Green Cleaning: Look, No Gloves!

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Distributors can run into just about every kind of cleaning request imaginable. Sometimes these requests sound a little far-fetched, but usually there is a genuine reason for them.

For instance, the maintenance crew for Mercer County, Pa., was looking for a stripper that did not require them to wear gloves. This was not a simple request, as most strippers are powerful chemicals and are covered with warning labels advising users to "avoid contact with skin and eyes." Serious burns can and have occurred, as well as scores of eye injuries.

Steve Grimes with Four U Packaging, Celina, Ohio, the county's jan/san distributor, knew that only a green stripper might meet the customer's requirement. However, although most environmentally preferable cleaning chemicals perform as well as, if not better than, conventional cleaning products, green floor-care products have lagged behind.

"Floor care products are more complicated than other cleaning products," says Grimes. "It has taken longer to develop effective alternatives."

However, he knew one green stripper that worked exceptionally well, and he believed it was safe enough that the county's custodians would not have to wear gloves.

The product? ES 90 from Enviro-Solutions.

ES 90, Green-certified by both EcoLogo and GreenSeal®, is a fast-acting, concentrated stripper that is also economical to use. Mix just 1 part ES 90 to as much as 24 parts water for light-duty work and 1 part ES 90 to 13 parts water for heavy-duty stripping.

Grimes had the county custodians test a gallon of ES 90 to see if it was effective and safe enough to use without gloves.

"ES 90 fit the bill," he says, "and the very next day they ordered four cases. Safe, effective, and green — just what they wanted."