Technical Library

The Problem with Bleach

Many people believe bleach is an effective cleaning product and kills germs. While bleach is effective at killing germs, it is often used incorrectly. Bleach is rapidly inactivated by soils and hard water requiring that surfaces be pre-cleaned followed by disinfecting with bleach. A better and safer way is to use a 1-step disinfectant-cleaner that can clean and disinfect in a single step.

High Touch

Illness related absenteeism in schools and businesses cost Billions of dollars each year. The spread of contagious illnesses caused by the Influenza virus, norovirus and other germs can be reduced with more intensive cleaning methods. Adding a high touch surface cleaning and disinfecting program to a regular sanitation regimen can play an important role in reducing illness related absenteeism. This Technical Bulletin goes through the steps of developing a high touch cleaning program in schools, fitness facilities, food service operations, businesses and other public places.

Safely Clean Up Blood & Body Fluid

Accidents involving the spilling of blood, vomit, feces, urine and other bodily fluid spills are more than an inconvenient mess. In a home, school, or workplace, cleaning blood, cleaning vomit, cleaning feces and other bodily fluid spills may pose health risks if the spill is contaminated with infectious agents. Improper clean up can leave stains and lingering odors. This Technical Bulletin outlines safe and effective procedures for hard surfaces and carpet cleaning in non-healthcare facilities. More information

Measuring Clean Using ATP Meter

There are new methods that allow to test surfaces for cleanliness. An ATP meter is a device that can measure the presence of a substance called Adenosine Tri-Phosphate. This moleculeis present in all living cells. For this reason, a measurement of ATP correlates to a measurement surface cleanliness. ISSA has recently introduced a cleanliness standard for school called the K12 Clean Standard which uses ATP measurement as a basis for evaluating cleanliness. This technical bulletin shows how ATP meters work to measure cleanliness of surfaces. More information

Norovirus Outbreaks

Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that can infect anyone. Norovirus causes the stomach and intestines to become inflamed, which leads to stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. These symptoms can be more serious for those who are more vulnerable, such as children and the elderly. Norovirus is spread by those who are infected, as well as contaminated food and water or contaminated surfaces. Norovirus is often called stomach flu or food poisoning. More information

To Disinfect or Not Disinfect

Which Surfaces Should Be Disinfected?

With the heightened awareness of infectious disease, the use of disinfecting products is increasing. Often, the approach is to disinfect surfaces from floor to ceiling. This approach does little to prevent the spread of illness. By definition, disinfectants kill bacteria, making them a toxic pesticide. A better strategy is to limit the use disinfectants only to where they are truly needed. This Technical Bulletin discusses High Touch Surface Disinfecting and how to develop an effective Infection Control Plan.

Cleaning Up After the Flood

Flooding often causes serious damage to buildings and their contents. Weather related flooding is common, but another common type of flooding is related to broken pipes, overflowing toilets, or sewer back-ups. Taking quick action can often allow the salvage of materials that might otherwise have to be discarded. This Technical Bulletin provides guidance on what to do and how to do it to minimize damage.

How to handle bed bug infestations

There have been a lot of new stories citing the re-emergence of bed bugs. These critters aren’t exclusive to the bed, the mattress or the linens, but as their name suggests: it’s where they are most comfortable... and the most irritable. The Cimexlectularius (the notorious ‘bed bug’) is an insect that feeds on the blood of warm-blooded animals. This Technical Bulletin provides guidance on how to deal with bed bug infestations and how to kill bed bugs. More information

Burnishing Technical Bulletin

Burnishing or high speed buffing is often part of a floor care program that is used to maintain the highest shine on floors. To produce the best results with burnishing, one must understand the relationship between the equipment, the buffing pads, and the floor finish. This Technical Bulletin will guide you to optimizing the results in order to produce spectacular looking floors. More information

How to maintain true linoleum floors

True linoleum floors are making a comeback as a choice for commercial flooring, as this type of flooring is made from sustainable raw materials. Brand names such as Marmoleum® made by Forbo and Marmorette™ by Armstrong are two popular brands of true linoleum. However, certain maintenance products can damage linoleum, including caustic floor finish strippers. This Technical Bulletin outlines Multi-Clean recommended procedures and products to maintain true linoleum floors. More information

