New Street Cleaners Introduced in a Bid to Improve Conditions

March 24, 2009 Posted by Administrator in : Cleaning News, News, environment , add a comment

Salford’s fleet of street cleaners have introduced two new vehicles to aid the cleaning process.

Salix Homes, for central Salford, has brought in a new road sweeper and a fly tipping van to help clean the area.

The two vehicles will be added to the team of 42 street cleaners provided by the council’s environmental services.

They will act as a rapid response team for central Salford and will be sent out as and when needed to deal with any concerns from residents about fly-tipping or litter in their neighbourhoods.

The street cleaners are part of Salix Homes’ Better Neighbourhoods programme, who is working to transform neighbourhoods by making them cleaner, greener and safer.

The head of better neighbourhoods for Salix Homes, said: ‘As well as providing housing services, we play a wider role in developing neighbourhoods and these cleaners are an example of the different types of work we’re doing with partners to continuously improve services for local people.’

Cllr Keith Mann added: ‘These new vehicles are additional to the council’s street cleaning service and will be used when required to respond to any issues from people living areas managed by Salix Homes.’

Cleaning Chemicals Within Hospitals Could be Causing Asthma

January 21, 2009 Posted by Katie in : Cleaning News, Hospital Cleaning, News, environment , add a comment

Researchers 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.’

Natural Ingredients For Cleaning This Christmas!

December 11, 2008 Posted by Katie in : Cleaning Advice, Cleaning Tips, News, environment , add a comment

With all this credit crunch business, we could all do with saving a few pennies this Christmas. That’s why I have put together a list of natural alternatives to do your festive clean with.

Lemon Juice - Lemons have a low pH level, so are able to kill most of the bacteria in your house.  If you have bottled lemon juice lying around you can use this instead of fresh lemons. Lemon juice is ideal for clean the kitchen, bathroom and polishing copper or brass. You will also be left with that lovely fresh lemony smell around the home.

Baking Soda - This substance is alkaline in nature or has a neutral pH level and its cleaning potential is endless.  It is a deodorizer, air freshener, and water softener. Cleaning with baking soda works well on water based stains and cleaning that requires scrubbing. 

Vinegar - White vinegar is slightly acidic and therefore can cut through grease, remove mildew, and clean stains. In the bathroom, vinegar can clean soap scum and hard water strains.  Don’t worry about the unpleasant smell, it goes away when it dries. But don’t use vinegar on marble surfaces.

Borax - This ingredient is most commonly used as an alternative to bleach. 

Castile Soap - As well as using in place of shampoo or body soap, castile soap can clean clothing, be used to wash pets or as a general cleaner.   

Corn Starch - Corn starch can clean windows, polish furniture, remove grease, shampoo rugs, and works well when used during ironing.

Not only are these products cheaper because you probably have them lying round the house, but they are environmentally friendly too.

New Cleaning Product Reduces Spread of C-Difficile

December 4, 2008 Posted by Katie in : Cleaning News, Hospital Cleaning, environment , add a comment

A new cleaning product that has been developed, could “significantly reduce” the rates of the hospital superbug Clostridium difficile, say researchers.

A study found that the product, Byotrol, led to a reduced presence of the infection C diff, in the wards where it was tried out.

In the areas cleaned with Byotrol, C diff was present in 20.4% of the sites tested, compared to 27.8% of the sites cleaned with traditional products.

According to the research, the number of patients who developed diarrhoea due to the potentially fatal bug was 50% lower in the wards cleaned with the new product.

The study was run in four hospital wards within the Manchester Royal Infirmary. Two of the wards were cleaned using Byotrol and the other two with bleach.

Dr Richard Deed said: ‘These results show that it is possible to drive significant reductions in one of the most persistent and challenging micro-organisms found within the healthcare system.’

Byotrol, which is cost comparable to most other day-to-day cleaners being used in wards, was made available to hospitals on the NHS supply chain in November.

Burnham-On-Sea Carnival Comes at a Clean Price

November 5, 2008 Posted by Katie in : Cleaning News, News, environment , add a comment

Sedgemoor District Council revealed this week that the cost of cleaning up Burnham-On-Sea’s town centre streets, after next Monday’s carnival will be £2,500.

A huge clean-up operation is to be carried out overnight, so that the town centre is restored to pristine condition by 7am the following morning.

A team of 20 staff will sweep and collect what has been left by the thousands of spectators. The cost for this is estimated at about £5,000 in Bridgwater, £4,800 in North Petherton and £2,500 in Burnham-On-Sea.

Council spokesperson Claire Faun said: ‘This covers staff time, vehicles, bags and the cost of disposing of all those glasses, cans and food wrappers. It usually takes about five hours in Burnham-on-Sea and a little longer if it is very windy as the rubbish blows about.’

Johnson’s Cleaners Launches ‘Greener’ Cleaning Programme

October 30, 2008 Posted by Katie in : Cleaning News, News, environment , 1 comment so far

Britain’s biggest dry cleaning company has chosen two Cheshire branches for the first step of their new £20m `GreenEarth’ programme.

The branches have been rebranded and refurbished at a cost of £80,000 and will this weekend re-open with the latest environmentally-friendly cleaning technology.

