The news couldn’t come in a better time for contract cleaners and cleaners’ alike working in London. Contract cleaners who were working on the minimum hourly wages in the capital will get £7.85 per hour.

The living wage reflects the fact that those working and living in London need an hourly wage rate that is set at 17 per cent above the national minimum wage rate of £5.80 to take them above the poverty level.

Speaking on the subject Mayor Johnson said:

“The capital relies on the work of many who carry out the city’s essential functions on a daily basis – from office cleaners to care workers in social services,”

and added:

“It is right that their skills and commitment to London’s success are recognised and one of the most fundamental ways of doing this is to ensure that all Londoners are paid properly.”

The pay raise announcement was published in the Living Wage Unit’s sixth annual report by the Greater London authority. Mr Johnson is urging all employers in the capital to follow Greater London authority’s lead.

There are more than just office cleaners; there are also cleaners for pubs, shops, restaurants, warehouses, and other commercial businesses. These dedicated companies provide daily cleaning programmes, as well as those that are less frequent. The advertisements noted that you could opt in for carpet dusting, window cleaning, upholstery cleaning, or speciality options. Many of the companies offer hard to reach options for both indoor and outdoor needs.

The best part about the process and the professionally tailored service is their dedication to offer an affordable solution that is both professional and efficient. One such commercial cleaning company has made it their mission to offer the best employees they can staff. Their staff is not only skilled in cleaning, but they have also had the proper training in safety and health. Restaurants for example require that you clean surfaces and the sitting area to certain codes. A failure to keep a restaurant clean can be detrimental.

Hiring a professional cleaning staff through commercial cleaners in London ensures your business’s cleanliness for many years to come. You can also feel safe in knowing that no matter where they are cleaning, even in the harder to access regions, all areas will be given the same priority unless otherwise instructed. Professionalism is imperative in any business. The professionally trained staff of these institutions understands this; therefore they offer you uniformed staff who will work around your needs. Whatever is convenient for you as the client will also be convenient for the office cleaners of Wokingham.

If you want more proof that the commercial cleaners in London are what you desire all you have to do is look at their business references and testimonials of their clients. Look no further than London for your commercial cleaners. London simply has the proper staff and office cleaners you require for your building in the city. It does not matter if you require car park and washroom cleaning or other maintenance, the commercial cleaning companies in London are there for you.

With highly trained staff to work quickly, without damaging any of your property. However, if an unfortunate event does occur you can feel content knowing the office cleaners in London will take care of your tidiness needs.

Here at Total Clean we strive to deliver an environmentally friendly office cleaning service by applying cleaning products and methods that are less harmful as possible to the environment.

We also have a great concern for our clients’ homes, reason why every once in a while we publish cleaning tips to help them maintain their houses as fresh and clean as we leave their working place. This time we compiled a list with our top 10 Green Cleaning tips for you to keep your house fresh-smelling without harming your family’s life.

1.Employ green cleaning products
As the health and environmental impacts of conventional cleaning products become more thoroughly understood, more and more brands of healthy, green, and effective cleaning products have started hitting the market and competing for that coveted place of honor under your sink. Many of these products are non-toxic, biodegradable, and made from renewable resources (not petroleum). But if designer labels aren’t for you, home-mixed cleaners can get the job done and then some. Vinegar and baking soda can be used to clean almost anything. Mix in a little warm water with either of these and you’ve got yourself an all-purpose cleaner.

2.Avoid poor indoor air quality
It is not uncommon for the air inside a home or office to be more toxic than the air outside. This is because of the presence of toxic materials and substances and the fact that homes and buildings are better insulated than ever before (which is a good thing from an energy standpoint). Keeping windows open as often as possible allows fresh air in and keeps toxins flowing out. This is especially important when cleaning your home.

3.Be careful with antibacterial cleaners
The antibacterial and antimicrobial ‘cleaners’ that many people think are necessary, especially during cold season, don’t clean hands better than soap and water, and also add to the risk of breeding “super germs,” bacteria that survive the chemical onslaught and have resistant offspring. The FDA has found that antibacterial soaps and hand cleansers do not work better than regular soap and water, and should be avoided.

4.Help your home smell baking soda-licious
Baking soda not only removes those strange smells coming from your fridge, it’s also a great odor-eliminator for your carpet. Just sprinkle on a little baking soda to soak up some of those odors and then vacuum it up.