GHS Hazards

GHS is a system used to: define health, physical, and environmental hazards of chemicals, classify these chemicals according to defined hazard criteria, and communicate hazard information in a clear and uniform manner. More information

Black Tire marks

Black tire marks can become deeply embedded in concrete floors. The marks are difficult to remove and become unsightly as they accumulate. Regular floor cleaning products and industrial degreasers are not enough to remove these marks. This technical bulletin offers a simple step by step approach to remove deeply embedded black tire marks using Multi-Clean Mastery dL. Cleaning equipment that can make the process more efficient includes automatic scrubbers, pressure washers, floor buffers, and wet dry vacuums. More information

Safely Maintain Asbestos Flooring

Did you know that most commercial vinyl floor tiles installed before 1980 most likely contain asbestos. If you have asbestos floor tile, it doesn’t necessarily have to be removed. It does however need to be maintained to limit possible exposure to airborne asbestos. This Technical Bulletin offers guidance on recommended best practices for maintaining asbestos tile floors. More information

Restoring Grouted Tile to Like New

Grouted tile looks great when it’s new. But overtime, the porous grout can become stained and embedded. Cleaning tile grout that is seemly impossible to get clean requires a restoration process using specific types of cleaning products. This process is a 2 step process that first removes embedded dirt, followed by removing stains and restoring grout color. This Technical Bulletin walks through the steps to get grouted tile clean and keep it clean. Watch Video

Anatomy of a Dilution Control System

Cleaning Chemical Dilution Control Systems are gaining further popularity as commercial customers look for ways to save money, reduce waste, and embrace green cleaning. Dilution systems can dispense bathroom cleaning products, floor cleaning products, carpet cleaning products, industrial degreasers, and much more. No longer for the big users, new systems are being designed to bring savings to smaller users. This White Paper takes a look at the technology available from a variety of manufacturers. More information Watch Video

Selecting the Right Degreaser

When it comes to industrial cleaning supplies, a degreaser often describes a heavy duty product designed to remove oils and grease. But degreasers have different applications and selecting the right product to do the job is necessary. An industrial degreaser designed for use in a pressure washer or automatic floor scrubber might be different than a product designed for use in the food and beverage industry. This Technical Bulletin describes how to match the correct degreaser to the application.

What's in My Cleaning Product

There is a wide array of products on the market classified as cleaning products. Examples include glass cleaners, hardwood floor cleaners, bathroom cleaning products, and floor cleaning products. All of these products have certain properties that aid in the removal of dirt and soils from surfaces. This document takes a look at how cleaning products work and the common chemicals contained in cleaning products. Then we discuss the impact of these chemicals on human health and the environment.

The Power of pH

You may have heard how the pH of a cleaning product can help you determine the best cleaner for a job. Whether it is carpet stain removal, cleaning hard water deposits, or heavy duty degreasing, a little knowledge about pH can make cleaning jobs a lot easier. More information

Removing Ice Melter Residue

A common frustration of building cleaning services is the removal of whitish residue on carpets and hard floors when ice melt gets tracked inside a building. This tracked in residue is not easily removed with regular carpet cleaning products or neutral floor cleaners. A special type of cleaner is needed to attack and remove the ice melter residue. This Technical Bulletin outlines the process for cleaning ice melter stains. More information

When is a Green Product NOT Green?

More companies are promoting green cleaning products as consumers are demanding more non-toxic cleaning products. When it comes to commercial and industrial cleaning supplies, some green products are really not green at all when you look at the big picture. This Technical Bulletin examines various products that are touted as green, but may not be green at all. It also provides guidance on criteria that defines a truly green product.

Cleaning with Hydrogen Peroxide

Hydrogen Peroxides uses are many, one area where it is particularly effective is in fortifying cleaning products. Hydrogen peroxide is sometimes referred to as oxygen bleach, or color safe bleach. Hydrogen peroxide is an effective odor eliminator and is widely used in Green Cleaning Products because it breaks down to oxygen and water. This Technical Bulletin explores the many uses of cleaning products that contain hydrogen peroxide.

