*Cleanzine-logo-10a.jpgCleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 29th October 2015 Issue no. 697

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International News
Products

2015 American Cleaning Institute Sustainability Report features first-ever 'Critical Issue' assessment for cleaning products industry

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The American Cleaning Institute's 2015 Sustainability Report showcases the cleaning products industry's progress toward sustainable development and unveils ACI's first-ever industry 'materiality assessment', which maps the critical risks and opportunities facing its value chain.
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Hefter and Denis Rawlins team up to promote innovative scrubber-dryers across UK

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Cleaning contractors and facilities managers looking to exploit innovative floor cleaning technology are the target for a new alliance between the UK's Denis Rawlins and Germany's Hefter Cleantech, which manufactures scrubber-dryers.
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Steam clean the streets with Matrix

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Chewing gum is a huge problem - not just for local authorities, but for commercial property owners, transport companies and property management companies who are responsible for the cleanliness and upkeep of buildings, streets or commercial transport.
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Georgia-Pacific Professional unveils new innovations under new GP Pro brand name

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Georgia-Pacific Professional has, this week, introduced its new brand name - GP Pro - which, it says, "represents a multi-year strategy to aggressively invigorate GP Pro's innovation pipeline and an elevated customer focus on product portfolio".
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Bunzl to acquire Planet Clean Canada

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Planet Clean Canada, which is based in Vancouver, British Colombia and operates throughout Western Canada, is to be acquired by Bunzl.
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Bosch is launching full range of heavy duty tools for grounds maintenance crews

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Bosch Professional will be unveiling what it says is a groundbreaking range of heavy duty, battery-powered additions to its Professional garden portfolio at the Saltex exhibition (4th and 5th November at the NEC, Birmingham).
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ISSA names first franchise member

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Building maintenance company City Wide Franchise, has announced that it is the first franchise member of the ISSA. Through a special membership package, the company can now offer its franchise partners the opportunity to join the ISSA at a significantly discounted rate.
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Cleaning gadget beats bacteria on shopping trolley handles

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A 2011 study by the University of Arizona, found that 73% of shopping trolleys tested positive for faecal bacteria and 50% for E.coli.

The handles are clearly a hotbed of germs, but now, an easy-to-use cleaning device that helps keep the handles of supermarket trollies free from bacteria is being trialled in leading supermarkets in the Middle East.
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Ausclean Pulire: three days of professional development start 19th October

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International speakers from the USA, Europe and Australia will address key topics and concerns for the cleaning industry at Australia's only dedicated cleaning and hygiene exhibition taking place on the Gold Coast later this month.
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New visuals show proper use of surface disinfecting products in healthcare environments

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Infection prevention products and solutions specialist PDI, has released an infographic that highlights key challenges across various healthcare settings, as well as guidelines for selecting an appropriate disinfectant for the situation.
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Cromwell extends washroom range

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Cromwell Polythene has extended its washroom range with the introduction of a white LDPE saddle bag for the discreet disposal of feminine hygiene and other sanitary waste. Measuring 159mm (six inches) wide when open and 240mm (11 inches) in length, the sanitary bags fit most dispensing units for ease of use.
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ISS Greece awarded for innovative safety- and people practices

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In competition with other global industry leaders such as Coca-Cola and Vodafone, industry contractor ISS Greece has received four safety- and people-related awards in 2015. The awards highlight the company's innovative workplace practices.
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Brightwell Dispensers launches new EcoMulti chemical dilution system

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Building on the success of the popular Eco range of chemical dilution systems, Brightwell Dispensers has expanded its product offering and developed EcoMulti, which offers a cost-effective way of diluting multiple chemicals from one dispenser.
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Chicopee develops new system for tailor-made cleaning

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Speciality cleaning wipes expert Chicopee, has developed a new dispensing system which allows users to create tailor-made, single-use wet wipes.
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Cleanzine - the original Cleaning & Hygiene industry e-news

Read by industry professionals in 163 countries worldwide!
 