5.Clean your indoor air naturally
Skip the store-bought air fresheners and instead try boiling cinnamon, cloves, or any other herbs you have a fondness for. Fresh chocolate chip cookies also have been known to create a friendly aroma. Also, plants may not make your house smell different but are good for filtering interior air–pretty much any broad green leaf plant will do. Peace Lilies are a favorite choice.

6.Toss toxic cleaners carefully
When replacing your cleaning products, don’t just throw the old ones in the trash. If they’re too toxic for your home, they won’t be good for the drain or the landfill either. Many communities hold toxics & electronics recycling days and will take all of these off your hands. Throwing chemicals in the trash or down the drain means they might end up back in your water supply and come back to haunt you (see How to Go Green: Water for more).

7.Avoid conventional dry cleaners
Conventional dry cleaners are the largest users of the industrial solvent called Perchloroethylene, or perc, which is toxic to humans and also creates smog. The two most common green drycleaning methods are carbon dioxide cleaning and Green Earth. Seek out cleaners that use green methods. If you do take clothes to conventional cleaners, be sure to air them outside before wearing them or putting them in the closet.

8.Employ a green house cleaning service
For people don’t have the time to clean their own homes, fortunately there are an increasing number of green cleaning services out there to help get things spic and span. If you can’t find one in your area (or their rates are outlandish), call around until you find a service willing to use the products and methods you specify.

9.Leave the toxins at the door
Imagine what’s on your shoes at the end of the day. Bringing that oil, antifreeze, animal waste, particulate pollution, pollen, and who knows what else into the house is not good news, especially for kids and other critters that spend time on floor level. Keep the sidewalk out of your home with a good doormat or a shoeless house policy. Many green buildings now include entryway track-off systems as a means of maintaining a healthy interior environment. Less dirt also means less sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming, which means less work, water, energy, and fewer chemicals.

10.Design with clean in mind
Designing houses and other building with cleanability in mind can create spaces that are cleaner, healthier, and require fewer substances to maintain. In larger buildings, good cleanability can also be a big money-saver as cleaning costs can often add up to as much as half of a building’s total energy costs.

Why not help us extend this list? Share your green cleaning tips and lets make the world a cleaner place without harming it.

However this shouldn’t be the case, not least because of your personal welfare, as research figures indicate that an increase in sickness absence correlates with businesses that have cut back on cleaning their offices. Which shouldn’t come as a surprise, since a lack of general cleanliness invariably leads to a spread of germs that cause illness.

Esther Wassmann, managing director of Resource GB, said: “Understandably, businesses are looking to reduce overheads, however neglecting proper cleaning and maintenance will only add to the cost of sickness absence during the recession.” And went on to stress the responsibilities managers have to protect employee wellbeing.

While the spread of germs is entirely invisible to the human eye, general clutter and mess isn’t. Half the participants’ polls said they had become conscious of what clients would think of their offices as the result of cleaning and maintenance cuts.

Wassmann also asserted that: ”Legally, employers have a duty of care to provide employees with a safe working place, so the fact that so many people consider their workplace unsafe and their colleagues dangerous is very worrying.”

The studies go to show what some businesses take for granted: a clean and tidy office. Because without it, businesses can suffer in terms of staff health and a loss of credibility from potential and current clients – which are in many ways, absolutely priceless.

Another point that should be highlighted from this study is that despite economic downturns certain services can not be avoid or reduced. Take office cleaning for instance, what would new prospects think if they walk into a messy office with papers all over the place, desks cluttered with dust and all sorts of things. What would you think if you were to hire a service from someone that is not capable of organizing its on work place? Exactly, you wouldn’t right?

Use this article as an reference next time you are thinking in cutting down costs and avoid make the mistakes many make. Some services are essential for the well being of your company and its work place.

In the same way that you can’t help but judge the author of an email littered with spelling and grammatical errors, you invariably judge a company whose employees’ work at desks piled with seemingly random papers.

It all comes back to that age old rule: your first impression counts – mess that up, and you’re facing an uphill battle that could’ve been easily avoidable. Whether we like to acknowledge it, a cluttered, untidy and – worst of all – unhygienic office is likely to scare off new clients. In fact, never mind about new clients, you want your current partners to hold you with high esteem, right? If so, undoubtedly the best way for that to happen is creating a clean, organised environment and sometimes the best way to do that is by hiring a professional office cleaning company.

As a business manager, the key is to shift the company’s attitude to creating clutter. This is significant for two reasons.

