Opera House Chandelier Crystals Have to be Cleaned Individually
January 28, 2009 Posted by Katie in : Cleaning News,News , add a commentThe cleaning of the Jersey Opera House Chandelier, which only takes place once every four to five years was cleaned this week.
The chandelier which is made up of 10,200 pieces of crystal, were individually cleaned and polished for the first time since 2005.
Jo McCloat of Cleanguard Limited said: ‘It has to be sprayed and treated with a special chemical and clean guard. So we have all the chemicals that we need for specialised work like this. We had to order those, bring them all from the UK and then treat it – that then had to be left for 12 hours, treat it again and then left for another 12 hours.’
Once the cleaning is complete it was time to return the Chandelier to its original home high up in the rafters. Where it will remain for the next five years until it is time to clean the 10,200 pieces of crystal once again.
The World’s Only Gutter Cleaning Robot!
January 22, 2009 Posted by Katie in : Cleaning News,Funny,News , add a commentThe iRobot Looj V.2 is a remote controlled Gutter Cleaning Robot and the winner of the 2008 Best of CES Innovations Award.
The Looj is one of a kind, it is controlled by a wireless remote that doubles as a detachable handle, the Looj cleans an entire stretch of gutter while the human operator stays in one spot, reducing the need to climb and reposition the ladder multiple times or juggle tools at dangerous heights.
The creators say: ‘We listened to our customers and designed an updated Looj based on their feedback. The one-of-a-kind Looj saves people time and frees them from the dull, dirty and dangerous work of gutter cleaning better than ever.’
This is revolutionary cleaning at it’s best!!
Cleaning Chemicals Within Hospitals Could be Causing Asthma
January 21, 2009 Posted by Katie in : Cleaning News,Hospital Cleaning,News,environment , add a commentResearchers in America have found cleaning chemicals in wards run by nurses, which could irritate the lungs. Including cleansers and antiseptics used on patients’ skin, chemicals used in the sterilisation and all purpose cleaners like bleach.
There are already 5.4m people in the UK receiving treatment for asthma and cleaning products and irritants in the workplace are known to be one of the causes.
The findings of this research are based on a sample of 3,650 healthcare workers.
Cleaning instruments were associated with a 67% increased chance of being diagnosed with asthma and nurses who were exposed to general cleaning products were 72% more likely to have asthma.
Associate Professor Ahmed Arif, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, said: ‘Substituting cleaning agents with environmentally friendly ‘green chemicals’ and using appropriate personal care protection could help minimise occupational exposures in this professional group.’
The research found that nurses who were exposed to adhesives and solvents in the care of patients, were 50% more likely to report symptoms of asthma but not a formal diagnosis.
Prof Arif said: ‘Some of the products containing these chemicals were available as sprays, which increase the potential for aerosolisation. To our knowledge, exposure to these types of compounds has not been previously linked to asthma among nursing professionals and, hence, warrants further evaluation.’
Are the Media to Blame for the Panic Over MRSA, or is it the Problem of Hospitals not Being Clean!
January 14, 2009 Posted by Katie in : Cleaning News,Hospital Cleaning,News , add a commentMRSA is of course a serious problem in the UK, but the media have paid it much more attention than other countries, causing us to panic as usual.
A good example of this is that between the years 1997-2007, the USA published 177 articles about MRSA in their papers, whilst the UK wrote 4,300 articles.
Much of the UK newspaper coverage centres on individual’s stories, about young children or celebrities contracting a hospital infection. But the typical victims of MRSA are actually the elderly and the very ill which tend to be missing.
Concentrating on young and relatively healthy victims encourages the public to see the infection as something we should all be afraid of, clever media stuff!
So what about the media’s focus on the cleanliness of our hospitals?
Well whilst hospital cleaning is part of the answer, so is the reduction of antibiotics, which is regarded as one of the most effective ways of reducing MRSA.
The media should of course tell the whole story about MRSA, but that wouldn’t sell nearly as many papers would it!