LEED the Way to Green

This White Paper is titled LEED the Way to Green and helps readers understand the LEED-EB green building rating system and the associated green cleaning requirements of the standard. Whether or not your facility is pursuing LEED-EB certification, understanding of the LEED-EB standard offers an excellent blueprint for any facility that wants to adopt sustainability practices. Watch Video

Healthy Schools = Healthy Minds

Illness related absenteeism and nearly epidemic rates of asthma amongst school age children is creating a clear call to action to improve the indoor physical condition of public and private schools. To create a healthier and more productive environment for students, teachers, and staff, we identify 4 broad areas for which schools can develop successful strategies to reduce the spread of illness and improve indoor air quality. This White Paper offers guidance and additional resources to improve the indoor environment of our schools. Watch Video

Keeping Kids Healthy in Flu Season

With 60 million lost school days each year due to the cold and flu, schools have to start looking at how to prevent the spread of these illnesses. This technical bulletin outlines 4 steps school administrators can take to reduce the spread of cold and flu. More information Watch Video

Cleaning Healthcare Facilities

Learn the latest about how green cleaning can help hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities create a healthy environment for patients. Addresses the most common HAI (Healthcare Acquired Infections) and references current approaches for control and reduction.

Greening Our Schools

In an era of tight budgets, there may be thoughts of placing green cleaning on the back burner. The reality is that going green should not cost more, and over the long run will cost less. The purpose of this White Paper is to provide the knowledge on how any school can go green while staying on budget.

Do Green Floor Strippers Really Work

Although green cleaning products have been embraced by the market, floor care products making the green claim have been greeted with skepticism. This Technical Bulletin describes how green floor strippers work and why they can be just as effective as the non-green counterparts.

Removing Urine Odor from Carpet

Carpet Stains from coffee, sodas, sports drinks and other beverages are a common occurrence.  Getting coffee stains out of carpet requires a type of stain remover that is effective on tannin based stains.  Stains in carpet from soda and sports drinks are often best removed with a stain remover containing hydrogen peroxide.  Red wine stains and grape juice usually require a peroxide based cleaner plus heat.  The Technical Bulletin offers guidance on removing all types of beverage stains from carpet.   More information

Wicking: Preventing Carpet Stains from Coming Back

A carpet stain that is effectively removed can sometimes return days or even weeks later.  When stains reappear after the carpet is dry, it is often due to a phenomenon called “wicking”.  This technical bulletin explains what conditions cause wicking and how to prevent it from occurring after removing carpet stains.  More information

Low Moisture Carpet Cleaning

The newest innovation in low moisture carpet cleaning is called encapsulation cleaning. This technical bulletin explains the carpet encapsulation cleaning process, the products and the equipment used to produce superior results. The encapsulation process results in clean carpets that are dry and ready for traffic in about 1 hour. Unlike bonnet cleaning, the encapsulation process removes soil and leaves no detergent residue.

How to Eliminate Urine Odors

Professional cleaners are sometimes confronted with persistent foul odors that are not removed during the normal cleaning process.  One such foul odor is urine smell that lingers after cleaning is completed.  This Technical Bulletin describes why urine smells and discusses methods on how to remove the urine stink that can permeate bathrooms, locker rooms,  mattresses, carpeting, grouted tile floors and other surfaces.

Secrets of Carpet Cleaning Success

The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) recommends five essential ingredients for an effective carpet care program. Regular carpet stain removal and cleaning carpet, is only part of the equation. Utilizing walk off mats, regular vacuuming and quickly removing carpet stains are also important preventive strategies. This Technical Bulletin explains the 5 ingredients and how you can put them together into a cost effective carpet care maintenance program. More information Watch Video

Removing Urine Odor from Carpet

Urine odors that emanate from carpeted flooring can be a result of a pet or human accident.  The urine smell is often hard to eliminate because the urine penetrates into carpet fibers, padding and even the subfloor.  This Technical Bulletin describes products and detailed methods on how to remove the urine stink from carpets through the use of bio enzyme cleaners. More information Watch Video