Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 23rd July 2026 Issue no. 1220
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International News
Products Introducing Arbex: a new global leader in tissue and hygiene
Vectair joins United Nations Global Compact
Butlr launches smart cleaning technology for commercial offices
Perfect allies: Lucid Bots and Vets to Drones create cleaning careers for transitioning veterans
MSIP enters into agreement to acquire majority stake in Nicollin Environnement
Vectair strengthens sales leadership to advance customer partnerships
Cleaning equipment needs vary sharply across high-growth niches, analysis finds
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Welcome to the Cleanzine
Cleaning: just how does one get it right? I suppose the majority of facilities generally do, but it’s the ones that don’t, which we remember – often long after the event and sometimes to the extent that we won’t return as a result. So many of the problems experienced can be down to usage though… not just abuse by members of the public who should know better, but also during perhaps unexpectedly busy times when the place simply becomes overwhelmed. Should someone from the cleaning team be on call to pop in and give everything a ‘quick once-over’, replenish disposables and empty the bins? And what about the extra costs of having someone on standby, who may or may not actually be needed to do any cleaning/replenishing? How about local parks? On dry, sunny weekends when more families are likely to visit and thus overflow the bins, should one of the council’s street cleaners be given responsibility for travelling to each at least once an afternoon to empty them, to prevent rubbish from being rummaged through and scattered far and wide by foxes, which will make everything harder to clean up come Monday? Or would that timely intervention be more expensive than Monday’s clean-up costs? I can recall, decades (and several cleaning magazine editorships) ago, talking to a manager in a company contracted to clean the EUs buildings, many parts of which were only sporadically used. By this I mean the two sets of headquarters in Brussels and Strasbourg, when only one was properly used at a time, along with various Brussels committee rooms and the like which might only be used a few times a year even when the buildings were occupied. According to my source, the schedules never wavered; everything had to be cleaned to schedule, every day or week, whether that room/part of the building had been used or not. To both of us, (and probably many others involved) it seemed like an incredible waste of our money… Fast forward a few decades… I’ve not stopped pondering over news we ran in last week’s broadcast on physical AI technology specialist Butlr’s, Smart Cleaning module (https://www.thecleanzine.com/pages/24393/ if you missed it) - one of many new systems transforming our industry beyond all recognition. Combining thermal body heat sensing technology and machine learning to infer behaviour, it offers a solution to some of the issues our industry faces - reducing unnecessary costs without compromising cleaning standards by constantly alerting us to the reality of what’s going on in our buildings and allowing us to react accordingly. I never envisaged all those years ago that this type of technology would be available… No longer do we have to devise and endlessly rejig cleaning schedules to cater for potential busy periods as it’s being done for us. That’s quite something, isn’t it? Where next I wonder?
This Week's News
Stefano joined The Clean Space as finance director 15 years ago and has served as managing director for the past six years. In his new role, he will take responsibility for the day-to-day leadership of the business, overseeing its operations, continued growth and long-term development. Cleanology promotes Juliet Widdicombe to managing director
The top post is a reward for South African-born Juliet establishing herself as an integral member of the leadership team and impressing with her dedication, innovation and people-first approach, which has played a key role in shaping the family owned 1,400-employee business during a period of significant growth.  OCS announces recommended acquisition of Mitie
Completion is subject to the terms and conditions set out in the Rule 2.7 announcement, including approval by Mitie's shareholders and regulatory approvals. SOAPBOX: Industry consolidation... but also a huge opportunity for SMEs
"I've read the articles with great interest and the proposed acquisition of Mitie by OCS is undoubtedly one of the biggest moments our industry has witnessed in many years. Should the deal complete, we'll see the creation of an FM organisation with revenues in excess of £8 billion - a remarkable achievement and a reflection of the continuing evolution of our sector. Congratulations to everyone involved. Contract cleaning market: a £200m boost in 2026
The 80 page report forecasts a £1 billion boost for the UK contract cleaning market to 2030, with AI and automation investment rapidly ramping as adoption of new technology boosts cleaning productivity. The report points to enhanced differentiation opportunities for cleaning contractors, cleaning equipment suppliers and automation specialists. In new podcast, 'Unsung', cleaners across Europe tell their stories in their own words
"The only time people notice what a cleaner does is when she doesn't do it." In the first episode released this month, Hayat Elhore, a cleaner at the European Parliament in Brussels, shares what it's like to clean a building that symbolises democracy - while often being treated as invisible. She pulls back the curtain on a typical day in the life of a cleaner.   Principle celebrates another Gold Payroll Giving Quality Mark Award
The Award reflects the progress Principle has made in developing its Give As You Earn (GAYE) programme and its ongoing commitment to making it easier for employees to support the charitable causes that matter most to them.
Drawing on surveys of more than 2,000 Gen Z Americans and parents of Gen Alpha, the research reveals a fundamental shift in how families define career success, with AI, rising education costs, and entrepreneurship reshaping attitudes toward the skilled trades…
By unifying scheduling, time, compliance and workforce visibility on the UKG platform, Menzies is giving leaders the real-time insight to manage labour costs, strengthen compliance, improve operational agility and create a more connected frontline employee experience. Genie Skip Bins expands waste management services across Sydney
The expansion comes as Sydney continues to experience demand for efficient waste disposal services due to ongoing residential renovations, property improvements, landscaping projects and commercial construction activities. SET appoints The Clean Space to support its growing London arts centres
SET transforms vacant buildings across London into spaces for experimental culture, collective making, artistic production and community use. Founded by three artists in 2016, the organisation has grown into a network of city-wide centres, providing genuinely affordable studios, a multidisciplinary public arts and music programme and multi-purpose cultural spaces for artists and local communities. 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:
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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
Churchill Group welcomes Principle into its group of specialist businesses...
CHSA Excellence Awards 2026 winners presented: celebrating the industry's best
They are: Chewing Gum Task Force's new £1m-plus grant should help reduce chewing gum scourge
Jangro network raises £105,000 for Trussell to help tackle hunger and hardship across the UK
Events & Exhibitions ISSA Show Asia Cleantex Interclean Shanghai CleanEurasia 2026 ISSA Cleaning & hygiene Expo ISSA Show North America WFBSC Global Executive Congress The Workplace Event CMS Asia |
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