green cleaning – Singing about Cooking

Resources for the Home Cleaning Mixologist

Posted on May 8, 2014July 16, 2016 by singingaboutcooking

If you’re selling your services on “homemade” cleaning products, make sure you’re doing it legally and with tested scientific information.

Making the decision to branch out of purchasing available and regulation-approved cleaning products for your business may seem simple, but can be more complicated than it’s worth, if you intend to comply with current regulation of products used in the delivery of a professional service.

Your first call should be to your business liability insurance provider to discuss what additional insurance you would need to move into the consumer products arena. You may learn that the financial and reputational burdens may not be worth the risk.

If you are willing to tak the steps your insurance provider requires, you’ll want to begin with The American Cleaning Institute’s “Some Facts about Mix-At-Home Cleaners” before moving on to the EPA’s guidelines for developing, testing, and registering a potential hazardous product.

Assuming you mean to begin by using your homemade or mix-at-home product in your professional cleaning business, the applied product must have a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) that meets OSHA standards. ISSA offers an excellent outline of the many ways cleaning products are regulated, including restrictions related to homemade products.

If you’re adding even one “innocent” ingredient to an existing product, then you are changing the chemical formulation and must have your new product tested and verified with an SDS. The EPA DfE Standard for Safer Products details the regulations and even the allowed and prohibited classes of additives before additional safety steps must be taken to protect and inform the consumer – your clients.

If you’re claiming that your homemade product sanitizes or disinfects, then you must also send your product fortesting and validation by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Current green/natural disinfecting agents regulated by the EPA include peroxide and thymol; currently, no formulation of vinegar (acetic acid) or table/sea salt can be verified as disinfectants in home or institutional use.

If you’re considering offering your product for sale to your clients, you must also secure a Certificate of General Conformity from the Consumer Products Safety Commission.

And if you’re determined to follow all of these steps to validate a safe and effective product for your clients, you may also want to use these resources to confirm that the ingredients you’re using really are safe, and not just based on “everyone knows” myths.

CleanIngredients.org – an EPA-supported database of ingredient information intended to empower the development of safer products.

Guide to Healthy Cleaning – an EWG database of consumer and commercial-grade cleaning products intended to improve the quality of information available to consumers and businesses in making safer choices.

Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI) – an independent research organization dedicated to supporting the reduction of toxic chemicals used in a variety of industries; scientific reports available.
When you choose to provide a service or product to consumers who trust you, you assume the responsibility of double, triple, and quadruple checking your sources – all the way back to the original scientific study that proves the old wive’s tales and cleaning mythologies beyond a shadow of a doubt. Your very business may depend on it.

Originally published May 8, 2014 at CleaningBusinessToday.com.

Business Articles, Housekeeping

There’s no such thing as a “green” disinfectant, says the EPA

Posted on October 15, 2013August 10, 2016 by singingaboutcooking

There’s no such thing as a “green” disinfectant, according to the EPA. Disinfectants are designed to kill and so do not meet “green” expectations.

Except for the EPA-established TANCS system used exclusively in the Advanced Vapor Technologies Ladybug…the only EPA-recognized disinfection device to date and which meets both the EPA standards for disinfection AND all green expectations! The TANCS system is the ONLY device that the EPA has validated as a disinfection device!

Even more important from this article: the EPA will not accept green-certified products for registration as disinfectants, nor will the EPA allow green certifications of products to endorse product claims about disinfection.

Lesson: there’s a HUGE difference in being an EPA-registered disinfectant and “meeting EPA standards for disinfection.” Make sure your company’s marketing claims don’t overstep their bounds!

The following appeared in various research studies and reports through May 2011, as reported at CleanLink:

Disinfectants are designed to kill, hence, they are not considered “green.” Disinfectants, however, are necessary in specific applications, such as an operating room. This is where product usage and facility priorities come into play. The BSC needs to work with the facility to identify what kill claims are necessary and determine what types of products carry those claims. From there, the BSC can try to find the “greenest” product.

The “greenest” option may include a neutral pH (safer for the worker than something highly alkaline), low or no VOC (improves the indoor air quality for building occupants), or no phosphates (that can be harmful to aquatic life).

BSCs should also consider the intended product use. Infection control through disinfectant use is important in high contact areas (door handles, faucets, etc.). Low contact areas, like floors, may be better served with a good cleaner. The BSC should be willing to discuss these alternative cleaning options, as well as alternative chemical options, with the facilities they service.
— Rebecca S. Kaufold, chemist, Spartan Chemical Co., Inc., Maumee, Ohio.
Even though in the United States there are currently no green certified disinfectants (as not allowed by EPA), BSCs should review and compare the following attributes in disinfectants and advise their customers of that fact and why they are using a particular disinfectant.