First is because the overall efficiency and productivity of a business can increase when employers spend just a minute a day less searching for documents etc. By itself a minute doesn’t sound like much of course, but accumulatively – over the space of weeks, months and years – it can make profound difference to your business’ growth.

Secondly, cleaning gets harder the worse mess becomes. It’s human nature to put off chores like cleaning until tomorrow. Problem is; tomorrow comes and the mess is worse, making tidying up even more of a chore. It’s a vicious (and ultimately messy) cycle!

So how can you sort this? In today’s office cleaning tips we will bring you a wise and environmentally friendly  idea to help you reduce paper clutter in your office. The tidiest offices are generally those that simply have less material clutter to begin with. And how do they manage this? By bringing in a digital filing system…

It’s likely your business already has a network, and that’s a great starting point. Next comes a complete overhaul of the network’s file structure. This will take some time and careful consideration. A general rule-of-thumb is that an effective digital file system – when compartmentalized – reflects exactly how the business is organised and leaves room for future amendment and likely change.

Of course, there will always be a need for hard copies. However, to discourage printing unnecessary hard copies, some organisations have avoided giving each employee their own filing cabinets, and instead, opt for a communal filing station that of course means getting up, walking over and finding the appropriate file.

Although simple, making this change and gathering your troops for a inspiring talk about the reasons behind, is a sure fire way to instal greater productivity and the priceless benefit of your employees and clients enjoying spending time at the office – the value of which barely needs our endorsement!

The main criticism with eco-friendly cleaning services and producs is that it’s a higher expense for something that has the same outcome as traditional cleaning solutions. Overall, it’s easy to wonder if you’re getting bang for that extra buck.

Now, you will see a lot of terms thrown around such as “green” “eco friendly” and “biodegradable” when looking at cleaning products or services. The truth is that companies will grossly exaggerate their green credentials in order to convince you that their products are non-toxic, non-corrosive and non-carcinogenic.

If this is the case, then how do you tell apart the real from the fabricated?

Well, for a start, the Environmental Protection Agency offers an eco-friendly certification called Design for the Environment – which essentially validates any claims to being eco-friendly.

Another way is to look for “Green Seal” certification which, again, will appear on a product’s packaging and identifies the product as fulfilling eco-friendly standards. That said, such certifications are voluntary, meaning that not all products without these certifications are not eco-friendly.

In our experience, super-slick branding and packaging for products that profess to being eco-friendly often turn out to contain ingredients that are chemical-based as opposed to citrus-based solvents, vinegar, natural abrasives and essential oils.

This is mainly down to its parent company responding to the demand without wanting to invest in new product development. We’d suggest that, when all else fails, look for minimal packaging or cleaners that can be refilled from concentrate to cut down on packaging waste – as they often turn out to be the most effective and genuinely eco friendly cleaning solutions.

Now for cleaning companies a way to certify that their cleaning services are eco-friendly is to ask for their green accreditations and for their environmental cleaning policy.

Not only are these natural ingredients equally effective as branded products, most can be found in your kitchen cupboards and are entirely non-toxic. Meaning you can clean every inch of your home safe in the knowledge that you’re doing it in an environmentally friendly manner using ingredients that cost – ounce for ounce – about one-tenth of the price of their commercial counterpart. Making and trying your own toxic-free cleaning equipment takes no time at all with these simple directions.

First off, you’re going to need some essential, basic ingredients – which you can mix-and-match to find the best cleaning solution. They are: baking soda, white distilled vinegar, tea tree oil, washing soda and a good liquid soap or detergent. To mix and apply the solutions you’ll want, ideally, 6 clean spray bottles and 2 glass jars handy.

Now you’re ready to get cleaning – green style! Let’s start with the most straightforward but versatile cleaning solution:

Multi-purpose cleaner

All you need for this is 1/2 teaspoons of washing soda, a dab of liquid soap and 2 cups hot tap water. Then simply combine the ingredients into a spray bottle and shake until the washing soda has dissolved. Apply and wipe off with a sponge or rag. Simples!

Window cleaning

For this one, you’ll need to mix 1/4 teaspoons of liquid detergent, 3 tablespoons of vinegar
and 2 cups of water, again, into a clean spray bottle. Shake it good and use as you would a regular branded product. The soap in this recipe is important, as it cuts the wax residue from the branded products you might have used in the past.

