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Study: Bulk Soap Harbors Bacteria

Cleaning is Only Defense Against Bacteria

USGBC Names Top 10 List‚ of Green Building Bills

CRI Expands Seal of Approval Program

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Of Note...

Green Cleaning Highlighted At Industry’s First Virtual Trade Show
Housekeeping Solutions, along with its sister publications Contracting Profits and Sanitary Maintenance, will host the CleaningGreen Virtual Expo & Conference on May 11, 2010. The free, live online event will provide in-house service providers, facility executives, jan/san distributors and building service contractors with access to industry experts and suppliers that focus on green cleaning in the commercial cleaning market — without having to leave their office

Like a brick-and-mortar event, speakers and exhibitors will inform, interact and network with attendees. However, unlike a traditional trade show, the interaction is conducted via Webcasts, scheduled group chats and message boards.

The CleaningGreen Expo & Conference's exhibit hall will feature virtual booths of green cleaning manufacturers who can engage with attendees using live, online chat for private conversations. At the booths, attendees can also view demonstrations of the newest products and access additional product information.

Throughout the day, five education sessions will be held covering current, critical green issues. Topics include sustainability, green cleaning legislation, new product certifications, green attributes of day cleaning, and the partnership between end users and their distributors when creating green programs.

The show also features a resource library where attendees can download case studies, articles and other important information. The lounge area will allow attendees to network and share information with various members of the jan/san industry.

Registration will open in mid-April and following the live event on May 11, the show will be archived on www.cleanlink.com.

Ask Your Peers...

Do Hand Sanitizers Kill The Flu Virus and what is better Soap or Sanitizer?

• There are non-alcohol hand sanitizers that have efficacy data that kill the flu virus.   Even the CDC has admitted that some non-alcohol hand sanitizers have been found effective.  One manufacturer of non-alcohol hand sanitizers even tested their product with specific efficacy data against H1N1 last summer. 
  —JanSanMan
  
  
• ...The FDA has VERY strict guidelines and regulations on the type of efficacy claims that manufacturers can make. It is VERY difficult to get approval for a kill claim on a virus and is actually illegal to make those claims if you don't have FDA approval. While many sanitizers may be effective against some viruses (including H1N1), companies are not allowed to market their product as such without the FDA approval....Now, regarding alcohol vs non-alcohol. The reason that so many non-alcohol alternatives popped up last summer was because of the unprecedented demand worldwide for alcohol based hand rubs. The swine flu caused a mass panic more or less and the demand for sanitizers sky rocketed to levels we never would have imagined. For several months there was a large shortage and huge backorders on alcohol products, so several companies started making non-alcohol. To be completely accurate, the CDC has NOT come out and said that non-alcohol sanitizers are effective....
  —David Jolicoeur
  
  
• When I did research on this topic on the CDC website specific to Novel H1N1, this is what I found:"What if soap and water are not available and alcohol-based products are not allowed in my facility? Though the scientific evidence is not as extensive as that on hand washing and alcohol-based sanitizers, other hand sanitizers that do not contain alcohol may be useful for killing flu germs on hands."
  The CDC is usually behind in technology so the words "scientific evidence is not as extensive" means to me that the CDC just may not be on the cutting edge in our industry (again).   The major non-alcohol skin care companies have been working with independent labs and getting kill rates for their efficacy data....
  —JanSanMan

Click here for the full listing of responses or to join in on the discussion.

Editors Note

Green Is Here To Stay
Years ago, surveys of our readers revealed that they knew about the green movement, but weren't really going to change their programs to implement it. It is amazing how things change in just a few short years. Since that time, huge conglomerates have embraced green cleaning for both its financial and health benefits.

Last months cover story featuring Walmart is a perfect example. Like it or not, what Walmart does and doesn't do has an impact on other facilities. And not only are they going green and pushing for sustainability — in a big way — by they are requiring that their suppliers do the same. They are forcing manufacturers to follow suit, or forgo shelf space within the retail giant.

Then the government has pushed the green initiative one step further by implementing legislation requiring green cleaning in various states. In our April cover story, we will touch base with schools that have been required to clean green following governmental legislation. We'll also cover the potential spread of such legislation to other states throughout the country.

Let us know how the green and sustainable movement has impacted your facility and the overall cleaning mission.