Oxygen Cleaners: City Learns Hydrogen Peroxide Lessons From Its Schools

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Sometimes big changes start out small. Just ask Lou DiMauro, custodial manager for the Middletown Public Schools in Middletown, Conn. In September of 2004, he spearheaded the district's pilot program for green cleaning which relied upon hydrogen peroxide-based H2Orange2 Concentrate 117 as the primary cleaning product.

H2Orange2 117 was chosen for the pilot for several reasons. First, the product is a favorite in educational environments due to its preferred hydrogen peroxide formulation and ease of use. Second, it combines powerful cleaning abilities with EPA registration as a sanitizer and virucide. Lastly, it is safe to use on any water-safe surface, so it cleans everything from whiteboard to desktops to carpets without any concerns of staining, dulling, or scratching.

Because the cleaning formulation is so versatile, the district was able to cut back on the number of cleaning products they were using and simplify the custodians’ closets. The pilot was conducted in two schools and was so successful the entire school district converted to the new system by the following year.

Good for Schools, Good for Police
The school district's success story was soon shared across other city departments, reaching the ears of Lou Carta, the OSHA enforcement officer for the City of Middletown.

“I was impressed by the Board of Education results,” points out Carta. “Then, when I heard H2Orange2 117’s EPA registration included Hepatitis B, I saw a way to replace bleach, particularly in the Police and Fire Departments. We were using bleach to clean-up incidents that involved blood and the possibility of blood borne pathogens, but it was staining uniforms and fabric.”

H2Orange2 117 is a Multi-Purpose Cleaner-Sanitizer-Virucide-HBV. It not only cleans, but it also destroys 99.99 percent of common bacteria, such as salmonella, staph, strep and E-coli. It also kills 99.9 percent of specified viruses, including Herpes 2, Influenza A2/Japan, HIV-1 and Hepatitis B.

“Another concern I had with bleach was once it was opened, it had a shorter shelf life and lost its potency after opening,” points out Carta. “Even closed, bleach has a limited shelf life.” H2Orange2 117 has a shelf life of years in its concentrate form and months when diluted with water.

A Bottle in Every Cruiser
An officer never knows when there will be a situation involving body fluids either on patrol, in the holding area, or in a squad car.

“H2Orange2 is the only product used throughout the building,” says Bill Huff, building superintendent at the Middletown Police Department. “And that includes the jail cells, as well.”

According to Huff, each police cruiser in the city of Middletown carries a bottle of H2Orange2 117 for immediate clean-up of the car, a uniform, or a public location. Since there's no threat of staining or damaging surfaces, officers freely use H2Orange2 117 on cruiser seats, sideboards, dashboard, uniforms and shoes.

Citywide Acceptance
Following on the heels of the school district and the Police and Fire departments, other municipal buildings adopted the use of H2Orange2 117. Today, it's used in all five fire stations, the police department, the municipal building, the library, and at park and recreation facilities.