Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 15th October 2026 Issue no. 1230
Your industry news - first
The original and best - for over 20 years!
We strongly recommend viewing Cleanzine full size in your web browser. Click our masthead above to visit our website version.
 International News
Products ISSA elects new Board members for 2027
The officers will be: Clean Harbors completes acquisitions of EnviroServe and ES&H
October 20th - Clean Hospitals Day 2026: ‘Empowerment’
Uni affiliate IG BAU signs landmark charter to improve lives of 700,000 cleaners in Germany
Drone technology offers a safer approach to high-level external cleaning
Tennant’s new T1660 Ride-On Scrubber suits essential industrial cleaning across EMEA
Urbanest highlights value of long-term partnership with P-Wave
ABZ Innovation opens one of Europe's largest civilian drone manufacturing facilities
PuroClean's franchise development momentum accelerates thanks to a new generation of entrepreneurs
Clean Pro Expo: a successful debut
|
Welcome to the Cleanzine
My toddler granddaughter's pre-school held a no school uniform day yesterday on the theme of 'superheroes and fairy princesses' - and with yesterday also marking the annual 'Thank Your Cleaner' day, I felt I had the perfect answer to the 'what to dress her in' conundrum and one that would help spread the message. It wouldn't be the first occasion I'd dressed a toddler in my charge as a cleaner; the first was around 30-years ago very shortly after I'd joined the industry. We were spending a long weekend at a caravan park; I'd not been aware that there would be a fancy dress competition and one of my girls wanted to take part. "Oh that'll be easy" I said. "You can go as a cleaner!" I dressed her in a pair of my mother's tights and one of my tops which were both obviously very baggy on someone so small, and fashioned an apron out of a tea-towel. Her hair was wrapped up in a bit of cloth from which a couple of hair rollers protruded (made from cardboard). The obligatory cigarette (also cardboard) was placed between carelessly over-painted lips - which went very well with the heavy eyeshadow - and, wearing her fluffy slippers and armed with a mop & bucket borrowed from goodness knows where, she hit the stage. Naturally, everyone in the hall knew exactly who she was supposed to be, yelling out "Mrs Mop!" when the compere asked her who she was dressed as, and she was too stupefied by the spotlight shining on her, to answer. My goodness I've learned a lot since then and of course the industry's changed a great deal too! Had I got my way yesterday, there would have been a uniform of sorts: a smart, correctly-fitting t-shirt with a (home-made) company logo, a lanyard with photo ID and possibly rubber gloves and different coloured cleaning cloths along with a spray bottle. A tidy hairdo and makeup-free face, along with appropriate footwear, would have completed the look. And had I had more time, I'd have adapted her remote-controlled toy car to make it look like a cleaning robot... Sadly I was overruled and my 'cleaning operative' had to make way for a unicorn princess. I didn't hesitate though in telling the pre-school staff and queueing parents, grandparents and childminders how I'd wanted to dress the little one to mark 'Thank Your Cleaner' day. It was clear from their faces that none of them had heard of it and I noticed a couple of incredulous grins. I very quickly filled them in on the importance of the profession and some of the difficulties faced by those involved in it - along with the need to gratefully thank anyone they come across who's actively involved in cleaning whether indoors or out - and not to forget our hardworking refuse collectors either - not just on Thank Your Cleaner day but every day of the year.
This Week's News
Global Handwashing Day highlights FM's role in hand hygiene
Established by the Global Handwashing Partnership, Global Handwashing Day raises awareness of the importance of handwashing with soap, which is one of the simplest and most effective ways to help prevent diarrheal diseases and respiratory infections.  The Cleaning Show will return to Excel London from 16–18 March 2027, bringing suppliers, buyers and operational leaders together as cleaning teams face rising expectations around hygiene, staffing, sustainability and cost control.
The event will give professionals responsible for cleaning and hygiene the opportunity to compare products in person, test new equipment, hear how other organisations are tackling shared challenges and identify solutions for their own operations. 
"With the advent of AI and new technological advances in all areas of industry, business owners and managers are reviewing how these new technologies can take their company operations to the next level of efficiency. Even if your business is not ready to invest heavily in technology at the moment, there are still several ways you can benefit from it now, but without it impacting on your bottom line. Lucid Bots takes drone cleaning beyond 280ft with new Sherpa HighLine rooftop pulley system
By reducing the hose weight carried by the aircraft, the system is designed to help cleaning businesses reach more properties, take on larger project scopes and work more efficiently at height. Waste & recycling company fined £400,000 after woman crushed
Clearaway Recycling, based at Archers Fields, was sentenced after a 22-year-old site operative was crushed by the moving vehicle while accessing the tipping yard in 2024. She suffered life-threatening injuries when she was trapped between a gate post and the shredder itself. She has been left with life-changing injuries as a result of the incident. New UN-approved Bag-in-Box solutions suit cleaning & hygiene sector
The solutions combine high-quality flexible packaging with the technical knowledge and application support required to assess and develop suitable BiB applications for these markets.  New research reveals hidden pressures behind lone working
That gap between broad sentiment and lived experience becomes clearer when you look at specific risks rather than general feeling. In a survey of 500 UK lone workers, Securitas UK found that more than two in five (43%) respondents said that they had felt threatened while working alone and over a third (36%) had experienced a workplace incident. Despite these figures, almost half (46%) said they receive no lone worker safety training from their employer and 58% believe their employer could be doing more to protect them. Peartree posts 17% growth after securing £5.2m in new business
The result comes against a challenging backdrop for the sector, with increases to the National Living Wage and employer National Insurance contributions putting sustained pressure on labour-intensive businesses. The independently owned, family-run business is also marking 40 years of trading. The Cleanzine Archive Search We keep an extensive archive of news stories and product information that have featured in past issues of The Cleanzine. If you would like to run a search of the The Cleanzine web site using the search tool below please just go ahead by entering in the name of the person, product or company or any other key words that you are looking for. How to contact us at The Cleanzine:
|
 REQUEST THE CLEANZINE HERE The Cleanzine is broadcast
every Thursday. You may receive it FREE each week by
clicking the link above. Hospital Hygiene 
Our weekly updated Hospital Hygiene features current developments and product solutions cleaning and hygiene industry manufacturers are coming up with. Read More. Recent UK News
Controlled chaos or structure and efficiency? Why cleaning businesses need to rethink their admin
Henley's waste problem won't disappear on its own… The town needs a smarter solution!
Ramon Hygiene strengthens quality credentials with ISO 9001 Certification
The Clean Space appointed by Wiggin LLP at New Covent Garden office
Call to action: help shape future skills landscape for England's cleaning & hygiene sector
Kemi Badenoch visits Cleanology to discuss jobs and economic growth
North East waste company’s new fleet will enhance customer service
Cleaner & Greener programme reaches every ward across Caerphilly County Borough
Events & Exhibitions Cleantex Interclean Shanghai CleanEurasia 2026 ISSA Cleaning & hygiene Expo Paper & Tissue Show London 2026 ISSA Show North America WFBSC Global Executive Congress The Cleaning Show The Workplace Event CMS Asia |
You can also follow us on X (Twitter) 
