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NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2008 NEWS FROM THE BC CHAPTER OF CSSA VOLUME 4, NUMBER 1

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IN THIS ISSUE

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PROFESSIONALHOUSEKEEPING:Let The SunShine In.

GREEN CLEANINGMovement in theFoodserviceIndustry.

SPECIAL FEATUREKeeping UpAppearances.

IN THE FIELDDo The Numbers...

BC CHAPTERMEMBER LISTING

Surfactants

(surfactants) which remove dirt,stains and soil from surfaces andfabrics. The first surfactant madeby man was soap. Indeed, soapwas already known to theSumerians (Babylonians) as earlyas 2500 years BC. Vegetable oilswere cooked with potassium car-bonate from burnt wood. Thenext step was the use of potassiumhydroxide made from potash andcalcium oxide. In this way, soaphas been produced for millennia,mainly by the reaction of potas-sium hydroxide and tallow (ex-

wax, foaming and de-foamingagents, biocides (sanitizers) andhair conditioners (after shampoo).

Detergent formulations con-tain surface active agents

IntroductionSurfactants constitute the most

important group of detergentcomponents. They are wettingagents that lower the surface ten-sion of a liquid, allowing easierspreading, and lower the interfa-cial tension between two liquids.The word surfactant derives fromthe contraction of the terms sur-face-active-agents and covers agroup of molecules which are ableto modify the interfacial proper-ties of the liquids (aqueous or non-aqueous) in which they arepresent1. Surfactants play an im-portant role in many practicalapplications and products, in-cluding detergents, fabric soften-ers, vaccine formulations, anddrug delivery and medical treat-ment 2-7, emulsifiers, paints, ad-hesives, ink, anti-fogging and wet-ting agents, ski wax, snowboard

tracted from fat of sheep and cat-tle). Surfactants have historicallybeen classified according to thecharge they carry when dissoci-ated in water at neutral pH. Thisresults in four categories, as fol-lows:

1. Nonionic surfactants – donot ionize in solution.

2. Anionic surfactants – carrya negative charge when dissociatedin water.

3. Cationic surfactants – carrya positive charge when dissociatedin water.

Continued On Page 2

By NAVID OMIDBAKHSH, VicePresident Open Innovation, P.Eng, PhDCandidate, University of Waterloo

INFECTION CONTROL

The truth behind their toxicity, their ability to causechemical resistance and their use in cleaning products

NICOLE KENNY, Director of Professionaland Technical Services, B.Sc, Assoc.Chem., Virox Technologies

4. Amphoteric surfactants –can carry both a positive and anegative charge when dissociatedin water.

Anionics are the largest class ofsurfactants in terms of volume,and include the work-horsesurfactants, linear alkylbenzenesulfonate (LAS), alcohol sulphate(AS) and alcohol ether (or ethoxy)sulphate (AES). Soap is also con-sidered as anionic surfactant.These surfactants have strong de-tergent but weak antimicrobial

JAMES GATHANY / CDC

2 CLEAN BC - NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2008 Visit us on-line at wwww.cleanbc.com

EDITORIALADVISORY BOARD

PublisherMike Nosko

Perks Publications Inc.(905) 430-7267 ext. 24mike@perkspub.com

EditorTanja Nowotny

Perks Publications Inc.(905) 697-8905

tanja@perkspub.com

Editorial AssistantsColin Butterfield

Group B Services Ltd.(250) 886-7663info@groupb.ca

Jessica SinclairRubbermaid Canada

(604) 532-0471jessica.sinclair@rubbermaid.com

Advertising SalesRod Peacock

REV Sales & Marketing Inc.(604) 338-1849

rod@revsales.com

Mike NoskoPerks Publications Inc.(905) 430-7267 ext. 24mike@perkspub.com

Clean BC is edited for people whomaintain high standards of sanitarycleaning in commercial, institutional,residential and industrial facilities(including hospitals, nursing homes andlong-term care facilities, schools, foodprocessing plants, hotels, motels,recreational centres, shopping malls,government facilities, restaurants,building owners, maintenancecontractors, sanitary maintenancedistributors and carpet cleaners).

The editorial objective of Clean BC isto provide news and views about newcleaning technologies, new sanitarycleaning methods, cleaning regulationsand standards(where applicable),e d u c a t i o n a lo p p o r t u n i t i e s ,industry trends,and information onpeople within theindustry.

Clean BC is aw h o l l y -independent Canadian publicationowned and operated by PerksPublications Inc., Whitby, Ont.Copyright 2008.

ADVERTISINGAdvertising is sold on a program basisonly and is restricted to members ofthe Canadian Sanitation SupplyAssociation

CIRCULATIONThe per issue circulation is 4000copies. Free distribution is controlledto ensure that no one company orindividual receives more than one copy.Any company wishing additional copiescan contact the publisher. Subscription:$24 per year in Canada (GSTincluded); United States - $40 (Cdn.);Other countries $60 (Cdn.). Thosepersons wishing to subscribe to CleanBC may do so by completing thesubscritpion form in this issue.

Continued From Page 1

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Let The Sun Shine InIt’s time to let the sun shine in. And, by that I am not referring

to a set of CDs we produced in the late 1990s on why and how toimplement a day cleaning program.

For the past two years our firm has been performing certifica-

map on how to effectively operate a janitorial business or in-houseoperation.

Green Seal’s GS-42 certification is intended for facilities orjanitorial service providers who wish to have specific accounts cer-tified to the Green Seal standard. This is an internationally recog-nized standard and is the only one to certify that a facility is being

PROFESSIONAL HOUSEKEEPING

By BILL GARLAND, Senior Partner, Daniels & Associates Inc.

Continued On Page 4

tions for both the ISSA Clean-ing Industry ManagementStandard (CIMS) program andGreen Seal’s GS-42 certifica-tion. The need for both certi-fications is strong in our indus-try as both strive to bring alevel of professionalism that isbadly needed – but more onthat a little later.

ISSA’s CIMS program fo-cuses on how a cleaning con-tractor or in-house operation runs their ‘business’. The certifica-tion covers financial operations, employee training, quality pro-grams, staffing programs and many other areas. Many see it as analternative to ISO as it applies to many of the same disciplines butis applicable directly to the cleaning industry. It is an excellent road

cleaned to a green standard.Cleaning to this standard doesnot just mean using greenchemicals but also covers thewashroom supplies, matting,equipment, training, safety,plastic bags, recycling and nu-merous other areas. In the caseof both certifications, it is thecustomers who are demandingthem. It would be a good busi-ness decision to look into both

now, before your customers demand it.My reference earlier to letting the sun shine in, is that we have

to think of our organizations as a pine tree in the forest. We needto turn that tree upside down or clear the way around it in order to

... price has ceased to be the major criteriaby which contract decisions are made...

clients are looking for service providers whocan provide not only the best possible

service in terms of a quality managementoperation but also a healthy one.

properties, except in high concen-trations8. Cationic surfactants gen-erally include various quaternarysalts, used predominantly as anti-microbial agents, fabric condition-ers (“fabric softeners”), and anti-static agents. Amphotericsurfactants represent the smallestclass of surfactants, and generallyare used when solubility, mild-ness and compatibility issues areimportant. Amphotericsurfactants are compounds ofmixed anionic-cationic charac-ter and are not considered asbiocides per se8. Nonionicsurfactants do not ionize in aque-ous solutions and are comprisedof two parts, a hydrophilic por-tion (water loving) and hydropho-bic (water hating) portion. Theyare considered to have no antimi-crobial properties 8.

