2.2 Basic knowledge of cleaning and the equation (Ueki’s Equation)
Preface
Complete text of the draft of easy-to-clean house can be found in Japanese on our website.
2.2 Basic knowledge of cleaning and the equation (Ueki's Equation)
I had to study numerous textbooks and documents for national certificates of cleaning, which indicates that cleaning/maintenance is required for more objects than you would think and the vast knowledge is required for that. Building-cleaning section alone has considerable volume. Nonetheless, I suppose most of the practitioners are not able to utilize this knowledge in the actual field. Though written texts and articles do have certain importance, a sheer quantity of them makes it difficult to remember. Moreover, we have to be highly flexible and creative in practice because of the diversity of the real life situations.
A Constant inflow of new architectural materials and technology necessitates innovative technique of cleaning. Written manuals are obviously limited and there is a widening gap between theory and practice. This situation has made me re-think about fundamental questions: "What is cleaning?" or "What is cleaning technique?"
By categorizing and simplifying written knowledge, I found an "equation."
If the cleaning technique required for a certain condition is "x", knowledge necessary to figure out "x" are "knowledge of architectural materials", "knowledge of dirt", "knowledge of detergent", "knowledge of tools", "knowledge of technique", and "knowledge of protectant."
To put this equation into practice, it is important to first comprehend "Where? What kind of dirt?" Then you can determine what technique to employ.
①Where? What kind?
Examine the location and the disposition of the dirt you want to clean. Since house dirt attaches to architectural materials, we need to understand where the dirt attaches to (knowledge of architectural materials) and what kind of dirt it is in order to employ the effective technique.
②Decide on technique!
Chemical force (knowledge of detergents) and physical force (knowledge of tools) need to be effectively applied (knowledge of technique) to fight the dirt. In order to ease the labor of maintenance afterwards, it is advisable to implement anti-dirt coating as prevention cleaning. (knowledge of protectants)
Examine what dirt on where Based on the result, decide on technique
To sum up, prerequisite basic knowledge of cleaning is "knowledge of architectural materials", "knowledge of dirt", "knowledge of detergent", "knowledge of tools", "knowledge of technique", and "knowledge of protectant". As a tool to effectively utilize the knowledge, I invented the equation of cleaning.
2.2.1 the Equation of Cleaning (Ueki's Equation) to derive cleaning methods
★ in the field terms
cleaning technique "x" = (What dirt on where?) analysis (choice and application of removal force) + prevention cleaning
★ in the theoretical terms
cleaning technique "x" = (knowledge of architectural materials/ knowledge of dirt) analysis (knowledge of detergent/ knowledge of tools)＊knowledge of technique+ knowledge of protectant
This equation is slightly different from mathematical ones, but fundamentally the same. Because it sounds fine , I named it "the equation of cleaning."
A Specific situation of sites including used architectural materials, attached dirt, and surrounding environments sets precondition for cleaning to some extent. Clients may specify the budget and only allow some kinds of cleaning practice. At the site, we have to come up with effective techniques in diverse situations.
Categorizing and putting the information into the equation helps us avoid drowning in the sea of textbooks, documents, and experiences, and safely arrive at the most effective technique. It is important here to remember the way to utilize the knowledge by visualizing the figure above, rather than to think about individual know-how in each case.
NEXT
