Wipers:What to use where

What type of wiper should you choose for general cleaning, polishing, mopping up spills and for hygiene-critical wiping? Where should you position your wipers for maximum productivity? Tork manufacturer SCA advises on picking the correct wipers - and suggests where they should be located

Any wiping task in an industrial facility usually requires immediate attention.

For example an operative with greasy hands will want to wipe them clean before starting on the next task. Similarly, an operative who has spilled a quantity of oil on to the floor will want to rectify this without delay to prevent slips and falls. So it makes sense for the right wiper to be always close at hand.

But wipers come in all shapes and sizes and each product is geared towards a specific task. And if the wrong wiper is used, it could prove ineffective - or even damage the wiping surface.

Rags are commonly used for general wiping purposes in industry and a bag of mixed rags is often provided for cleaning soiled hands, surfaces and components. But unless the rags have been sorted and graded before use, an operative cleaning a delicate metal component might pull out an old pair of jeans from the ragbag - complete with zip - and scratch the component beyond repair.

Similarly a member of staff who spilled a quantity of oil on the floor would have little success in trying to mop it up with a synthetic rag. Items of clothing made from synthetic materials often have a 'dry clean finish' that can repel water and offer very little absorbency.

Accommodating a supply of rags in a typical workshop can be an issue.

A typical ragbag can weigh about 10kg which means that it will probably need to stay in one fixed position on the floor. This means that any employee seeking to mop up an oil spill would have to leave their work bay or cubicle to access a rag.

In larger factories the walk to and from the ragbag could take several minutes - and productivity would suffer in a facility where operatives are taking regular trips to the ragbag.Meanwhile, the spill on the floor represents a slipping hazard for other staff.

So, not only should the right wiper be supplied, it should be situated so that it is in the right place when the operative needs it.

Tork wipers and cloths are designed to offer characteristics such as strength, softness or absorbency - or all three. In manufacturing environments there are multiple applications for wipers from wiping oil and grease to polishing delicate printing equipment, and each task requires a wiper with different attributes. The wiper should be specified for the task.

For example, industrial manufacturers can choose between tissue products and nonwoven wipers. Tissue products are made from cellulose fibres while non-wovens use different types of fibres - some man-made - to create stronger products.

The longer the fibres, the stronger the product because their length enables them to be bonded together more effectively. Tightlybonded wipers are more absorbent, longer lasting and lower-linting because fewer fibres are likely to break away from the product.

An example of a strong wiper made from tightly-bonded fibres is Tork Premium 530.

This is made from a mix of cellulose and long, strong, high quality man-made fibres which are entangled firmly together to produce a wiper that can absorb a variety of liquids without breaking up.

Tork Premium 530 is suitable for use when carrying out tough wiping tasks, particularly where solvents are required since the wiper will not break up in solvents.

Tork Premium 510 is recommended for carrying out more delicate tasks - such as wiping fingermarks from a screen or another easily-damaged surface. The product is strong and absorbent with soft fibres.

It is important that the factory manager identifies which wiping tasks need to be carried out in each work bay and supplies the right wipers for each. This is where compact systems such as the Tork Performance W4 wiping system offer a solution. The system consists of a dispenser containing 100 to 150 wipers that can be wall-mounted in any workstation or production area. The lockable, sealed dispenser protects the wipers before use.

Most Tork wipers are available in this format including the entire Tork 500 series; Tork Advanced 420, and specialist Tork wipers for cleaning, polishing, sensitive cleaning and hygienic cleaning. This means that every operative can have the right wiper to hand no matter what task they are carrying out.

Where staff are not confined to a workstation but are constantly on the move, a portable wiping system is a good idea.

Several Tork wipers are available in the Tork Handy Box which has a carry handle and contains between 120 and 300 wipers depending on the product.

Wipers are vital to the smooth running of a factory; when you need one, nothing else will do. By providing the right wipers in the right places, factory managers can improve their productivity while providing a clean, professional-looking workplace.