The toxicity and environmentalprofile of surfactants:

It is not possible to generalizethe toxicity profile of surfactantssince surfactants have very distinctchemical structures and, conse-quently, totally different proper-ties. As an example, chained alkyllinear benzenesulfonic acids arenot biodegradable while linearones are biodegradable. Some

surfactants such as alkyl phenolethoxylates (APE) are very toxicto aquatic life and their degrada-tion products are even more so 9,while others such as linearalkylbenzenesulfonic acids (LAS)and alcohol ethoxylates (AE) arereadily biodegradable10. The po-tential for secondary poisoning ef-fects of these surfactants is ex-tremely low10. According to Eu-ropean Medicines Agency, Veteri-nary Medicines and Inspections11,for LAS:

• toxicity has only been seenon high dose levels in all studiesavailable;

• non teratogenic effects havebeen reported;

• no positive findings havebeen reported in mutagenicitystudies;

• long-term studies have notshow carcinogenic effects;

• there was no susceptibilityof human gut bacteria up to a doseof 128 ug/ml in vitro;

• there was no effect on rel-evant dairy cultures in concentra-tions up to four ug/ml;

• systemic bioavailability oflinear alkyl benzene sulphonicacids after application to the teatappears to be negligible;

• even maximum residue con-

centrations observed in milk werewell below any dose levels or con-centration at which toxicologicalor microbiological effects may beexpected.

LAS is a petroleum-based sur-factant however, based on scien-tific support from comprehensivestudies, it has been found safe formany applications including teat-dip solutions which residuals endup in milk. This indicates that itis not true to generalize the toxic-ity of different surfactants.

Relevance for surfacecleaning and disinfection:

The effective use of disinfect-ants constitutes an important fac-tor in preventing hospital-associ-ated infections (HAIs)12. Based onSpaulding classification13, environ-mental surfaces are considerednon-critical items because theycome in contact with intact skin,and intact skin is an importantbarrier to disease acquisition. Useof non-critical items or contactwith non-critical surfaces, whiletraditionally thought to carry alow risk of transmitting a patho-gen to patients have recently beenhighlighted as being the potentialcause for disease transmission.The routine use of disinfectants todisinfect hospital floors and othersurfaces (eg. Bedside tables or bedrails) remains controversial. Thatsaid, there are a number of rea-sons to encourage the use of dis-infecting products to decontami-nate environmental surfaces in-

cluding 12:1. Epidemiologically impor-

tant microbes (e.g. VRE, MRSA,Clostridium difficile, and viruses)can survive on environmental sur-faces for long times and the use ofa disinfectant can eliminate themor significantly reduce theirnumber while the use of a clean-ing agent may result in cross con-tamination.

2. Disinfectants are required inthe United States and Canada fordecontamination of surfaces con-taminated by blood and otherpotentially infective material.

3. Detergents become contami-nated and result in seeding orcross-contamination of the pa-tients’ environment with bacteria.

4. Disinfectants are more ef-fective than detergents in reduc-ing the microbial load on floors.

5. Disinfection of non-criticalequipment and surfaces is recom-mended for patients on isolationprecautions by the Centres forDisease Control and Prevention,and Public Health Agency ofCanada.

The advantage of using a sin-gle product for decontaminationof non-critical surfaces (includingfloors and equipment) simplifiesboth training and practice. Eventhough there is a debate on usingeither a cleaning or disinfectingagent to decontaminate the envi-ronmental surfaces, there is a con-sensus that at least one of themshould be used. Even if a cleaner

Surfactants

Continued On Page 10

CLEAN BC - NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2008 3Visit us on-line at wwww.cleanbc.com

Why Should YouDemand Enviro-Solutions?

Visit our highly informative and user friendly website: www.enviro-solution.com

AND see the “Best In Class” for yourself.

HEALTH COMES FIRST. YOU & YOUR CUSTOMERS DESERVE SAFER, GREENER CLEANERS.

Safer For All PeopleUsers as well as all building occupants and visitors deserve peace-of-mind. Products no longer have to be harmful or toxic to be effective.

Products That WorkProven to work as well as - or better than - traditional products.

One Stop ShoppingGet safer by using all Green products at your facility, not just a few “token” examples. Our complete program is the broadest line available.

Solid Track Record/ReferencesQuality products, competitive prices and significant added value have built a strong, loyal roster of long-term customers and distributors.

GREEN CLEANING

Continued On Page 4

It is only a matter of time be-fore the green cleaning movementhits the food service industry.There are a couple of interestingtrends that will see operators offoodservice facilities take aproactive role in implementingsustainable cleaning solutions.

First, the restaurant industry isbeginning to see signs of a greenmovement with the increasingpopularity of organic food; envi-ronmentally friendly take outpackaging; and energy and watersaving equipment. However, theindustry remains largely untapped

Green Cleaning:

By MATT DEL VECCHIO,Vice President - Foodservice,

Avmor Ltd.

by the green movement. As thelargest consumer of electricity inthe retail sector, this industry hasa large impact, not only on thefood we eat, but also on the wa-ter we drink, and the air that webreathe. Therefore, there is greatpotential for green practices andpolicies in this industry.

Secondly, going green is nolonger a fad. Rather, it is the re-sponsible approach taken by busi-nesses in a variety of industries.Education (schools, colleges, uni-versities); health care (hospitals,nursing homes); government (fed-eral, provincial, municipal); andproperty management (office tow-ers, apartment buildings, condo-miniums, shopping centres) aresignificantly ahead of thefoodservice industry when itcomes to the green movement.

There is no better time thannow to take advantage of thegreen movement in thefoodservice industry providing itwill bring operators greaterefficiencies and cost savings while

improving the health and wellbeing of their employees and con-sumers.

The Benefits of Going GreenA green restaurant creates op-

portunities to position itself as aresponsible business committed tosustainability. Ultimately, goinggreen allows your establishmentto differentiate itself from thecompetition. Nearly 30 per centof consumers agree or stronglyagree that they are more likely topatronize a restaurant that pro-motes itself as a green operation,in comparison to only 6.5 per centwho strongly agree that greenpractices “have little to do withrestaurants.”1

Consumers are increasinglyeducated and seeking to patron-ize businesses who are responsi-ble environmental citizens. Con-sequently, going green not onlyhelps restaurants attract new cus-tomers, but it also serves to in-crease customer loyalty. The proc-

The green cleaningmovement in the food

service industry

4 CLEAN BC - NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2008 Visit us on-line at wwww.cleanbc.com

The Green Cleaning Movementin the Foodservice Industry

Continued From Page 3

Continued From Page 2

Let The Sun Shine In

Continued On Page 6

let the sun shine in towards thebottom so that it too may turngreen and grow as well as thetop.

We all know that when wewalk through a forest orwooded area that the bottomsof the coniferous trees arebrown because the sun doesnot reach them. If we think ofthe tree as our organization,management is at the top rep-resenting the smallest part andthe largest part of the tree atthe bottom representing theemployees.