First, look for disinfectants that do not contain Nonylphenol Ethoxylates (NPEs) or octylphenol polyethoxylates (OPEs) and have a pH value close to 7. Second, compare level of detergency (cleaning ability and more is better). Third, look at the parts per million (PPM); the higher the better. Fourth, look to ensure the disinfectant has any required kill claim. For example, if the customer is concerned about swine flu (H1N1), ensure that specific kill claim is on the label. Lastly, look for a disinfectant with very broad kill claims.

More importantly, advise the customer that you will not be overusing disinfectants (just because they are usually less expensive than a quality cleaner), and when you do use them, it will be with proper procedures — pre-clean, apply disinfectant, allow required dwell/wet time, rinse or wipe dry as per label instructions.
— Mike Sawchuk, vice president, Enviro-Solutions/Charlotte Products, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.

The US EPA office responsible for registrations is not allowing certification of disinfectants or sanitizers by organizations such as Green Seal or EcoLogo. Similarly, they are not letting companies claim their disinfectants are “green” or “environmentally preferable.” The reasons are complicated and are based in the Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). The bottom line is companies can’t claim their products are green due to FIFRA.

BSCs should use the right product based on their needs. Killing bacteria, viruses, and mold is an important part of a sustainable cleaning service. Work with your supplier to get the right product for the job.
— Dan Daggett, Ph.D., manager, Corporate Sustainability, Diversey Inc., Sturtevant, Wis.
Interestingly enough, a recent article published by Infection Control Today, indicates the mechanical removal of germs was more important than the chemical or actual disinfectant, when cleaning hard surfaces. Even when disinfectant and/or sanitizing products are used, the proper dwell time isn’t allowed. Nothing can replace a good general cleaning program and choosing safer cleaning products with low VOC’s with a minimal to no impact to the user and environment is the best solution.
— Brent Crawford, president, Core Products Co., Canton, Texas.

Originally published October 15, 2013 at CleaningBusinessToday.com.

Business Articles, Housekeeping

And the Toxie Goes To…

Posted on August 19, 2013August 10, 2016 by singingaboutcooking

Physicians Battle Toxic Cleaning Chemicals with a Hollywood Twist

For four years now, Californians for a Healthy Green Economy (CHANGE) and Physicians for Social Responsibility – Los Angeles (PSR-LA) have grown their multi-media campaign “The Toxies” to educate consumers about the hidden yet pervasive toxic chemicals that surround us every day at work, in the home, and outdoors. By putting an awards-show, red-carpet glamor on the annual awards event, the campaign gains both on-site public attention as well as a larger reach online to both the professional industries and the consumer.

Each year, at least one Toxie winner – often more – have come from the cleaning world, and the 2013 awards was no exception. Three rise to the top as major offenders among the various segments of the cleaning industry:

Yellow Soap – a powerful degreaser found most commonly in car wash operations, Yellow Soap is blamed for causing inhalation and contact-based chronic illnesses among professionals using the product.

Because Yellow Soap is not required to follow the US Hazard Communications standards – that is, Yellow Soap has no MSDSheet – the cleaning industry is having a difficult time identifying the specific toxins in the product. Worse yet, Yellow Soap is omitted from the currently Safe Chemicals Act under consideration by Congress, which means neither professionals nor consumers will be protected from it. Read more about Yellow Soap.

BPA – while the potential for damage by BPA to the reproductive system is increasing as common knowledge, the continued pervasiveness of BPA still catches many off guard. Many manufacturers have switched to BPA-free containers for their chemicals, but often equipment manufacturers don’t have that luxury.

BPA remains a common ingredient in many of the large containers, plastic handles, hand-held tools, and mechanical equipment used in the cleaning process. Read more about BPA that will surprise you.

Flame Retardants – Certainly our fire restoration specialists will be quite familiar with the dangers of flame retardants in their segment of the cleaning industry, but all segments that come into contact with fabric-based and upholstered furniture, draperies, and pre-fab furniture. Why? Because nearly all of it has been treated with flame retardant chemicals.

While adding a toxin may make it less likely that these items will contribute to a fire, that same flame retardant toxin is a regular hazard to the cleaning technicians and upholstery specialists charged with keeping those items maintained. Read more about the hidden dangers of Flame Retardants.

Other Toxie “winners” include several classic contaminants like Lead and Mercury as well as some emerging stars like the Fracking Chemical Coctail and the new pesticide Chloropicrin.

Click here to watch all of the 2013 Toxies Webisodes.

Originally published August 19, 2013 at CleaningBusinessToday.com.

Being Healthy, Content Marketing, Housekeeping

First Attempt at Comprehensive Database of Household Cleaning Products

Posted on June 10, 2013August 10, 2016 by singingaboutcooking

The Environmental Working Group has been teasing us for about six months about their new Guide to Healthy Cleaning. EWG scientists have examined in the laboratory and rated for safety over 2000 household cleaning products, from laundry detergent to bathroom cleaner to air freshener. And, yes, some of these include the professional products used by the elite cleaning companies around the country.

So how does this new guide and database add value to the professional cleaning industry?

