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Up to $300K in Silica Dust Control Penalties for VA Contractor
If cancer and lung disease don’t convince you to abide by OSHA’s silica dust control regulations, try $304,130 in fines. That’s what highway construction contractor, Lanford Brothers, may be facing for five alleged violations this year.
Written by Ryan Gartman 
Mowing the… floor?
Even if you’re a sweeper/scrubber newbie, thinking of your floors like a lawn in need of mowing can simplify a potentially overwhelming job and purchasing decision into something more familiar and manageable. With the right tools, you may even find that cleaning the floor becomes as therapeutic and satisfying as mowing the lawn is for me.
Written by Ryan Gartman
Social Media for Business
In today’s business world, your website and social media presence has a major impact on consumers buying decisions. We believe it should also be a positive reflection of who you are as a company. At Bortek, we enjoy adding informative content along with our own personal flair!
Written by Ben Eppley 
6 Machines People Mistakenly Call “Zamboni”
What’s that machine called that cleans the floor? Or the road? It’s not a Zamboni, I’ll tell you that.
Written by Ryan Gartman
Sweeping the Moon – Can it be done?
What’s the largest area of dirty ground that’s yet to be cleaned? That’s right, it’s the surface of the moon. It’s a menace, and something needs to be done! Something like… sweeping it up. Could it be done?
Written by Ryan Gartman
American Made: In whole or in part?
Beware of foreign critical components hiding in “American” machines! The US has had a long tradition of dominance in the Cleaning Machine industry. Unfortunately, that has dramatically changed with cheap Chinese imitations of American designs, and machines imported from all over the world.
Written by Jeff Boarman 
Why (Not) to Buy Factory Direct
“Factory Direct” is a popular purchasing buzzword with an assumed consumer-friendly connotation. In some industries, it makes sense to attempt to cut costs this way. But when dealing with cleaning equipment, the so-called “middleman” distributor can offer value with which the manufacturer can’t compete.
Written by Ryan Gartman
Planned Maintenance: A Routine Check-Up for Your Cleaning Equipment
You may very well be healthy as an ox, but the goal of these scheduled appointments isn’t always to check on a current ailment, but to get an overall examination to prevent any issues BEFORE they happen! Planned maintenance, sometimes called preventive maintenance, works the same way with your cleaning equipment!
Written by Ben Eppley
A Company’s Culture and Strategy
Here at the ‘tek, where I’ve worked for what’ll be 20 years on New Year’s Eve 2018, I’ve seen the company’s culture evolve exponentially over the past couple of years. As a company we are trying to capture this thing we’ve created in words. Pretty tricky. Nutshell? Everybody’s nice.
Written by Tony Stell 
Hand Soap: Does it matter?
Washing your hands is one of the easiest and most well-known methods of preventing the spread of germs. But how much does soap help clean compared to washing with water alone? And what’s with antibacterial soap? Read on, and learn soap works and how to properly wash your hands.
Written by Ryan Gartman
Self-Driving Floor Scrubbers
Long-gone are the days of the broom and dust pan for cleaning warehouses, retail stores, schools, etc. The floor scrubber alleviated a significant amount of time and labor costs and shows significant improvement to the quality of all floors.
Written by Ben Eppley
Safety Month: Don’t Fall For Unsafe Ladder Practices
Comparing the number of cited ladder and scaffolding violations, the latter outnumbered the former, the ladder. However, as the ladder sees more daily use than the latter by load-laden laypeople, I’ll be focusing on the former. With these tips, both ladies and lads will be able to follow ladder law to the letter.
Written by Ryan Gartman
Paper Towels vs. Air Dryers: Not so cut-and-dried
You’ve likely heard the great debate concerning the use and hygiene of paper towels compared to electric air dryers. However, although there have been many articles on the topic recently, and even an episode of Mythbusters back in 2013, the study results aren’t as clean as one might think.
Written by Ryan Gartman
Importance of a Clean Workplace
Of the list of priorities a business owner has to consider, dusting the office desks or sweeping the warehouse floors may seem low on the totem pole. Busy schedules, heavy workloads, and day-to-day operations are at the forefront of what is considered important. However, the importance of a clean workplace cannot be overstated enough.
Written by Ben Eppley
National Safety Month: Emergencies & Wellness
June is National Safety Month, and so it’s the perfect time to take a look at what measures to take to avoid preventable injuries and illnesses in the workplace. Plan ahead with these tips for dealing with environmental and medical emergencies, improving health in the workplace, and drawing awareness to the dangers of fatigue.
Written by Ryan Gartman
Rent vs Buy
Choosing whether to buy or rent your cleaning equipment is based on your company’s individual needs, as there are pros and cons to both renting and buying. It pays to evaluate your company’s current situation and capabilities, your future plans, and to carefully consider which method of acquiring cleaning equipment will be most advantageous to your business. Simply stated, which decision is going to make your life easier? Are you prepared to make this decision?
Written by Ben Eppley