During visits to some or-ganizations over the last cou-ple of years, we have been im-pressed with the materials pre-sented for review and the en-thusiasm exhibited by manage-

bleach being brought in fromhome on a fairly large scale.

My point here is that sen-ior management needs to takean interest in the bottom ofthe organization as this iswhere the product meets thecustomer and inform them sothat they too are as knowl-edgeable as the top.

This then begs the question,why is this disconnect betweensenior management and thecleaners happening? We havenoted in every case it is be-cause middle management orsupervision has not made ithappen. This is not to say thatmiddle management is not ef-fective everywhere or that allof it is bad, but our experienceshows that in a large number

ment forwhichever cer-tification theyare seeking.This enthusi-asm is genuineand manyfirms havespent thou-sands of dollarsin consultantsor other meansof reachingtheir goal. Inaddition, thereis the cost ofthe certifica-tion itself, and

of cases, thecommitment atthe top is notflowing to thebottom. Thereappear to besome consist-ent reasons forthis that we areseeing in theseinstances.

The numberone reason isthat althoughmiddle manage-ment is awareof the program,they have not

the audit of each company orfacility being considered.

It is the site audit that is thetrue test of whether the organi-zation will be successful in itsgoal. This is where we seemany organizations fail in theirfirst attempt. It is when wevisit the actual facility beingcleaned that we find what wasbelieved to be happening withmanagement has not made itdown to the cleaners in thebuilding.

I must admit that this sce-nario is something I have seencountless times in my years inthe cleaning industry. But, tosee it now after the commit-ment of management seemedso genuine and thousands ofdollars had been spent, simplyamazes me. We have seen eve-rything from cleaners notwearing Personal ProtectionEquipment (PPE) when work-ing with hazardous chemicalsto hazardous chemicals such as

had enough support from sen-ior management to actuallyimplement it. Supervisors areusually busy enough on a dayto day basis making sure all po-sitions are filled, quality isgood and doing payroll, thatjust another program rollingdown from up above is just an-other program, and they don’thave the time to fully under-stand it or implement it.

In some cases it is becausethe middle management doesnot relate to or communicateeffectively with senior man-agement. This sometimeshappens when there is a lan-guage or cultural disconnectbetween the two. Middlemanagement has been hiredbecause of their ability to getstaff and not because of theirmanagerial skills. They mayview any programs fromabove as infringing on theirauthority. It also occurs

ess of going green also tends tohave a positive impact on themorale and productivity of youremployees. By taking the initia-tive to improve your businesspractices, employees feel inspiredand become invested in the goalsof your company. Environmen-tally friendly products were onceconsidered too costly or not po-tent enough to meet the needs ofrestaurants. However, going greenis no longer an expensive process,but a financially viable one. Costsavings may even result from theprocess, for example through theimplementation of energy conser-vation programs and recycling/waste reduction systems. It is be-coming clear that going green hasnumerous benefits for your busi-ness, employees, consumers andthe community.

Where To Begin?The first step in going green is

to make it a priority and goal foryour organization as a whole.Owners and/or managers shouldhave an understanding of what’sinvolved in the process, and makea commitment to provide the lead-ership and support needed tochange its business processes overtime. The process may take up tothree- to five-years to fully imple-ment. Start small. Realize thatevery step that you take is valu-able. Begin by implementing sim-ple steps and, once successful,move on to bigger things. Thewhole organization, from man-agement to the staff must worktogether to make going green areality. The goal then becomespart of your culture.

Teaming up or working withan organization also helps. Asso-ciations like the Green RestaurantAssociation can help restaurantoperators find and navigatethrough environmental friendlyproducts and practices, providingsupport and invaluable resources.Enlist the help and advice of yourdealers and manufacturers.

Green Cleaning for theFood Service Industry

Sanitation and cleanliness areprimary concerns for food serv-ice operators. Yet, the productsthat most restaurants use forcleaning and insect control aretoxic to the environment, and un-healthy for both employees andcustomers. Restaurants use a widerange of cleaning products con-

taining chlorine (in sanitizers,drain and toilet bowl cleaners),ammonia (in window and floorcleaners), caustic soda (in ovencleaners) and volatile organic com-pounds. Prolonged contact withthese cleaners can cause skin prob-lems. Also, the fumes emitted bythese products can cause respira-tory diseases. Indoor Air Quality(IAQ) is becoming an increasingproblem as people are spendingmore time indoors. Poor IAQ hasbeen linked to a variety of healthissues, including many respira-tory problems such as asthma. Inaddition, when toxic materialsfrom these products are flusheddown drains, they enter the sew-age system and ultimately affectwater quality. What’s more, pack-aging could have a significant en-vironmental impact. For all thesereasons, viable alternatives to tra-ditional chemicals should be care-fully examined.

A comprehensive green clean-ing program entails more than justthe use of non-toxic chemicals. Agood program covers all areas ofcleaning, from maintenance andrecycling to training. Not all greencleaning products are createdequal. Therefore, it is importantto do your research in order toensure that you have chosen thebest products to suit your needs.The products you choose shouldmeet the following criteria:

• Performance – saves timewhile cleaning effectively and en-sures the pristine appearance ofyour food service institution;

• People – Safeguards thehealth and safety of your employ-ees and customers;

• Planet – Raw materialsshould be biodegradable and meetthe highest environmental stand-ards for safe storage, transporta-tion and disposal. More specifi-

cally, materials used should be safeon our water systems and aquaticlife;

• Price – Priced competitivelywhen compared to conventionalcleaning products in the same cat-egories.

Green Cleaning TechnologiesWhen choosing green cleaning

products, it is important to beaware of the different options onthe market, as well as the advan-tages and disadvantages of eachmethod. Below is a quick reviewof biological and chemical greencleaning technologies.

Biological Cleaning: A bio-logical cleaning solution uses bio-logical decomposition to clean anddeodorize. These solutions har-ness nature’s own processes to re-cycle waste into simple and essen-tial substances. They meet today’sdemands for cleaning, odor con-trol and waste elimination with-out the use of potentially harm-ful chemicals.

There are four main advantagesto using biological cleaners andodour control products:

• They are better for the en-vironment and safer for the usersand occupants when compared totraditional products;

• They use highly specializedenzyme producing microbials toclean and control odors by elimi-nating the soils that traditionalchemical products alone cannottreat;

• They provide residual clean-ing up to 80 hours after applica-tion and therefore reduce overalllabour costs by continuing towork long after application;

• They help to displace un-known, potentially disease caus-ing bacteria with known, healthymicrobials and, in this way, con-tribute to our better health.

It is the site auditthat is the truetest of whether

the organizationwill be successfulin its goal. This iswhere we see many

organizationsfail in their first

attempt.

