover the carpets at least
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twice as fast using the backpacks," he says. "The backpacks make our people more efficient. It's
the most effective method we have found for cleaning carpets in our schools. It's made our
people much more productive than they otherwise could be."
Besides carpeted floors, district cleaning workers also use the backpacks on hard floor surfaces
on stairs and landings.
Saving on Service
Besides improving productivity and cleaning, serviceability is another reason Hargraves is sold
on backpacks. "They seem to wear better," he notes. "They don't break down as much and if
there is a repair it's easy to service in-house." He estimates he saves 75% just on parts since he
switched to backpacks. Downtime has been reduced by half.
"The mechanical portion of the vacuum is protected from dust and grit," Darin explains. "With
previous vacuums you had to be concerned about larger debris. A pebble is no big deal for a
backpack. We don't have to worry about that aspect of vacuuming."
No Pain All Gain
Hargraves also says the backpack is easier on the cleaning worker. The side-to-side motion, not
pushing and pulling, relies on large muscle groups in the legs. That means cleaning workers are
less likely to develop repetitive stress injuries common in the industry.
"The backpack is ergonomically designed and is going to get you through your building faster,
perform better and leave the air cleaner. Why wouldn't you want to clean that way?"
Allen Rathey is President of InstructionLink/JanTrain, Inc., a training, educational and marketing communications
company specializing in cleaning industry best practices. © 2004 ProTeam
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