Tag Archive for: graffiti-resistant

How to Implement a Zero-Tolerance Policy to Graffiti Vandalism

As a facility manager of a school, nothing is as stressful as ridding an area in the school of recently applied graffiti. There can be debates of what constitutes as art, but there’s no denying that graffiti is vandalism. While art should be left in the classroom with washable materials being used, you’re tasked with finding ways to combat this problem and ensure that it doesn’t continue. You’ll need to implement a zero-tolerance policy to graffiti vandalism in your school.

Here are a few steps on how to work towards stopping graffiti from popping up in your school.

Communicate with School Administrators About the Costs

As the facility manager of the school, you don’t have any disciplinary sway with the students, so you’ll need to address these issues to the administrators and/or principals. Remind them that graffiti is not only an act of vandalism, but it’s costing you money and time with maintenance. If they can come up with a disciplinary plan that can thwart students from marking up the walls and other components in your school, you’ll begin to see a drop in “artwork” from appearing in your school.

Focus on the Problem Areas

The most common place that you’ll find graffiti is on the toilet partitions. Students with graffiti aspirations use these stalls as their springboard because it’s enclosed and private. However, you can stop graffiti in its tracks by utilizing the right materials for your bathroom.

HDPE plastic toilet partitions are resistant to graffiti. They won’t absorb any paint or permanent marker. Once any mark is made, it can easily be wiped away without having to invest in some fresh paint to coat over the graffiti.

Take Away the Graffiti Hotspots

This step requires you to think like a graffiti artist. You need to look out for easy targets, like blank walls, and even elevated areas that can be viewed by everyone in the school. To combat the students’ desire to tag these spots, beat them to the punch and paint the walls with a darker color that makes it less appealing to spray an image or phrase on.

Update Your Lockers

Lockers are another target area for students to mark up. Since most lockers are made from steel, you’ll have to repaint them once graffiti pops up. However, HDPE plastic can also be used for lockers. This will save you the cost and time that goes into painting, all while updating your schools lockers with a strong, durable, and graffiti-resistant material.

Utilizing HDPE plastic materials has a wide variety of benefits. When it comes to combatting graffiti, these lockers will help you save money and time on maintenance because they resist paint. Once graffiti appears on any HDPE locker or partition, it can easily be wiped away. Want to learn more about HDPE plastic and the many benefits there are to choosing it for your school? Check out this blog post, Why HDPE is a Super Material, from your friends at Scranton Products.

 

 

 

Your Back-to-School Cleaning Plan & Checklist

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To a school facility manager, the end of summer is a busy time, especially in the current environment. While you may have kept up with some routine maintenance and cleaning throughout the off-season, now it’s time to really get started on preparing the building for the upcoming school year. This means getting a back-to-school cleaning plan and checklist together to make sure that you cover all your bases so your school building can be ready to start the school year off on the right foot.

Clean Those Hallways

It’s important to give your hallways a thorough cleaning before the school year begins. Most germs and bacteria are picked up through foot traffic, and more often than not, those germs end up in the hallways. Utilizing a strong disinfectant cleaner can help combat the spread of germs. However, there are green cleaning products on the market that can help you achieve germ removal and still keep harmful chemicals from contaminating the air.

Focus Your Efforts in the Restroom/Locker Rooms

School restrooms and locker rooms are a breeding ground for bacteria, germs, and, of course, mold. While a thorough cleaning can help reduce the growth and spread of mold, it may already be too late. The constant presence of moisture can actually cause mold to sprout inside your partitions. If this is the case, you’ll need to replace them. But why not replace them with a material that can resist mold growth, and is naturally germ resistant*, such as HDPE (high-density polyethylene)?

Test Your Water & Air Quality

Be sure to check your air and water quality to see if it’s up to code. Find a water tester in the area to help you conduct these routine tests so you can see where the quality lies. If the result isn’t as high as you’d hoped, consider replacing the filtration system. When it comes to air, there are several ways that you can do your part increase the quality. Consider getting indoor plants, utilize HDPE building materials, and have your HVAC system checked for any issues.

Clean/Replace Lockers

You may not realize this, but lockers are a hotbed for germs. When the light catches them just right, you can see the assortment of finger prints, grease, and smudges that have built up over time. You can utilize cleaning products, but if there’s any rust or exterior damage, you may want to consider replacing them. Luckily, HDPE plastic lockers don’t rust, they aren’t easily damaged, and they’re resistant to graffiti, helping you maintain your facility without having to paint over them. And just like HDPE restroom partitions, HDPE lockers are naturally germ resistant*! Because of this, HDPE lockers can also help improve the school’s air quality. This material is also low maintenance, which helps you save time and money on your school cleaning checklist!

Was this back-to-school cleaning plan and checklist helpful in showing you the many ways that you can help get your school ready for the sudden influx of students? Do you want to find ways to make your school a safer and more sustainable environment for the students? Check out this eBook, Safe School Design: How Architecture Plays a Role in Creating Safe & Secure Educational Spaces, from your friends at Scranton Products.