CLEAN BC - NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2008 5Visit us on-line at wwww.cleanbc.com

Chemical Cleaning: Chemicalbased products can also offer anenvironmentally responsiblemethod for effective cleaning. Forexample, hydrogen peroxide isparticularly attractive because itcan break up organic matter andthen prevent grease from stickingonto the surface. Other benefitsof hydrogen peroxide are:

• Creates no toxic or hazard-ous by-products – it breaks downinto water and oxygen;

• Is safe for hard surfaces andtextile finishes;

• Biodegradable;• Has excellent stain removal

properties;• Eliminates odors;• Improves wastewater qual-

ity in sewer systems;• Helps reduce biochemical

oxygen demand (BOD) andchemical oxygen demand (COD)– key parameters in measuringwater quality;

• Can detoxify cyanide, nitro-gen compounds, chlorine,bisulfate, phenol and a host ofother toxic based waste.

Although biological andchemical technologies differ fromone another, they can safely com-plement each other. An ideal sus-tainable cleaning program willtake advantage of the strengths ofeach technology in order to helpobtain an effective and more com-plete clean.

i. Dilution ControlDilution control allows the

cleaning products purchased toperform at their optimal level. Bylooking for products which pro-vide dilution control, you are notonly maximizing their effective-ness and preventing waste andresidue, but you are substantiallyreducing ready-to-use (RTU) costswhile making cleaning easier andless dangerous for your employ-ees.

ii. Customer service,support and training

Good customer service, sup-

port and training can be as impor-tant as the right cleaning solution.Look for a company who can of-fer added value and support in theform of hands-on training, sanita-tion programs, wall charts, properlabels and MSDS sheets. Thesetools are an integral part of theprocess of going green because itis crucial that the products youchoose are being used properly foroptimal performance.

iii. CertificationsNot all green cleaning products

are created equal. Some productsmay claim to be ‘green’, withouthaving been certified by a reputa-ble organization. Therefore, lookfor certified cleaning chemicals,by organizations such as:

• Environmental ChoiceProgram (ECP): organizationbased in Canada that offers third-party certification of many differ-ent products including cleanersand janitorial paper products. TheEcologo label is widely known asthe premiere mark of environ-mental standards.

• Green Seal (GS): offers cer-tification on a wide range of prod-ucts. The GS Label is used forpurchasing standards.

iv. Cleaning Programsand Best Practices

Many organizations havestarted green cleaning programs,either based on a standardized sys-tem or built from scratch. Forexample, INFORM, a sustainablebusiness and industry advocatehas also created a green cleaningreport called ‘Cleaning forHealth’. This report outlines spe-cific practices and tips for clean-ing and suggested cleaners. Thisorganization provides helpfuldocuments, which may bedownloaded, such as checklists,best practices and sample policystatements.

Below are some specific tips tokeep in mind when creating agreen cleaning program:

• Keep the variety and

amount of cleaners to a minimum.Stick with just a few that accom-plish the tasks you need.

• Most things can be cleanedwith a general cleaner, or nocleaner and a little elbow grease.

• Properly dispose of unusedand unneeded cleaners and chemi-cals. ‘www.earth911.org’ listschemical disposal options formost communities.

• If you cannot find a certifiedor environmentally preferablechoice for a particular cleaner,contact the manufacturer formore detailed information on in-gredients, use, disposal and toxic-ity. Avoid products containingdangerous chemicals.

• Avoid products with labelsof ‘danger’, ‘poison’ or ‘caution’.

• Focus on entryways to re-duce the amount of dirt cominginto a building.

• Minimize chemicals in theair. Spray cleaners on a clothrather than a surface and use di-rect sprays rather than misters.

• Use green certified machinery.• Use micro fibre cloths and

mops to reduce airborne particles.

On the Road to Being GreenIn addition to choosing prod-

ucts which are non-toxic and notharmful to the environment, thereare additional steps that you cantake, both in your home and com-pany, to protect your health andyour surrounding environmentfor future generations. Beinggreen also takes into considerationreductions in energy and wateruse, and waste disposal, in addi-tion to improvements in indoorair quality. Here are some ideasfrom Green Cleaning Services.2:

• Energy Efficiency andConservation – Energy efficienttechnologies and conservationpractices exist for lighting, heat-ing, ventilation, air conditioning,foodservice appliances, officeequipment and transportation.Electricity and power is availablefrom renewable resources such aswind, solar, geothermal, small hy-dro and biomass. These energysources cause dramatically less airpollution and environmentaldamage compared to fossil fuel,nuclear and large-scale hydroelec-tric energy sources.

• Water Efficiency and Con-servation – Water efficient tech-nologies and conservation prac-tices exist for foodservice appli-ances, equipment and landscaping.Reducing water use not only pro-tects our water sources but delaysthe need to expand existing treat-ment plants and prolongs the lifeof systems. Here are a few stepsto reduce water consumption:regularly check that all valves are

Continued On Page 8

23.5w x 20d

6 CLEAN BC - NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2008 Visit us on-line at wwww.cleanbc.com

when management is morefocused on sales and market-ing, and leaves the entire areaof operations to middle man-agement who feel left out.

The result of all of this isthat the cleaners themselveshave very little clue of any pro-grams that are being imple-mented, and their importanceto the organization and the cli-ent. This comes down to man-agement needing to put extraeffort into reaching the clean-ers and making them feel in-volved. There are a lot of arti-cles on employee motivationand bonus programs, but oftenall that is needed is training and

direct communication to makethem understand and feel partof the success of any programbeing implemented.

I suppose that we like tothink what is in this article isnot true or not happening inour organization, but I havebeen surprised at how often itis happening. I encourage eve-ryone to go for certificationof some sort because it willprovide you with some veryimportant tools to survive intough labour and financialtimes. You just need to turnthe tree upside down and letsome of the sunshine get tothe bottom.

Continued From Page 4

Let The Sun Shine In

Green Seal certified products are in-creasingly being used in schools, andmore and more cleaning chemicalsare demonstrating that they contrib-ute to health and environmentalproblems. Updating the Green Seal

standard for the cleaners used in schools and otherinstitutional settings (GS-37) involved carefulconsideration of vulnerable populations’ needs.Given the significance of GS-37 and the contro-versy that surrounds all chemical restrictions,Green Seal anticipated that consensus might notbe achieved in its Scope of Work issued to allstakeholders early in the 21-month-long proc-ess. Early documents in the revision processalso set out the rationale for special consid-eration of children, in particular, because oftheir sensitivity to chemical exposures and themany ways in which they may be affected dur-

tionable chemicals – it is also inappropriate forprotecting vulnerable populations that are notconsidered in standard risk assessment meth-odologies. Even though some trade associationsoppose the viewpoint on using a hazard-based (vs.risk assessment) approach to protect vulnerablepopulations, other stakeholders fully supportedthis approach, and yet others felt that potentiallymore could be done. As a result, the ballot wasnearly split, with only a few specific issues withsustained opposition. It was Green Seal’s task, sup-ported by RESOLVE and the Stakeholder andExecutive Committees, to sort through these dif-fering viewpoints and the available science to cre-ate a strengthened standard that would ensure theprotection of vulnerable populations and the en-vironment.

While Green Seal strived to reach consensusand took reasonable efforts to achieve consensus,

Green Seal StandsBehind Revised GS-37

ing their developmentalstages.

Green Seal strictly adheredto the ISO standard that gov-erns such standard develop-ment: ISO 14020 Environmen-tal labels and declarations –General principles, and ISO14024 Environmental labelsand declarations: Type I envi-ronmental labelling – Princi-ples and procedures.