Oven cleaning

The notoriously hard-to-clean feature of every home: the oven can turn into a grimy mess without regular cleaning. To stay on top of this, measure 1 cup (or more) of baking soda, fill a jar of water and prepare have liquid detergent at-the-ready.

Clean by sprinkling water generously over the floor of the oven. Cover the grime with enough baking soda that the surface is virtually turned white. Then sprinkle some more water on top and let the mixture set overnight. The grime will loosen considerably by the next day, allowing you to wipe away the grease. Once you’ve cleaned up the worst of the mess, dab a bit of liquid detergent (or soap) onto a sponge and wash the remaining residue. If this recipe doesn’t work for you, use more baking soda and water next time! Don’t worry, just pile it in.

Mould removing

This spray is a proven winner with removing mould and mildew. It works particularly well on mouldy ceilings and mouldy shower curtains. The key ingredient in this mix is tea tree oil, which can be expensive, but a little goes a very long way. All you have to do is combine 2 teaspoons of tea tree oil and 2 cups water in a spray bottle, shake to blend, and spray on problem areas. And voila, you done.

Now we want to hear from you. Have you got any green cleaning tip that you would to share with us? Please use our comments to share your eco-friendly cleaning tips.

It has been proven for some time that some commercial cleaning products can pose threat to your health. According to scientists and physicians, strong chemical compounds used in cleaning products can cause different dermatological and respiratory problems for people and that’s why people are opting for green cleaning.

Indeed, green cleaning is the ideal form of cleaning which does not involve the use of any chemical based cleaning products and thus has no side affects that could harm the health of people or the environment. As the name suggests, green cleaning is a natural formula for keeping your surroundings clean and fresh. Unlike factory-made, cleaning solutions and detergents, green cleaning is totally free from all kinds of toxic chemicals.

More and more places like hospitals and nursing homes are implementing green cleaning as  the safest cleaning process. The USA and European countries are using green cleaning in commercial areas like offices, markets and shopping centres that witness the presence of large numbers of people with different health conditions on a daily basis. It is also extremely beneficial to cleaning staff who work with cleaning agents on a daily basis.

Another major reason why people have largely accepted green cleaning is the availability and cheap cost of the items; lemon juice, vinegar, baking soda and washing soda are the most effective green cleaning product and are purchased at a much cheaper costs compared to toxic chemical-based solutions and detergents. You can apply these natural ingredients for cleaning anything in the office, home and leisure industry, without  any kind of threat to your health minimise the risk of damage to your belongings.

Although the main Street and much of the town centre remain sealed off by the police businesses and households have begun the massive task of ‘cleaning up after the floods.

Chief superintendent Steve Johnson said:
 
“We’re not letting people in because it would hamper our operations. All residential premises have to be systematically checked. We need to see if there is still anybody inside. Where people chose to stay, we’re seeing if they have everything they need. It takes time. Some of the buildings are old and we need to ensure that they are structurally safe.”

Fears of looting as the flood waters ripped off shop frontages are a major concern for all residence and businesses. However, people were being allowed to return to their homes and businesses to start the mammoth task of cleaning up the sewage and silt.

Duncan Munro, 61, of Banks Court, said the water came in so fast he was un-able to save anything. He said:

“I was frying a sausage, moved my foot and heard the water splashing. Within a few minutes the water was 3ft high. I didn’t have any time to rescue anything. My music collection I have collected over 50 years is gone. The LPs are irreplaceable. I have a wheezy chest with the smell being so bad. Spores are already growing up the walls. I have no power. I have been going to Cockermouth School for food and coffee. I have no insurance and I am unemployed, so I have nothing left. It is very upsetting and dispiriting”

Many people will suffer terribly due to lack of insurance, old age, ill health and resources available. All that is left for now is cleaning up the aftermath of the flood and salvaging as much as possible.

Natural cleaning products are one of the simplest and most economic ways to make a household more eco-friendly. But it is not only on the domestic side that natural cleaning products are becoming popular, professional cleaning companies are also adopting these products.

Cleaning companies are opting for eco-friendly cleaning products for two main reasons. First these products cost less which allows them to cut down costs and second because most of them are willing to make a change and help the environment.

Natural cleaning products derive their ingredients from plants and are biodegradable, as well as phosphate and chlorine free.

Eco-friendly natural cleaning products have been among the main driving forces in the recent growth of the detergents and cleaners market. Unlike most industries which were hit by the global economic crisis, cleaning market actually benefited from it.