This year’s ISSA Show in Las Vegas, Nevada was well-attended and featured hundreds of booths displaying new products, with many showcasing how technology is being used to improve cleaning and efficiency. From augmented reality to robotics, many technologically advanced tools are being offered to cleaning professionals to help them clean more efficiently and educate cleaning staff. Optisolve showed a device that, when attached to a tablet, reveals in real time invisible surface contamination and can be used to benchmark and track improvements in cleaning thoroughness.
Cordless and robotic vacuums were on display, allowing for less labor-intensive floor cleaning. Nilfisk debuted augmented reality glasses that allow users to see underneath and inside floor care machinery, helping them understand how it works and when it needs servicing. Midlab also showcased augmented reality technology that is used in conjunction with its cleaning products, providing users easy-to-understand instructions without the need to read lengthy product package label instructions. Ozone-based and ionized misting systems continue to develop to compete against conventional jan/san cleaning chemicals.
Others, such as Unger, featured ergonomic mop handles that make floor mopping easier on the user and the use of charged water to clean glass and windows. The show provided a solid backdrop for machinery and chemical suppliers to interact with cleaning professionals and showcase new product innovations.
Sustainability was at the forefront of many exhibitors’ booths this year. Last month, California lawmakers passed a bill that will ban travel-sized bottles of shampoo and lotion in hotels by 2023. Companies with a heavy presence in the hospitality sector, like Henkel, displayed their new, sleeker shampoo and soap dispensers that will take the place of travel bottles.
Kline is in the process of gathering market research for the next edition of its Janitorial and Housekeeping Cleaning Products study, which will be published in June 2020. The source for this report includes more than 1,000 commercial end-use decision makers as well as in-depth interviews with manufacturers, distributors, raw material suppliers, and others knowledgeable about the industry. End users include those in healthcare, foodservice, hospitality, and education, along with building service contractors, fitness facilities, industrial facilities, and retailers. Floor, surface, hand, carpet, and air/odor care products are covered in this report, as are insights on usage, critical buying factors, spending, satisfaction, and where jan/san chemicals are purchased. To learn more, contact us.