The process to develop theGS-37 standard was open andtransparent. All interested par-ties were allowed to participate

it was long recognized that itis difficult to do so for environ-mental leadership standardsthat, by definition, exclude themajority of products in a mar-ket and potentially a numberof manufacturers that cannotmeet the standard. It is there-fore no coincidence that seventrade associations object to thestandard, as they are consti-tuted to uphold the interests ofall their members and mem-bers’ products.

“With the extensive and in-tensive process involved in re-

in the public review period and given severalopportunities to register as a stakeholder for moreactive involvement throughout the process.Project progress and discussion were continuallyaccessible through several electronic means (e.g.Web site, on-line forum, and e-mail). Discussionswere also conducted through teleconferenceswith open participation. In addition, draft lan-guage on specific issues was provided to inter-ested parties to further enable discussions.

The ISO standards also require that the cri-teria of an ecolabeling standard be based onsound scientific and engineering principles,and be derived from data that support theclaim of environmental preferability. The GS-37 revision process provided a clear rationalefor each criterion in all the support docu-ments. It was recognized that a conventionalrisk assessment approach is not sufficient foran environmental leadership standard –which attempts to promote the safest alterna-tives, not to set so-called safe limits for ques-

vising GS-37, one could fairly say that Green Sealwent above and beyond their requirement, and,in fact, made extraordinary efforts to achieve con-sensus,” said Dr. Arthur B. Weissman, presidentand CEO of Green Seal Inc.

In the final analysis, the success of the revisionof GS-37 will be measured by the extent to whichit changes the market of cleaning products to makethem more protective of human health, includ-ing vulnerable populations such as children, andthe environment.

“We regret that some are unable to supportthe revised GS-37 (but), we trust that governmentagencies that are charged with protecting thehealth of their citizens will choose to support astandard that protects the rights of children overthe rights of chemicals,” Dr. Weissman said. “(We)anticipate that many progressive manufacturerswill see the benefit of conforming with a leader-ship standard that promotes more sustainablecleaning products that will ensure a healthier,cleaner environment for all.”

The Leadership Standard forIndustrial and Institutional Cleaners

INDUSTRY STANDARDS

G

... the success of therevision of GS-37 will bemeasured by the extentto which it changes the

market of cleaningproducts to make them

more protective ofhuman health, includingvulnerable populations

such as children, and theenvironment.

CLEAN BC - NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2008 7Visit us on-line at wwww.cleanbc.com

SPECIAL FEATURE

The winter months, justaround the corner, can be toughfor the professional cleaning in-dustry. Snow, rain and sleet canplay havoc on building floors andcarpets.

For carpet cleaners, their busi-ness can come to a virtual stopduring the cold winter months.This is because outdoor condi-tions, and their impact on the in-door environment, can be so badthat facility managers believe it issimply not worth it to clean car-pets or strip and refinish floors.After all, they think they will justget quickly resoiled and need tobe recleaned.

This places an even greater bur-den on cleaning professionals. Ascarpets and floors become dirty,facility managers ask more ofcleaning crews to do whateverthey can to keep the unsightly

Keeping UpAppearances

soiling to a minimum. Added tothis burden is the fact that thewinter’s grit, dirt and contami-nants are not only deposited onfloors but become airborne aswell, ending up on desks,counters, and surfaces high andlow throughout the building.

It is estimated that for every1000 people walking into a school,for example, as much as 10 poundsof soil is walked in as well. Fur-ther, it is estimated that it costsabout $750 to remove one poundof dirt from a facility. With morethan 5.3 million school age stu-dents, you see how quickly thisamount of traffic – along withsoiling and cleaning costs – canaccumulate. This means thatthese facilities will need moredusting and vacuuming duringthe winter months, all requiringmore time – and adding to theworkload – of cleaning profes-sionals.

And winter’s cleaning burdendoes not fall just on cleaning pro-

fessionals. It costs facility manag-ers money as well. When carpetcleaning is delayed, for instance,it harms carpet fibres causing ex-pensive carpeting to wear outsooner and need replacement. Themore grit and grime walked on tofloors, the more work and timeto scrub, strip and refinish will berequired when warmer monthsreturn.

The White Knight on the FloorAlthough winter presents

many challenges for cleaning pro-fessionals and the managers of fa-cilities, we do not need to becomevictims of its cleaning wrath. Be-cause the problem centres aroundthe soil collected on the bottomof shoes, steps taken to remove orprevent this oil from entering thefacility can help minimize the soil-ing and harm to carpets and floors,as well as reduce the workload ofcleaning professionals.

In some countries they do this

By PATRICE DUMAS,Vice President Sales & Marketing,

Mat Tech

Continued On Page 8

8 CLEAN BC - NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2008 Visit us on-line at wwww.cleanbc.com

Continued From Page 7

Continued From Page 5

The Green Cleaning Movementin the Foodservice Industryoperating properly, inspect forand repair leaks on a monthlybasis, do not run water longerthan necessary.

• Recycling andComposting – Recycling serv-ices exist for many waste prod-ucts such as glass, plastic, met-als, cardboard, mixed paper,grease, ink and toner car-tridges. Food waste can be di-verted from landfills and madeinto nutrient rich soil throughthe use of a composting serv-ice or an on-site system.

• Sustainable Food – Sus-tainable food products supportthe long-term maintenance ofecosystems and agriculture forfuture generations. Organicagriculture prohibits the use oftoxic synthetic pesticides andfertilizers, irradiation, sewagesludge and genetic engineering.Locally grown foods reducethe amount of pollution asso-ciated with transportation pri-marily by fossil fuels. Plant-based foods require fewer natu-ral resources and create lesspollution per calorie con-sumed.

• Recycled, Tree-Free, Bio-degradable and Organic Prod-ucts – Recycled products aremade from materials that arecollected from post-consumeror post-industrial wastesources. Tree-free products aremade from alternative plantsources such as hemp or kenaf.Biodegradable products are ca-pable of being decomposed bybiological agents, especiallybacteria. Organic products aregrown without the use of toxicsynthetic pesticides and fertiliz-ers, irradiation, sewage sludgeand genetic engineering.

• Chlorine-Free PaperProducts – Chlorine-free paperproducts are unbleached orwhitened with alternativessuch as hydrogen peroxide,oxygen and ozone. The termProcess Chlorine-Free (PCF)identifies recycled paper thatis unbleached or bleachedwithout the use of chlorinecompounds. The term To-tally Chlorine-Free (TCF)identifies virgin paper that isunbleached or bleached withthe use of chlorine com-pounds. The terms Elemen-tal Chlorine-Free (ECF) iden-tifies paper that is bleached

without the use of elementalchlorine (but may use chlorinecompounds).

The Impact of Going GreenThe use of green cleaning

products, sustainable food,coupled with other proactivemeasures to reduce energy andwater use, will undoubtedlyhave a positive impact on yourhealth, the health of your em-ployees and customers, as wellas on the environment. Wheneach of us takes on the respon-sibility of switching to greencleaning and implementingother green practices, we canmake an enormous improve-ment to our surrounding en-vironment.

