The kinds of dirt… Getting eyeballs…

The kinds of dirt…three ways to clean it

There are three categories of what we clean. First there’s organic (food) soils. Then there are mineral scale buildups, and finally good old particulate soils. The problem is that occasionally all three are in play together. And that’s a problem because each is susceptible to a specific remedy.

Those organics like food soils are best addressed with alkalinity and surfactants and that’s why that combination is the basis for nearly all our detergents. The alkalinity converts fats to soaps, and the surfactants allow that water’s alkalinity to penetrate the soil.

Mineral buildups are best removed with acids that dissolve them. And while the phosphates and other sequestrants in our warewashing and laundry detergents can slowly dissolve mineral scale, acids are the faster way – and in the case of serious buildup, pretty much the only solution.

Particulate soils (good old earthen dirt) are the easiest to remove but are the least common category we deal with. There, water alone, or with the help of a surfactant to allow it to penetrate and soften is pretty much all that’s needed.

But put all three together and the problem gets a bit more complicated. That’s why we have to identify the soil categories we’re dealing with so that – if it’s necessary, we can fashion a combination approach, to deal with it effectively.

Next up: All three in laundries.

Getting eyeballs…on the operation

Early on in our careers we learned the importance of getting inside that operation to see what’s going on. Armed with that intelligence, we’re in position to offer a solution that’s real versus taking the calculated guess as to what it might be.

And maybe the easiest prospect we encounter when it comes to gaining approval for a quick survey is that on-premise laundry. There the almost automatic resistance we encounter in so many foodservice prospects to letting us take a look is far less automatic, or embedded.

Still it’s not a given we’re going to get that okay. But there’s a pretty well time tested approach that often does the job. It’s simply to say something along the lines of. “Would it be okay to take a quick look around to see if there’s any improvement I could offer? Oh, and if I don’t see any, I’ll wave goodbye as I leave and not waste any of your time. Fair enough?”

There are other approaches and yes, often that guess of a likely need works. But if we can get eyeballs on the operation our chances of success improve exponentially. And it’s a fair bet that if you get that okay, you’ll find plenty to offer them!

Next up: What to do first after that okay.