As The Toilet Turns
Custodial/Maintenance Staff Newsletter
August, 2006—Volume 5, Issue 2
The Year in Review—Part Two
1. What is Kawasaki Syndrome?
2. What is a hydro-sensor used for?
3. Where might you use a strip washer?
4. Describe and give an example of ratios.
5. What are as-built drawings?
6. Describe the difference between burnishing and buffing.
7. Name some things that enhance floor safety.
8. What electrical devices should be checked regularly?
9. Why is ladder safety of concern?
Answers are found on page two.
Working As A Team
According to one dictionary, team is defined
as “two or more persons working together.” Considering the size of our schools, the amount of
upkeep they require, the number of people who
use them daily and the limited number of custodians and maintenance personnel to take care of
them, it behooves all of us to do our part in keeping our buildings presentable.
One way we can do this is by taking care of
maintenance related problems ourselves when
possible before just handing them off to the maintenance department. Some of the things that we
can do that would allow maintenance to work on
bigger or more complicated projects might be as
follows.
1. Repairing minor plumbing problems.
(Faucets, washers, hoses, diaphragms.)
2. Repairing minor electrical problems.
(Ballasts, light switches, outlets, light bulbs.)
3. Painting rooms, halls and other smaller areas.
4. Minor repairs on equipment. (Switches,
brushes, belts, electrical cords, squeegees,
bulbs.)
Repairing or filling holes in sheetrock and
repainting.
6. Moving or installing movie screens or maps.
7. Repairing or replacing smaller items. (Pencil
sharpeners, soap dispensers, paper towel and
toilet paper dispensers.)
8. Ordering parts for and repairing broken
items around the building. (Exit sign, ceiling
tile, fire extinguisher glass, molding, door
bumpers or stops.)
9. Hanging signs or pictures inside or outside
the building. (Borrowing the Roto-Hammer
or other necessary tools when needed.)
10. Centralizing items to hauled.
These are just a few ideas of things we can do
that will make everything run smoother and more
efficiently. There are other things that may be
more building specific that would also help.
Maintenance has a big job to do with just a few
people, so the more we can do the more they can
get done.
Teamwork. Let’s promote and support this
concept!
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
5.
Feature Articles Answers
2
Solve This Problem
2
Intriguing Questions to Ponder
3
Answers to Intriguing Questions to
Ponder from the July Issue
3
Silk—Qualities and Care
3
Do You Know Where They Go?
3
To remove writing or stains
on grout between tiles, use a
bleach pen. They’re small, inexpensive and easy to use.
As The Toilet Turns
August, 2006—Page Two
1. What is Kawasaki Syndrome? - It
first appeared in Japan in the 1960’s.
Named after its discoverer, Dr. Tomisaku
Kawasaki, the disease has been found to
cause cardiovascular complications in
infants and young children. Symptoms
include a severe rash on the body as well
as a high spiking fever. The most frequent complications of this disease are
coronary heart aneurysms wherein the
blood vessels of the heart balloon. The
cause of this disease is unknown.
(September, 2005 issue)
2. What is a hydro-sensor used for? A hydro-sensor is a device used to detect
moisture in carpeting or other surfaces.
(October, 2005 issue)
bottle says the ratio is 1:256. Immediately you can ascertain that your product
usage will be very minimal since the ratio
is so high. Plugging it into the formula
you get the following. 128 ounces/256
= .5 or 1/2 ounce per gallon. (January,
2006 issue)
5. What are as-built drawings? - Asbuilt drawings are drawings that are submitted after a building or some construction project has been completed. When a
project starts, blue-print drawings of the
building, road, home, drainage systems
and more, are used in constructing that
particular project. Throughout the project, changes may be made to improve or
correct certain features. When the project
is complete, as-built drawings are made
that show all the changes done during the
course of construction. The resulting
drawings are an accurate representation
of the finished project. (February, 2006
issue)
3.
Where might you use a strip
washer? - Strip washers are tools used to
clean windows. They consist of a padded
material that covers a short bar on a handle. They are then used to scrub the windows before using a squeegee on them.
(November, 2005 issue)
6.
Describe the difference between
burnishing and buffing—Rohm and
4. Describe and give an example of Haas, a manufacturer of both polymer
ratios—A ratio tells you how much of and antimicrobial technology, gives a
something to use in comparison to some- clear definition of the differences bething else. In cleaning, the ratios usually tween buffing and burnishing. “The two
denote how much chemical is to be used basic differences between the systems lie
compared to water. Ratios can be written in the speed of the buffing process and
as fractions, by the word “to” or by the the use of a medium. Spray-buffing is
colon symbol (:). Here’s an example. A done with a liquid medium at floor ma-
Solve this problem. Send your
answer to Rick Bergum. Those with
the correct answers will be entered
to win a gift bag from West Coast
Paper. The drawing will be on
August 6th.