GreenEarth is a US- patented cleaning system which uses liquid silicone cleaning solvents derived from sand, giving it minimal environmental impact. And if all this wasn’t enough, it will be available at the same price as standard cleaning as well.

GreenEarth has no harmful waste products and is said to be kinder to clothes and skin than traditional methods of dry-cleaning.

Gary Knox, environmental brand manager said:  ‘It is the company’s intention to roll out the GreenEarth initiative across our entire estate over the next two years.’

‘The investment in each of the shops is in the region of £40,000, which includes a new fascia, new machinery and marketing.’

The re-launches follow its coat hanger recycling campaign launched earlier in the year – which called on customers to take the chain’s distinctive yellow hangers back to their nearest branch.

Johnson’s is also committed to a 5% reduction in energy consumption each year until 2010.

Non Toxic Cleaning Tips for Your Kitchen & Bathroom

July 31, 2008 Posted by Administrator in : Cleaning Advice, News, environment , add a comment

Avoid using chemicals in your cleaning, with these useful tips:

- For a toilet, use a glass cleaner made with vinegar, water, and Castile soap and scrub inside and out. For deeper stains, use a soft scrub made from baking soda and Castile soap. For good measure, I gave my toilet brush a spray of vinegar before placing back in its holder.

- To clean the bath tub an ethical way, start with vinegar spray to kill red and green molds and other germs, then rinse and move onto a baking soda soft scrub and get out your scrub brush.

- To clean chrome drain covers, tub chains, and mixer valves, use the glass cleaner and scrub with a toothbrush.

- Soak handheld plastic showerheads in baking soda and use your scrub brush or toothbrush in crevices. Soak metal showerheads in vinegar and scrub.

- For stainless steel and ceramic kitchen sinks, baking soda works as well as conventional bleach powders. Use the vinegar spray or tea tree spray for germs.

- On sink faucets and mirrors, use the vinegar-based glass cleaner.

Tips for Cleaning Your Car!

April 29, 2008 Posted by Administrator in : Cleaning Advice, environment , add a comment

The maintenance of a car can tell you a lot about a person, so why not make a good impression by keeping yours clean.

Here are some tips on how to clean your car effectively:

- Cleaning your car at home is not only the most cost effective, but it’s also great exercise. Hose the car down, then clean the car starting with the roof and working your way down the sides with hot soapy water and a sponge.

- Once the outside of the car is sparkly, you can begin cleaning the interior. Give the floor and the seats a good vacuum and clear out all those crumbs and dirt, and polish those sideboards.

- Put a waste bin in a convenient place in your car (preferably hidden) to put your rubbish in and safe your car smelling bad.

- Finally, finish of the wash by investing in an air freshener this will complete the clean and leave your car smelling fragrant.

Clean the Eco-Friendly Way

November 19, 2007 Posted by Administrator in : Cleaning Advice, News, environment , add a comment

It’s safe to assume that we could all do a little more to help our environment, so here a few tips to help you be more eco-friendly when you clean:

White vinegar:  Is a natural disinfectant and a stain remover.  It’s a diluted ascetic acid and substitute for more powerful ammonia-based cleaners like window cleaner.  White wine vinegar is ok to use, but white distilled vinegar is less expensive. Do not use malt vinegar!

Sodium Bicarbonate:  When mixed with water it forms a slightly alkaline liquid, which goes through grease and dirt on almost all surface’s.  Used neat it’s slightly abrasive and can be used to scrub problem stains.  Often vinegar and soda are mixed, for max cleaning strength.

Olive Oil:  Is a great alternative to furniture polish. The most basic type of olive oil will work, so don’t worry about the fancy extra-virgin stuff.

Lemons:  The citric acid in lemon juice makes it ideal for bleaching, disinfecting, deodorising and getting rid of grease.  It’s an extremely natural and multi-purpose cleaning poduct, All households should have to hand.

Essential Oil:  Dab some essential oil on a light bulb.  Whilst on, the heat will diffuse the fragrance creating a nice smelling room at a very low cost.  This could save you so much on air-fresheners.

Now you’ve got the tips, search those cupboards for these everyday household items and get cleaning!

Germs in the Workplace

September 7, 2007 Posted by Administrator in : News, environment , add a comment

It may or may not strike you as hard to believe that the workplace in which you spend your hard working hours in, is not the clean and hygenic place you once thought. It has been proven that Phones, keyboards and PC mice are harboured with the most germs, within the office.  

A study carried out by Durable UK found that: The keyboard is the filthiest item within the office, it was disovered that only 17% of people describe their keyboards as clean. As most wait over two weeks for germs to build up before they decide to clean it. The survey also showed that of the 70% of the office’s that have cleaners, only 3% of office cleaners have the correct equipment for cleaning inbetween keys, leaving us vulnerable to bugs and viruses.

Professor Charles Gerba has discovered some grubby secrets about the workplace. He says the average office holds around 20,96 microbes per square inch, compared with 49 found in a toilet bowl. The professor also found that the computer mice harboured 1,676 particles per square inch and both mobile and phone handsets could be considered health hazards because of the bacteria they hold.