This study analyzes the US janitorial equipment and supplies industry, which is defined as all nonchemical commercial- and institutional-grade products used in the cleaning of buildings (including floors and windows), dwellings and transportation equipment.
Products include automated floor cleaning equipment (e.g., vacuum cleaners, floor machines), manual cleaning products (e.g., brooms, brushes, mops, dusters, cleaning cloths, sponges, squeegees, scrubbing pads, wipes), bags and containers (e.g., plastic refuse bags and liners, other bags, metal and plastic pails, waste bins and trash containers) and various miscellaneous products (e.g., power cleaning equipment, sprayers, separately sold handles, janitorial carts).
Excluded from the scope of the study are all chemical cleaning products, including compounds and solutions, as well as the household-grade equivalents of cleaning supplies, although household vacuums used in the commercial environment have been included.