Problem: Take 40. Divide it by
1/2. Add 20. What is your
answer?
chine speeds in the range of from 175 to
little more than 1,000 rpm. In contrast,
burnishing is done on a dry floor at rpms
of from 1,000 to above 2,000. The tremendous speed of the burnishing unit
imparts a great deal of abrasive energy to
the floor pad. The result is that the pad
actually strips the worn top layer of polish and simultaneously smoothes-or
"burnishes" in the industry's terminologythe underlying layer to a very glossy surface. This technique creates the "wet
look" gloss of newly applied polish.” (March, 2006 issue)
7.
Name some things that enhance
floor safety—Using wet floor signs, barricades, having someone be a lookout for
others walking into the area, using nonslip finishes, repairing damage immediately. (April, 2006 issue)
8. What electrical devices should be
checked regularly? - Circuit breakers,
surge protectors, electrical cords, power
strips, extension cords, portable heaters
and batteries. (May, 2006 issue)
9. Why is ladder safety of concern? Ladder injuries rank high on the list of
claims turned into insurance companies
and The Department of Labor and Industry. Thus, proper use of ladders is paramount to avoid injury or death. (June,
2006 issue)
As The Toilet Turns
Intriguing Questions to Ponder
August, 2006—Page Three
What do you know about things in the world ? See if you can answer these questions. Check next month’s issue for the answers.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Do You know
Where They Go?
What are crenellations?
Is the telephone prefix “555” used only in movies?
What does fortissimo mean?
What directions do longitude and latitude run?
What makes a dial tone?
Connie West
Jon Schmieder
Michael Pace
Dave Oertel
Kathy Wahlen
Natalie Day
Do you know where Dave Weickum
each of the following custoDavid Penny
dians work?
Kevin Wood
Paul Hopkins
Kim McClellan
Rick Bergum
Betty Hines
Frank Vasalas
Larry Vance
Russell Gay
Bill Collins
Jay Atkinson
Lina Williams
Sonia Barton
Bill Smith
Jim Bergum
Louise Tchekou
Steve Andersen
Bob Bennison
Jim Saftich
Mark Sutton
Steve Petersen
Connie Jo Erickson
John Olson
Melisa Day
Trevor Haws
Silk—Qualities and Care
The following are tips for care of silk
1.
Silk is a fabric the comes from the silk worm. Unlike most other
fabrics, silk has many advantages and qualities that make it versatile
and desirable. Some of these qualities are as follows.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Tough
Lustrous
Gentle to the Skin
Moisture Absorbent
Heat Resistant
Protective (Absorbs UV rays.)
Not Prone to Static Electricity Buildup
2.
3.
4.
Washing: It is best to dry-clean. However, if washing at home,
use a neutral detergent in warm water (about 85° F). Be gentle
and do not knead or wring the fabric. Let it air dry.
Ironing: Place a cloth between the iron and the silk. Try ironing
in the direction of the grain at a temperature of about 260° F. Use
only a little steam if any.
Removing soil: In an emergency, place the silk facedown on a
dry piece of cloth. Beat, not rub, from the back with a moist
cloth. Then have it dry-cleaned.
Storing: Avoid humidity, guard against moths and avoid exposure to light. Use sponge-padded hangers or store flat with minimal folds.
Information taken from Awake! magazine issue of June, 2006.
Answers to Intriguing Questions to Ponder from the July Issue
1.
How is a TV screen measured? - A—Diagonally, from corner
to corner.
2.
What does SM stand for under the name of a business? - A
—A service mark is any word, name, symbol, device, or any
combination, used, or intended to be used, in commerce, to identify and distinguish the services of one provider from services
provided by others, and to indicate the source of the services.
3.
How long is a regulation pool cue? - A—The standard cue is
57” although there are variations depending on the size of the
table.
4.
What is the formula for photosynthesis? - A—
5. What is a hoop skirt? - A—According to Wikipedia “a hoop skirt
or hoopskirt is a women's undergarment worn in various periods to
hold the skirt extended into a fashionable shape. Hoop skirts typically consist of a fabric petticoat with casings to hold a stiffening material, variously rope, osiers, whalebone, steel or nylon.”