You have, by now, probably read the article ‘Bullying, low wages and no paid holiday: five British cleaners on their jobs’, that appeared in a recent article of The Guardian and featured cleaners sharing their experiences of working in this industry. If you haven’t, see: www.theguardian.com/society/2015/oct/19/five-cleaners-tell-their-stories

As one might expect, the article paints a dire picture of our industry (it would have been nice to have included some cleaners who don’t feel exploited), but as usual it was the comments left by readers that held the most fascination for me.

One said an employer often pays differently according to the contract, i.e. minimum wage on one and living wage on another, and that the same company will offer career development under one contract but not under another. That concept had never occurred to me but thinking about it now, it makes sense, because some clients will pay enough to enable cleaners to earn the living wage and take holidays, while others won’t… and of course this difference will reflect on the pay and conditions the cleaners enjoy or endure. But how awful for friends or family members who may work for the same company but on different contracts, where one might have great working conditions and the other toils for the bare minimum!

Do most contractors pay like this or do they average out the pay across all contracts, I wonder?

Contractor Saints Cleaning argues that the problem arises from tenders which force contractors to quote rock bottom prices. He says: “I choose not to enter these price war battles, and am thus able to pay staff a fair rate. Companies and local authorities need to realise that the cheapest supplier will generally pay the lowest wages. It's not rocket science...”

Another poster responds, saying: “I get the impression that your 'race to the bottom' largely exists because it's difficult to measure the benefits (especially short-term) of deciding to pay staff comparatively well. Have you noticed any quantifiable difference, or are you running on an 'if it ain't broke' basis?”

Saints Cleaning responds with: “If you consider taking pride in one’s work, staff retention and loyalty as good attitudes to foster in a business, then I'd say it has the desired effect.”

That makes sense, doesn’t it? And I can’t help feeling that it’s not just the contractor that benefits, but the client too…

Please get in touch either by emailing me or posting a comment on our Facebook page. www.facebook.com/Cleanzine

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Twitter-t.jpg You can also follow us on Twitter @cleanzine

Yours,

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Jan Hobbs











This Week's News

The UK cleaning industry celebrates its best: Golden Service Awards 2015 Winners announced

Category_1_142.jpgThe cream of the UK cleaning industry gathered at a glittering ceremony at the Hilton Hotel in London's Park Lane last Friday, to celebrate the achievements of those who'd entered the Kimberly-Clark Professional Golden Service Awards 2015 and hear the winners announced.

The following 23 winners are now officially the Best in the UK Cleaning Industry:
more


Entrance matting market set to be worth $6,722.3 million by 2020

* Entrance-matting-chart.jpgIt has long been known that around 80% of dirt in a building will have been tracked in by the building's users and with Winter fast approaching, premises that don't have entrance matting will be at the mercy of tracked in rainwater and possibly slush, snow and de-icing materials which will damage the floor and carpets.

With a new report showing that the entrance matting market is showing healthy growth (it is set to be worth $6,722.3 million by 2020, increasing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 4.8% from 2015 to 2020), more companies are clearly recognising the benefits of installing this 'first line of defence' against dirt and water ingress.
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LooBlade - a toilet cleaning revolution

* Looblade.jpgSpyglass Innovations' Garry Stewart has attracted 87 backers and a total of £28,336 in funding, with his Kickstarter campaign in which he aimed to raise £20,000 to bring his LooBlade toilet cleaning brush to market.

And with the campaign not due to end until next Thursday, November 5th at 18:24, who knows how much more interest there will have been in his innovation?
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Hako's new Combi 400 sweeper-scrubber sets standards

* Hako-combi.jpgThe latest advancement in ride-on cleaning technology is now available in the UK with the launch of a new sweeper-scrubber drier from Hako.

Ideal for use in all heavy-duty applications, the Powerboss Combi 400 is particularly suited to warehouses, multi-storey car parks and other environments that require long run times and exceptional manoeuvrability.
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Next week's MECTW proudly launches 'Unsung City Cleaning Heroes' initiative

* middle-east-show.jpgMiddle East Cleaning Technology Week (MECTW) is proud to announce the launch of a first-of-its-kind initiative in the region: 'Unsung City Cleaning Heroes' Awards, in recognition of the dedicated services provided by the outdoor cleaning staff in the emirates of Dubai and Sharjah.
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Sodexo achieves ISO55001 for global asset management

* sodexo-hospital-equip-test.jpgSodexo has become the first services provider to offer a global asset management service in compliance with ISO55001:2014 - having, at the end of a two year project, received the accreditation for its global asset management framework and for the application of the framework at AstraZeneca's Alderley Park and Macclesfield sites.

