We were asked to restore an in-situ escalator (before equipment specifically designed for this task was invented) while on a builders clean.
PROBLEM: Escalators can be cleaned in-situ but are usually neglected so that a full restoration is not usually done but is needed. There are escalator cleaners on the market but these are not able to wet clean – they only vacuum clean and so will not clean the ground in soiling on the treads and risers, and they are very expensive to buy. A full restoration has to be done wet with detergents, but not just any detergents. There is a mix of surface materials that commonly used alkaline detergents will damage one or two of the materials during the restoration. In addition, the very limited use of water also precludes the use of steaming because of the build up of water which will cause damage to the machinery running the escalator. Further problems include the damage done by the salt on the ground from winter, being caught on, and damaging, the surfaces where an escalator enters from the outside, and the always heavy application of chewing gum on the steps and foot plates. This escalator had not been cleaned in 23 years, the time of its installation.
SOLUTION: our customer was so delighted with the system we designed and the results it obtained, that we were given all his escalators around the UK (around 90 of them) to clean. However we produced a cleaning system on paper which every shop manager had to use to keep and maintain the appearance of the escalators