Taking steps towards be-coming a green restaurant willpay off in a number of ways:First, you will differentiateyour business as one commit-ted to sustainability. Second,you will improve the workingand dining environment foremployees and customers.Third, cost savings will comefrom reduced energy and wa-ter use. Most of all, your ac-tions will have an impact onsustaining the environment forfuture generations. When youtake these proactive measuresat home, you are making a dif-ference. However, when youtake them with your business,you are multiplying the im-pact by the number of custom-ers you serve each day.

The greening of restaurantand food service operations isa new concept that will con-tinue to find wider acceptancein the future. The time tobring cutting edge conceptsand processes to your organi-zation is now. Start by educat-ing yourself about the processof going green and the re-sources that are available tohelp you. Continue the proc-ess by educating others aboutthe benefits of environmen-tal awareness and steward-ship, and how common senseprincipals can be applied inyour organization and thefood service industry as awhole.

in a simple way: they removetheir shoes at the door. This iscommon in Japan, Thailand, theCzech Republic and Sweden. Insome New England states in theUnited States, hospitals and otherlarge public facilities once had‘mud rooms’ where building us-ers could take off and leave theirboots and galoshes. Mud roomsserved as a barrier between theoutside and the inside of the facil-ity, preventing soils from beingwalked into the facility.

Although still common inhouses, few public facilities havemud rooms any longer. Insteadthey now turn to high-perform-ance matting systems to minimizethe amount of soil and contami-nants brought in from the outside.It is estimated that these mats,made using state-of-the-art tech-nologies, can trap and capture 70to 80 per cent of the soil on shoebottoms, a significant reductionthat helps keep facilities clean.

What Are High-Performance Mats?Many facilities, unaware of the

importance of matting systems,rent mats or purchase low-per-forming mats, often at big-boxstores. Although these mats canhelp reduce the amount of soilingin a facility, they are not engi-neered to trap anything near 80per cent of shoe bottom contami-nants. Additionally, these “stand-ard” mats often require frequentcleaning, and this, along with thefact that they are not designed tohave a long performance life, re-sults in frequent replacement. Al-though they may cost less to pur-chase initially, astute facility man-agers soon realize they are not costeffective in the long run.

High-performance mats areengineered to be more effective atstopping soil at the door as wellas to last for an extended periodof time. One way they do this isthrough dual-level construction.With this system, soil, moistureand other outdoor contaminantsare stored below shoe level, whichprevents them from being trans-ferred into a building. Mats with-out this construction can flattenout over time, and as soil is de-posited on these mats, it can re-attach to the shoe and be trackedinto the facility, completely de-feating the purpose.

These mats may cost morethan the standard mats mentionedearlier. However, a look at theirwarranties shows how cost effec-tive a high-performance matting

system can be. A standard or low-performing mat may have a war-ranty as short as three months,while a high-performing mattingsystem may have a warranty thatextends as much as six years. Thisalso makes them more sustainable,reducing the amount of cleaning-related waste deposited inlandfills.

The Rule of 15High-performance mats are

most effective as a system, usingthree different types of mats ofapproximately five feet each –scrapers, wiper/scrapers andwiper mats. These work togetherto prevent contaminants fromentering a facility. This is referredto as the Rule of 15:

• Five feet of scraper mats areplaced outdoors to trap as muchas 50 per cent of all soils and con-taminants from entering a facility.

• This is followed by five feetof wiper/scraper mats, typicallyplaced in a vestibule betweendoors or directly inside a facilityto gather dust and debris not cap-

tured outdoors.• Wiper mats, again five feet

long, are often referred to as the‘final line of defense’ and are de-signed to capture any remainingsoils and contaminants.

The system is so effective it hasbecome an integral part of Greencleaning. Many Green cleaningexperts say they are about the bestsource-reduction strategy avail-able to help keep soils outside.Often they suggest even morethan 15 feet of matting be placedat key door entries.

There is little we can do aboutthe weather, but fortunately, withhigh-performance matting sys-tems, there are things we can doto help keep contaminants fromentering a building no matterwhat time of year it is. As winterapproaches, cleaning contractorsshould suggest that their clientsinvest in these more effective mat-ting systems. Cleaning and relatedcosts as well as workloads may bereduced, and it makes contractorsa more vital part of their custom-ers’ building operations.

Keeping Up Appearances

(1) Carpets absorb dustfrom soiled shoes and can be-come breeding grounds fordust mites, causing asthma andallergies.

(2) On hard-surface floors,dust from soiled shoes will notbe absorbed, will become air-borne, and can be inhaled bybuilding occupants.

(3) Clean shoe bottoms arehealthier for a facility, whetherthe soil remains trapped in car-pets or becomes airborne.

(4) Keeping shoe bottomsclean reduces cleaning needsand costs.

(5) If shoe bottoms areclean, carpets last longer, andhard-surface floors do not needto be scrubbed, stripped or

refinished as frequently.(6) Dirty shoe bottoms can

scratch floors and stain carpets,creating a dingy appearance.

(7) Common soils on shoebottoms, which can be trans-ferred to floors and carpets,include oil, chemicals and pes-ticides, fertilizers, animal excre-ment, gum, soiled water andasphalt.

(8) Soiled shoes can makefloors slippery, increasing thechances for a slip and fall.

(9) Keeping shoe bottomsclean increases the life span ofthe shoes themselves.

(10) If your shoe bottomsare clean, you don’t have toapologize for staining some-one’s carpet.

Ten Reasons to KeepShoe Bottoms Clean

Many facilities... rent mats or purchaselow-performing mats, often at big-box stores.Although these mats can help reducethe amount of soiling, they are not engineeredto trap anything near 80 per cent ofshoe contaminants.

(1) Restaurants & Institutions, Sep. 1, 2007. Spe-cial Report: Green and Growing, www.rimag.com/archives/2007/09/going-green.asp.

(2) Cleaning Consultant Services Inc., GreeningYour Restaurant (2005). Wm. R. Griffin, President.

CLEAN BC - NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2008 9Visit us on-line at wwww.cleanbc.com

GREEN TOTHE CORE

1-800-665-5610www.krugerproducts.com/afh

From our recycled productsand packaging, to being one ofthe largest recyclers in NorthAmerica, green thinking is anintegral part of all we do atKruger. No matter which of ourGreenQuality™ products youchoose, you can be confidentthat they were produced with a strong commitment to theenvironment, made with thequality you’ve come to expect.

neutral detergent products that have differentprices per four litre jug and also have differentdilution ratios. Since you have 20 employees eachusing four, 10 litre bucketsful-per-day you needto know the ‘in use’ cost per litre and multiplythat by the number of bucketsful used per year.Figure Two shows the formula.

The devastating events of October 2008 haveleft the stock market and the banking system reel-ing. The Canadian dollar is down to below 80 centsand gasoline prices are still at depressing levels.Meanwhile, cleaning service providers wait to seehow these events will affect their operations.

Energy prices impact the prices of most prod-ucts used in our industry and this, with the down-turn in the economy that is likely for a year ormore, will put pressure on both in-house andcontract cleaning operations to be as efficient aspossible.

When outsiders look at cleaning services, theytend to see them as mop and pail organizationshaving few, if any, significant financial issues toconsider. We, in the industry, know that the op-posite is true, cleaning is a mathematical opera-tion and in order to be successful, you have to dothe math – and do it right!