Sodexo is leading the way in offering comprehensive asset management capabilities globally and to clients in diverse segments ranging from corporate and healthcare, to manufacturing, mining and oil and gas.
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Business Performance Group acquires janitorial sales agency Sans Peur from owner Rob Sutherland

* Rob-as-freeman.jpgRob Sutherland has joined The Business Performance Group UK as business development director, Jan/San, as part of The Business Performance Group's acquisition of Sans Peur (Spa Fitting and Cleaning). Rob will be reporting to Jade Wilson, sales director.

Gordon Christiansen, non-executive director, is excited about what this acquisition means for The Business Performance Group. "With Rob's assistance we will now add Soluclean, ecgo, SpaceVac, Everstrong and Verdoni to our existing partners in this category, including Kimberly-Clark and Unger," he says. "We've got bold aspirations in the cleaning and broader facilities maintenance categories, and are always looking at new vendors that we can work with."
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NewVoiceMedia helps Vax clean up at MCCF Awards

* vax-new-voice-media.jpgNewVoiceMedia, a global provider of cloud technology which helps businesses sell more, serve better and grow faster, has helped Vax win Contact Centre of the Year - over 50 seats, at the Midlands Contact Centre Forum Awards.

Run by The UK Contact Centre Forum, the Awards recognise the excellent people, processes and technology that make up the Midlands' contact centre sector, from over 700 contact centres across the region. Announced on Friday at an awards ceremony, the awards recognised winners chosen from hundreds of businesses that entered or were nominated for the titles.
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A glutton for punishment?

* glutton.jpgCigarette butts and chewing gum are being blitzed from streets by South Holland District Council's powerful new cleaning machine - the Glutton - which has been commissioned as part of the council's successful Pride in South Holland campaign, which aims to clean up unloved sites in the district.

The potent machine is highly effective at cleaning up cigarette butts, drinks bottles and chewing gum from pavements. Electrically-driven, it runs silently, using a lengthy vacuuming nozzle to clear hard-to-reach pavement cracks and kerbsides.
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Cromwell takes a new approach to recycling

* Cromwell.jpgCromwell Polythene has taken the 'on your bike' philosophy to heart... Six Cromwell employees, including managing director James Lee, are all sporting specially designed cycling jerseys and shorts, paid for by the company as part of its keep fit strategy, when they take to the roads.

Between them, Team Cromwell cycle thousands of miles each year, ensuring that the colourful message gains maximum exposure.
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Consumerism and hedonism display? "Absolute rubbish!" say the cleaners

* artwork-removed.jpgIt's not the first time that cleaners have inadvertently discarded a valuable museum piece thinking it's rubbish, and seeing a picture of the exhibit in this particular case, they can probably be forgiven for their mistake...

The artwork, by Goldschmied & Chiari, in Museion Bozen-Bolzano, Italy, focused on 1980s' consumerism and hedonism, by socialist politicians and their never-ending parties.
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Hospital Hygiene

Hospial Corridor

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

Campaign launches to change behaviour towards chewing gum disposal

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One of the busiest streets in London has been transformed like never before, as The Chewing Gum Action Group launched its national campaign to reduce gum litter, transforming the dotted grey pavements on Oxford Street with brightly-coloured circles to highlight the significant amount of gum that is dropped.
more


Fly-tipping statistics 2014/15, released this week, show illegal dumping is on the increase

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The latest UK Government reports into fly-tipping, published on Tuesday, show that despite the threat of more severe fines for those convicted of the illegal dumping of waste, the practise is on the increase, with the estimated cost of clearance to local authorities in England alone in 2014/15 nearly £50 million - an 11% increase on 2013/14.
more


Much-needed campaign to improve cleaners' working conditions spearheaded by industry taskforce

A much-needed campaign to promote good working conditions in the cleaning industry has been launched by an industry-led taskforce set up by the Equality & Human Rights Commission. It includes leading businesses, trade associations and trade unions.
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2015-16 Free Local Authority WRAP Workshop dates announced

