This is topic Cleaning Stadium Riser Auditoriums in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.
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Posted by Joshua Lott (Member # 240) on 08-19-2000, 05:37 PM:
I wanted to know what everyones styles for cleaning stadium riser auditoriums are. Right now in our theatre we have the janitors pick up all of the big stuff then blow all of the rest of the trash down to the bottom and sweep it up.This has become a problem though. I went into an auditorium the other day and found that there was a lot of trash in the masking motor(under the screen). That masking motor does not work any more.
Any body got any suggestions?
Posted by Mark Huff (Member # 480) on 08-19-2000, 06:25 PM:
Well we had the same problem where I work. The way that they are supposed to do it is. Blowers are used up to the third row of stadium. From the second row on they are to sweep with brooms. The masking, soundfold, and screen suffer greatly when the janitors use blowers all the way down to the screen.
Posted by Doug Fields (Member # 589) on 09-06-2000, 11:04 PM:
I agree with Mark. I have four screens at my theater. Two are flat stadiums, and two are stadium style seating. I have found that sweeping the stadium styles row by row to the aisles is the only good way to save problems later. One reason, and a big one is, the more you miss or leave on the floor, the more is blown to the front of the theater by your cleaners. This really effects your screens... you wouldn't believe how much crap actually gets blown up on them. So, just remember pick up as much as you can now... to avoid a screen problem later.Doug Fields
Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 09-07-2000, 07:18 AM:
The junk stirred up by blowers flies throughout the theatre. Screens get dirty faster and reflect less light, screen perforations get clogged with dirt affecting sound, port glass needs constant cleaning, and HVAC returns fill with mold-supporting debris. 
------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Posted by Richard C. Wolfe (Member # 431) on 09-07-2000, 04:15 PM:
Many years ago I tried having the theatre cleaned with a blower. We picked up the big stuff and blew everything else down front. It didn'r take long to realize that that was not a good way to CLEAN a theatre. In actuality it was a great way to DIRTY a theatre. Think of all the dirt that gets tracked in every day on your patrons shoes. You pick up the big stuff, then you blow all the dirt up in the air. You then pick up what you SEE down front and you think you're done. But a short time later all the dust that was kicked up into the air settles down on the seats, carpets, the screen, the port glass....everything. You never remove the dust from the theatre, you just continue recirculating the same dust plus the new supply of dust from each new day.We vacumn the entire theatre several times a week. Daily we pick up the big stuff, then sweep out the isles and pick up the pop corn and dirt into a pan, bag it, and send it to the dumpster. On weekends or any really busy day the entire auditorium is vacumned out row by row after the big stuff was picked up.
It's the only way to get ALL the dirt out of the theatre.
Posted by David Favel (Member # 1125) on 02-27-2002, 08:15 PM:
We use an electric leaf sucker.
It compacts all the rubbish & tales half the time to clean an auditorium.
Beware, it gets stuck on hard / thick rubbish.
Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 02-27-2002, 10:11 PM:
On several occasions, I had the opportunity to visit the Fargo Theater in Fargo, North Dakota. I don't know how they clean the theater or what they use, but only one word can describe what I have seen:"SPOTLESS"
Posted by Jerry Chase (Member # 660) on 02-27-2002, 10:59 PM:
I've seen many theatres on inspection tours, and I have NEVER seen a problem with blowers when used as Mark described. Big Al used to say that blowers dirtied the screens, but I've witnessed much more dust from improperly maintained HVACs than from blower dust.The idea of some dust getting on the seats is reasonable, but I suspect the dust problem relates to the location more than anything else. Sandy or loamy areas would logically have more dust than areas like Vermont in winter, where dirt becomes mud when mixed with snow, and is walked off across the lobby.
In any event, seats should be steam extracted regularly. Molds and dust mites can build up on such fabric.
Masking motors and drums should be shielded as a safety measure. If a kid were to sneak backstage and lose a finger or hand there would be hell to pay. Five bucks worth of plywood and nails is cheap insurance.
Posted by Neil Hunter (Member # 1005) on 02-28-2002, 12:05 AM:
The Janitors at my theater use blowers all the way up to the floor in my 14 screen stadium seating theater. My freind and I have talked to the General manager about this, an he asked them to stop. They didn't. We talked to our company's region leader, he told my GM to talk to the janitors about not using leaf blowers. They still use them. My friend and I both now stare at them and make sure they don't use the blowers at all. When we see them use them, we open the port and tell them to stop. They still use them. I have run out of ideas.The screens are incredibly dirty now from the popcorn and candy that have gotten stuck to them from those god-awful leaf blowers. I guess they will only take real action against this problem when the company has to replace 14 screens that are three years old each.
Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 02-28-2002, 12:30 AM:
I was told that one theater I know of pick up the big stuff first (all the popcorn tubs, soft drinks, candy boxes,) and stuff like that and then use a back-pack vacuum to do the rest. A good mopping will then do wonders, if the water is changed frequently.You cannot clean a dirty floor with water that is dirtier than the floor. 
Posted by Jerry Chase (Member # 660) on 02-28-2002, 09:52 AM:
Paul, boy are you right about the dirty water. A theatre needs at least two mop buckets and wringers, one for general cleaning and one for restrooms. Rarely done, but very effective, is the method where the mop goes into bucket A, is used, is swished into and wrung into bucket B, then dipped in bucket A and lightly wrung before continuing. The mop stays much cleaner.I've seen janitors closets where the cleaners were saving the mop water from one day to the next. 
Neil, those screens can be cleaned. I can guarantee you that if I were region leader, the janitors would be stopping entirely, paying for screen cleaning out of their contract or wages, or be on the street. Once the screens were cleaned at their expense, they would be allowed to try using blowers again, stopping at the fourth row back from the front. They would very clearly know what would happen if they got lazy again. Mis-use of blowers and damage of property is grounds for termination, no ifs, ands, or buts. 
Posted by Jim Ziegler (Member # 86) on 02-28-2002, 12:02 PM:
Neil,If they are leaving the blowers at your theatre, just lock them up so they can't get to them.
Posted by Neil Hunter (Member # 1005) on 03-02-2002, 01:47 AM:
Jerry, if only things in real life worked that way. The region leader is in Kentucky, and as you can see next to my name, I am in North Carolina. Along with all the other theaters he oversees in this chain, I doubt he has the time or the means to personally check each of his theaters. I wish he would come to my theater in person and check this, though.Jim, The only reason we have those leaf blowers is for the janitors. If we were to lock them up(as temptimg as that sounds) they would complain to the GM, and then I would get in trouble because he allows them to use these blowers.
Posted by Jim Ziegler (Member # 86) on 03-02-2002, 02:40 AM:
Well, if the GM wants them used, then that kinda ends it there...
Posted by Jerry Chase (Member # 660) on 03-02-2002, 09:05 AM:
"Jerry, if only things in real life worked that way. "A sad state of affairs. I was mentioning to another film-techer recently how the circuits screw themselves by not having district managers to set and maintain standards. A good DM will save and earn at least double their salary in nipping problems like this in the bud and demanding a customer friendly set of theatres. There is no way region leaders who must see to their own location can do this properly. Been there, done that, would flat out refuse if asked to do it again.
If the location manager doesn't have the brass balls, you are SOL.
If the screen sizes are manageble, see if you can get the manager to pay you to clean the screens of the worst of the crud.
Posted by Mike Spaeth (Member # 524) on 03-03-2002, 02:30 AM:
Jerry - The "Region Leader" does not also manage a location, rather, they are more like an "area manager." Each region has between 15 and 30 theatres. Basically, the general manager assumes the micromanaging duties that an extra level of management (namely, a DM) would take care of. If there is a problem like this, it is MY responsibility to correct it.
Posted by Jeffry L. Johnson (Member # 453) on 03-03-2002, 10:11 AM:
The ideal solution is a central vacuum system.If that's not an option then a high quality backpack vacuum, like a Castex Portapac, preferably with HEPA filtration, is an excellent choice and certainly preferable over a blower.
Posted by Jerry Chase (Member # 660) on 03-03-2002, 11:08 AM:
Mike, that leader position sounds like a DM position. At one point, my "assistant DM" duties (there was no DM and I did all the work but didn't get the title) stretched from Arkansas to the Florida panhandle. The theatres at the ends of the district didn't get the oversight that the more local theatres did, but when problems such as you describe were pointed out they were addressed.A district or region with this many locations is larger than many small circuits and sometimes it becomes more of an excercise in putting out the largest fires than working to improve the base conditions.
Cleaning the screens yourself may be your best (or only) option. If money is tight, commercial cleaning of the screens may be out.