Every part of a cleaning service involves math-ematical calculations that, if ignored, will lead toproblems. Some may be minor – such as short-ages of supplies (although, to the client, a short-age of restroom supplies is a major issue) – andsome major resulting in business failures or stafflay-offs. Effective cleaning management startswith the basic formula (Figure One).

IN THE FIELD

Colin Butterfield

Do TheNumbers:

Continued On Page 10

The Mathematics of Cleaning

Choosing or justifying equipment such as anautoscrubber or propane burnisher involves com-paring the productivity of the machine versus themethod you currently use, multiplied by the areabeing cleaned or burnished multiplied by thenumber of times the work is done in a year allmultiplied by your current labour cost. Produc-tivity data is available from ISSA (ask youjanitorial supplier for a copy). A typical calcula-tion to identify the potential savings achieved bythe purchase of more efficient equipment is illus-trated in Figure Five.

Compare this with the annual cost using yourpresent method – e.g. mop and bucket. (FigureSix).

(You can also use this formula to compare twosimilar pieces of equipment e.g. a 20- and 24-inch

Labour Cost includes all overhead costs forbenefits, absence relief, tools, equipment and su-pervision, (dollars per hour).

Cost of materials delivered to the site, neededto do the task.

Task time in hours and minutes to performthe task.

Frequency is how often the task is done peryear.

Area is the size of the area being cleaned, insquare feet or square metres.

Virtually all other calculations in the cleaningindustry are done to provide the data for thisformula.

Dilution rates are intended to ensure thatenough product is used to provide adequate clean-ing. Guesswork such as the “glug glug” methodwastes product, money and time. Additionally,in areas where water is soft, dilution rates shouldbe increased by as much as 50 per cent as manu-facturers dilution rates are established for thehardest water likely to be found.

For example, you need to choose between two

For floor finishes and sealers, there are twotypes of calculations.

To get the cost per 1000 sq. feet or cost per100 sq. metres, you need to compare coveragerates. See the formula in Figure Three.

To decide how many pails to ship to the jobsite, you need to compare the coverage per 20litre pail of each product multiplied by thenumber of coats needed and the area being coated.This is important because if you ship too few,time is lost waiting for location instead of beingin your store room ready for the next job. Seethe formula in Figure Four.

10 CLEAN BC - NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2008 Visit us on-line at wwww.cleanbc.com

SurfactantsContinued From Page 2

is intended to be used, it shouldhave good cleaning performance,since all studies to support thecontribution of cleaning agentshave been generated using deter-gent with decent cleaning per-formance. Cleaning performancecomes mostly from the contribu-tion of surfactants used in the for-mulation. If surfactants are re-moved from a detergent formula-tion, the wetting capability and,consequently, cleaning perform-ance decrease significantly. Thiswill result in the product beingineffective for use as a detergent.

Microbial resistance:Recently, studying bacterial

adaptation and resistance to anti-septics and disinfectants has hadconsiderable interest14. This is dueto the fact that there is not enoughknowledge in this field where asthe resistance to antibiotics has

been well studied15. Understand-ing the microbial resistance to dif-ferent types of biocides and po-tential cross-resistance can be veryhelpful in reducing usage of po-tential resistance developers, andconsequently to decrease the riskfor developing more resistant bac-teria in our environment. In gen-eral, the mechanism of bacterialresistance to biocides is essentiallyof two types - Intrinsic and Ac-quired15.

• Intrinsic resistance is thenatural, chromosomally control-led property of a bacterial cell thatenables it to circumvent the actionof a biocide. It is most commonlyfound in gram-negative bacteria,in mycobacteria and in bacterialspores. Additionally, physiologi-cal (phenotypic) adaptation is con-sidered to alter the intrinsic resist-ance of bacteria – e.g. of cells con-tained within a biofilm16.

• Acquired resistance to bio-cides results from genetic changesin a cell and arises either by muta-tion or by acquisition of geneticmaterial from another cell15. Ac-quired, resistance to biocides canresult when bacteria are exposedto gradually increasing concentra-tions of a biocide. Examples areprovided by highly QAC resist-ance Serratia marcescens, andchlorhexidine-resistant E.coli,P.mirabilis, P.aeruginosa and S.marcescens17,18.

Resistance development to biocides:The association between

chronic sublethal exposure tobacterial monocultures to bio-cides and changes in susceptibil-ity to both the biocides and anti-biotics has been demonstrated un-equivocally in the laboratory19.Such phenomenon has not yetbeen demonstrated any rel-

(1) Part A: Properties. In: Broze G, editor. Handbook of De-tergents New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc.

(2) Ascarateil S, Dupuis L. Surfactants in vaccine adjuvants:description and perspectives. Vaccine 2006 4/12;24(Sup-plement 2):S83-S85.

(3) Haitsma JJ, Lachmann U, Lachmann B. Exogenous sur-factant as a drug delivery agent. Advanced Drug DeliveryReviews 2001 4/25;47(2-3):197-207.

(4) McDonald CL, Ainsworth SB. An update on the use ofsurfactant in neonates. Current Paediatrics 20048;14(4):284-289.

(5) Robertson B, Johansson J, Curstedt T. Syntheticsurfactants to treat neonatal lung disease. Molecular Medi-cine Today 2000 3/1;6(3):119-124.

(6) Bissinger RL, Carlson CA. Surfactant. Newborn and In-fant Nursing Reviews 2006 6;6(2):87-93.

(7) Yapicioglu H, Yildizdas D, Bayram I, Sertdemir T, YilmasHL. The use of surfactant in children with acute respiratorydistress syndrome: efficacy in terms of oxygenation, ventila-tion and mortality. Pulmonary Pharmacology & Therapeu-tics 2003 12;16(6):327-333.

(8) Russell AD, Hugo WB, Ayliffe JA. Principles and Practiceof Disinfection, Preservation and Sterilization. 3rd ed. Ox-ford: Blackwell Scientific Publications; 1999.

(9) Yoshimura K. Biodegradation and fish toxicity of nonionicsurfactants. J.Am.Oil Chem.Soc. 1986 12/08;63(12):1590-1596.

(10) Comber M. H. I., De Wolf W., Cavalli L., Van Egmond R.,Steber J., Tattersfield L., et al. Assessment ofbioconcentration and secondary poisoning of surfactants.Chemosphere 2003;52(1):23-32.

(11) Committee for veterinary medicinal products, linear alkylbenzene sulfonic acids, summary report, EMEA/MRL/755/00-FINAL. European Medicines Agency, Veterinary Medicinesand Inspections July 2000.

(12) Rutala WA, Weber DJ. The benefits of surface disinfec-tion. American Journal of Infection Control 20046;32(4):226-231.

(13) Spaulding EH. Chemical disinfection of medical andsurgical materials. In: Lawrence C, Block SS, editors. Disin-fection, sterilization, and preservation Philadelphia (PA): Lea& Febiger; 1968. p. 517-531.

(14) Russell AD. Bacterial adaptation and resistance to anti-septics, disinfectants and preservatives is not a new phe-nomenon. Journal of Hospital Infection 2004 6;57(2):97-104.