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WRAP has announced its 2015 workshop programme for Local Authority waste & recycling officers in England. The workshops will take place in Birmingham city centre and the topics and dates are as follows:
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CHSA members raise £8,500 for charity

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Members and sponsors of the Cleaning & Hygiene Suppliers Association have raised £8,500 so far in 2015 for the Chairman's Charity, The Helping Treat Cancer Together Committee.
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Long service college contract for LCC

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Cambridge Regional College has almost all the cleaning challenges known to man, but LCC Support Services has handled its cleaning for 15 years and enjoys the task. LCC even won a Golden Service Award for its amazing achievements on this site.
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One third of employers say more staff are going into work despite being ill

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Nearly a third of employers have reported an increase in people coming to work while they are ill, according to the annual Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development / Simplyhealth Absence Management Survey.
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Survey reveals 10% of Brits don't change underwear every day... personal hygiene takes a back seat to staying in bed once winter sets in

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A study of 2,000 adults undertaken by Geberit AquaClean revealed major differences in personal hygiene routines in the Winter versus Summer, with many Brits (33%) halving the amount of time they spend in the bathroom during the colder weather from 30 minutes to just 15 and a staggering 10% of adults admitting that they don't change their underwear every day.
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Evans' visit to Buckingham Palace

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Representatives of Evans Vanodine were honoured to be in the presence of Royalty recently when Chairman Derek Evans and Peter Thompson, international sales manager, visited Buckingham Palace to attend a special business reception and accept an award for International Trade, in recognition of its outstanding overseas sales growth over the last three years.
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New showroom delivers training and technology

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National distributor and training provider Jigsaw Cleaning Systems has opened a dedicated training facility and showroom.
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Nationwide buys new headquarters

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Nationwide Window Cleaning, the UK's largest window, gutter and high level cleaning business, has bought its own three storey, 800sq.m new office block at Colton Mill Office Park, Leeds. Based only 20 miles from its home for the last three years, the new site doubles its previous floor space and provides a range of additional facilities and anticipated growth requirements for the next 10 years.
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New research reveals incorrect cleaning 'the major cause' of lack of legal floor compliance in wet leisure environments

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A study of hundreds of leisure facilities by Bonasystems, the provider of specialist floor care products and services, has revealed that four-fifths (79%) of 'wet leisure' floor surfaces were not up to Health & Safety Executive standards used to prevent slips and trips and that incorrect cleaning - rather than floor specification - was a major cause of non-compliance.
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Early accolade for latest addition to Hako range

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The latest addition to Hako's impressive line-up of sweepers has marked its UK debut by receiving a prestigious European accolade.
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Lanes engineers win seal of approval from wildlife attraction

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Lanes Group drainage engineers have cleaned a seal enclosure at an aquarium while being watched by those who have had a vested interest in the quality of their work - the seals themselves.
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Twinkle Clean harnesses online technology and passes savings onto customers

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Twinkle Clean's new online booking system for end of tenancy cleaning in London is proving its worth, according to the company's founder, Robert Garritano, who says: "Our customers love it. We've been able to make savings on administrative costs and pass these savings on to our customers. It's taken our office staff some getting used to though as the phone doesn't ring as much now!"
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CHSA's sell out Golf Day raises £5,500 for charity

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One of the highlights of the calendar, the Cleaning & Hygiene Suppliers' Association's annual Golf Day - held at Rudding Park in North Yorkshire - was a 'sell out', raising over £5,500 for the Chairman's charity, The Helping Treat Cancer Together Committee.
more


How clean is your computer?

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Did you know that the average desktop has around 150 times more bacteria than your kitchen table? It's a horrible thought and with many of us now eating 'al desko' we need to remember to keep them clean.
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Events & Exhibitions

Care Show London
24-25th April 2024
Excel
London

Website

Interclean Amsterdam
14-17th May 2024
Amsterdam
Website

Cleantex Africa
16-18th October 2024
Johannesburg
South Africa

Website

ISSA Pulire 2025
27-29th May 2025
Rho Fiera Milano
Italy

Website



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