*https://bit.ly/3Cfi6Ge

How HDPE Can Save Your Facility Maintenance Costs

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When it’s time to start a lengthy renovation project in your facility, or you’re about to break ground, it’s important to use the right materials for the job. Not only do you want building materials that are sturdy and reliable, but you want something that’s going to save you maintenance costs in the long run. That’s why a lot of facility managers are utilizing HDPE (high-density polyethylene) as materials in their bathroom for partitions, stalls, and even vanities. If you’re a facility manager who’s in the process of deciding on these types of materials, you may want to learn a little more about HDPE and the benefits of choosing it.

HDPE & Durability

The most expensive form of maintenance is usually the regretful replacement. Whether your stall or partition was damaged beyond repair, or it’s infested with mold, having to replace the entire piece can not only be expensive, but also time-consuming.

HDPE offers a highly durable solid plastic construction that can outlast most other materials when it comes to impacts. Most plastic materials show a sign of damage, whether it’s a dent, a scratch, or even a hole. HDPE has an impact resistance that’s almost 60 times greater than that of other plastics and even metal, meaning it won’t scratch or dent, leaving you with a reliable material that you won’t have to replace any time soon.

Standing Up to the Elements

You’d be surprised at the amount of damage caused by humidity and moisture, especially when it comes to the materials that you choose in your bathroom, where these two elements are a constant presence. Most plastic partitions have a foam or core interior, which over time, becomes tainted by the moisture and begins to sprout mold, resulting in a foul smell and a significant drop in air quality.

HDPE, on the other hand, can stand up to humidity and moisture because it’s a solid piece of plastic with no soft and foamy inner core. Installing HDPE in your facility’s restroom will not only prevent mold from growing on/in the plastic, but it’ll help keep your air quality in good standing. You’ll save yourself from a costly replacement by using HDPE stalls and partitions.

Easy to Clean

One of the major benefits that HDPE has over other materials is that it’s very easy to clean. Other materials will not only absorb germs, but when there’s graffiti present, the piece requires a paint job. Not only does this add to the costs, but it brings your air quality down due to VOC (volatile organic compound) emissions. HDPE doesn’t require any strong expensive cleaning products or paint. Any smudge, dirt, or even spray paint can simply be wiped away, saving you both time and money on your maintenance and cleaning.

Was this article helpful at showing you how you can save on maintenance costs by implementing HDPE in your facility? If you want more information, you can always download eBooks like Choosing Bathroom Materials or The Professional’s Guide to Commercial Bathroom Renovations and Remodels, from your friends at Scranton Products.

Give Your Janitor A Break This Summer – Install Duralife Lockers®

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Lets talk about janitors, you know, those guys and gals, who are always there, on the ready with a sponge, broom or mop, just when you need them. They are in our schools all year long, available for any size clean up, taking care of the spills our kids make in the lunchroom, classroom and hallways. They go about their business undetected, coming out when needed. But do you know one of the ways they spend their summer (that coveted time of the year when your kids are home with you)? We do – they clean what they couldn’t clean during the year, the student’s lockers!

Making The Move Away From Metal

While we are spending our 3 months of summer relaxing at the beach, and eating ice cream, the school janitorial staff is cleaning up from the previous 9 months while school was in session. Schools with metal lockers have a regularly scheduled task associated with those lockers during the summer months, debridement of rust, dent repairs, chemical cleaning of graffiti and surface repainting. Lockers take a beating during the school year, with books being banged around, food deposits and spills, and not to mention, the dreaded odors of smelly, sweaty gym clothes. The labor-intensive cleanup task is costly to the school district, in several areas including labor, materials, and air & surface quality. As you can see, traditional metal lockers require extensive care and maintenance, and still don’t meet the needs of the busy school environment. But, we have a solution, Duralife Lockers® made with HDPE (High Density Polyethylene).

Duralife Lockers® are specifically designed to meet the durability and environmental demands of today’s busy schools. Made with solid-core HDPE, these lockers are impact, scratch and dent resistant, and hold up to the toughest student use. Graffiti readily wipes off the non-porous surface, and because they are impervious to moisture, Duralife Lockers® will never rust, corrode or delaminate. In addition, the HDPE surface does not harbor mold, mildew or bacterial growth, and the lockers can be fully power-washed or steam-cleaned. In short, with Duralife Lockers® you can say goodbye to rust, mold, graffiti, scratches, dents, and worrisome bacteria, and say hello to years of worry-free, low maintenance.

 

Robert Gannon, High School Facilities Director, on the benefits of HDPE lockers.

*Testing conducted by SiTU Biosciences LLC by the ISO 22196 methods

 

Sleek Modern Design For The School Hallways Of Tomorrow

When it comes to design, the modern sleek, simple lines of the Duralife® Locker line, make them a polished and aesthetically pleasing addition to any school hallway. They can really kick it up with their color options that bring high style to any atmosphere. The sustainability and durability stand up over time, making them a smart investment for today and tomorrow.

So Show Your Janitors Some Love This Summer – Invest In The Smart Choice – Duralife Lockers®

Download our brochure and see for yourself how HDPE Duralife Lockers® compare to traditional metal lockers – and Show Your Janitor Some Love This Summer!