VALIDATION: Many in the cleaning industry have been citing medical and chemical studies that suggest the effect of cleaning products on the increased frequency and severity of many mutagenic diseases such as cancer and reproductive disabilities.

CONSUMER AWARENESS: The more a consumer feels he/she has control over purchasing and lifestyle decisions, the better decisions that consumer can make. One of those “better” decisions is to trust and employ the cleaning company who’s been saying this all along!

CHEMICAL FREE CLEANING: We’ve been advancing the study of safety and efficacy of many cleaning products and equipment toward the development of Chemical Free Cleaning…where no one would need a database like this because the only ingredient is tap water!

REFERENCES: When you search for a specific product or product line, not only do you get EWG’s safety ratings; you’ll also see a list of the ingredients and the various regulatory and/or scientific sources that list their effect on humans. These range from surface irritation to reproductive interruptions to known cancer effects.

CAVEAT: Just because the data revealed through the guide came largely from the science laboratory doesn’t mean that the recommendations come from cleaning professionals. We’ve already spotted a few recommendations that do more to advance home cleaning myths than scientifically validated cleaning or disinfecting methodologies. Here are two reminders just about vinegar…or maybe some new information for those who haven’t yet taken the IICRC House Cleaning Technician Certification class:

Vinegar doesn’t clean or disinfect: vinegar’s use in the cleaning procedure was born of the need to rinse clean the residue left from an alkaline cleaning solution, which is more commonly needed than an acidic cleanser. Vinegar’s acidity neutralized and rinsed clean the residue, leaving a nice, clear shine. Thus was born the legend of the vinegar cleaner.

Vinegar as a disinfectant is based on scientific supposition, not any actual disinfection studies; to be a preservative, vinegar must have some positive effect on keeping bacteria at bay, but as yet, no studies have shown that it actually sanitizes or disinfects to the level of making your counter safe from chicken juice bacteria.

Originally published June 10, 2013 at CleaningBusinessToday.com.

Being Healthy, Business Articles, Content Marketing, Housekeeping

Profile of the Ideal Chemical Free Cleaner

Posted on June 10, 2013August 10, 2016 by singingaboutcooking

Scientists and health professional still seeking the “perfect” disinfectant.

The healthcare profession has long held a reasonably common set of criteria for the ideal disinfectant:

be fast acting, even in the presence of organic substances, such as those in body fluid (resistant to inactivation)
be effective against all types of infectious agents without destroying tissues or acting as a poison if ingested (broadly active)
easily penetrate material to be disinfected without damaging or discoloring the material (not poisonous or otherwise harmful)
be easy to prepare and stable even when exposed to light, heat, or other environmental factors (penetrating; not damaging to non-living materials)
be inexpensive and easy to obtain and use (stable; easily prepared)
not have an unpleasant odor (not unpleasant to work with)

(quoted from the lecture outline of Stephen T. Abedon [Ph.D., Microbiology] of Ohio State University for Microbiology 509)

Veterinarian Dr. Shawn E. Seitz agrees in his 2012 white paper “The Ideal Disinfectant,” citing the same six plus a few more (highlighted) to consider:

Neutral pH (preferably 6.5 – 7.5)
Excellent cleaning ability
1:64 concentrate (2 oz per gallon of water)
Cost effective
One-step functionality
Facility sparing – compatible with the composition of the surfaces you are cleaning
Hard water compatible
Ability to function in an organic load
Environmentally friendly – specifically friendly to the indoor environment and the air we breath
Safe – specifically safe in the face of accidental ingestion, inhalation, or absorption through skin
Ease of use
Pleasant fragrance
Spectrum of activity

The common thread – scientists, specifically health scientists, have developed a pretty clear goal that the evolution of cleaning and disinfecting products should keep in front of them. That’s why when Modern Cleaning began researching and testing products claiming to achieve cleaning and disinfection without chemicals, we developed this profile of the Ideal Chemical Free Cleaner:

Cleans as effectively as a well-tested and proven traditional cleaners using chemical detergents, surfactants, and/or disinfectants
Poses minimal risk to humans, indoor pets, and the indoor and outdoor environments
Has a small (or smaller) carbon footprint (from manufacturing through disposal)
Rinses clean, leaving no residue
Quickly reverts to inert elements
Manufactured on site (at the cleaning event)

Despite the continual evolution of products and equipment that come closer and closer to meeting these ideals, to date “the ideal disinfectant doesn’t actually exist because the extremes of safety and efficacy are often at odds with one another in usage applications and during product development,” according to Dr. Seitz. What we know about particularly the manufacturing and shipping impacts on product development and what we know about the effects of the disposal process on our outdoor environment is largely speculative, as few have made such scientific inquiry a priority.

What we can test and measure is the influence of reduced chemicals on how clean the products and tools can leave the indoor environment and how much “less dirty” that same environment becomes from week to week when a chemical free cleaning procedure is used.

Originally published June 10, 2013 at CleaningBusinessToday.com.