(15) Russell AD. Mechanisms of bacterial resistance to bio-cides. International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation 19950;36(3-4):247-265.

(16) Brown MRW, Gillbert P. Sensitivity of biofilms to antimi-crobial agents. J. Appl. Bacteriol.Symp. 1993;74(Suppl.):87S-97S.

(17) Prince HN, Nonemaker WS, Norgard RC, Prince DL. Drugresistance studies with topical antiseptics. J.Pharm.Sci. 1978Nov;67(11):1629-1631.

(18) Fitzgerald KA, Davies A, Russell AD. Sensitivity and re-sistance of Escherichia coli and staphylococcus aureus tochlorohexidine. Lett. Appl. Microbiol. 1992;14:33-36.

(19) Gilbert P, McBain AJ. Potential Impact of Increased Useof Biocides in Consumer Products on Prevalence of Antibi-otic Resistance. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 2003 April 1;16(2):189-208.

(20) Russell AD, McDonnell G. Concentration: a major fac-tor in studying biocidal action. Journal of Hospital Infection2000 1;44(1):1-3.

(21) Nakahara H, Kozukue H. Chlorohexidine resistance inEscherichia coli isolated from clinical lesions. Zentralbl.Bakteriol. Mikrobiol. Hyg. 1983;251:178-184.

(22) Moug EL, Rogers TDT, Furr JR, El-Falaha BMA, RussellAD. Antiseptic-induced changes in the cell surface of achlorohexidine-sensitive and a chlorohexidine resistant strainof Providencia sttuartii. J.Antimicrob. Chemother.1985;16:685-689.

(23) Freney J, Husson MO, Gavini F, Madier S, Martra A, IzardD, et al. Susceptibilities to antibiotics and antiseptics of newspecies of the family Enterobacteriaceae. Antimicrob. AgentsChemother. 1988 June 1;32(6):873-876.

(24) Martró E, Hernández A, Ariza J, Domínguez MA, MatasL, Argerich MJ, et al. Assessment of Acinetobacter baumanniisusceptibility to antiseptics and disinfectants. Journal ofHospital Infection 2003 9;55(1):39-46.

(25) Maillard JY. Bacterial target sites for biocide action. Jour-nal of applied microbiology symposium2002;92(supplement):16S-27S.

(26) Regos J, Hitz HR. Investigations on the mode of actionof triclosan, a broad spectrum antimicrobial agent.Zentralblatt fur bakteriologie ang hygiene. Zentralblatt furbakteriologie ang hygiene, 1974;226:390-401.

(27) Hobson DW, Seal LA. Handwashing: technology ad-vancements for a new millennium. Infect. Cont. Today1999;May:22-34.

References

CLEAN BC - NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2008 11Visit us on-line at wwww.cleanbc.com

The Mathematics of Cleaning

evance to the real world19. If theincreasing use of antibacterialagents within consumer productsis likely to impact antibiotic re-sistance within the home, similareffects should already be apparentin clinical and hospital settings19.

Minimum inhibitory concen-trations (MICs) have been usedto evaluate the emergence ofbiocide resistance in bacteria.However, the possibility of fail-ure to achieve the disinfectionstandard because of elevatedMICs is debatable since signifi-cantly higher concentrations areused in practice20. Studies carriedout with biocides in their uselevel, demonstrate that thereisn’t less susceptibility to usedilutions of biocides against thebacteria with elevated susceptibil-ity in MIC level121-23.

Arguably, such studies supportthe view that antiseptic use inhospitals does not contribute tothe biocide susceptibilities ofenterococcal isolates. Additionally,studies conducted on the suscep-tibility of antiobiotic-resistantbacteria showed that there was nocorrelation between resistance toantibiotics and a decreased suscep-tibility to antiseptics or disinfect-ants24. This seems to be due to thebiocidal concentration factor. Bio-cidal concentration is a key fac-tor in biocidal activity20. Most bio-cide formulations contain highconcentrations of active agents toachieve an optimal, broad-spec-

trum activity for direct use on aninanimate surface, skin and inwater25. The mechanism of actionfor biocides in their MIC and intheir disinfection concentrationsis different26. It is generally ac-cepted that most biocides, at highconcentrations, act in a non-spe-cific way 25. This seems to be veryrelevant especially for oxidizers.Since selection or transfer of de-terminants for reduced suscepti-bility will only apply to biocideswhich have selective target sites,it seems unlikely (although notimpossible) that it could occurwith chemically reactive agentssuch as oxygen-releasing agents19,or with solvent molecules such asalcohols27. This likelihood is fur-ther reduced by the fact that theseagents are unstable or volatile, anddo not persist in the environmentin an active form19.

Non-ionic surfactants have noantimicrobial activity8 and there-fore no acquired microbial resist-ance would be developed forthem. Anionic surfactants havevery low antimicrobial activityonly in acidic solution, and do nothave any residual activity, andtherefore microorganismswould not develop any resist-ance against them. As per theauthors’ knowledge, there is nostudy available to support thehypothesis that non-ionic oranionic surfactants cause micro-bial resistance.

In summary, the mechanism

of resistance to chemical germi-cides is often dependent on theconcentration of the germicide.At high concentrations multiplestructural and metabolic targetsare involved, and at low concen-trations fewer targets are en-tailed8. On the other hand, someof these disinfectants, such aschlorine, have been around fora long time. Based on the cur-rent evidence, it seems that in-trinsic and acquired antimicro-bial resistance occurring in re-sponse to biocide exposure isnot a significant problem, perse19.

Concluding remarksSurfactants are a large class of

chemicals and have differentphysical, chemical and toxicityproperties. Some, like quater-nary ammonium compounds(cationic surfactants), have mi-crobial activity where asnonionics do not provide micro-bial activity. Some includingalkyl phenol ethoxylates aretoxic to aquatic life, and notenvironmentally favourablewhile others, such as LAS andAE, are readily biodegradableand do not accumulate in theenvironment.

That said, the responsibilityremains on the shoulders of theproduct manufacturers to de-velop products which have abalance in their performanceand environmental profile.

machine to see whether going bigger is justified foryour facility). The ISSA times are quite extensiveand are based on average effort and real life produc-tivity. It’s possible to compare dust mopping withsweeping and with vacuuming, or spray buffing withburnishing as well as window cleaning with differ-ent methods. At last count there were 447 standardtimes in the handbook and more are being addedeach year.

In addition to the ISSA times there are task timespublished by APPA dealing with the cleaning ofspecific area types, such as classrooms, showerrooms, corridors, stairwells, offices, laboratories anda range of room types with different floor finishes.APPA developed a cleaning standard incorporatingtimes and frequencies needed to achieve a range ofquality levels and published the data in “CustodialStaffing Guidelines for Educational Facilities.” TheAPPA standards have been adopted by the U.S.Green Building Council for LEED Building stand-ards and are extremely useful for planning and justi-fying staffing levels.

Absenteeism versus inefficiency: Much effort isinvolved in attendance management programs de-signed to reduce absenteeism with the aim of reduc-ing labour costs. There will always be a minimum

level of absenteeism with the aim of reducing la-bour costs. There will always be a minimum levelof absenteeism due to illness or injury that no pro-gram will reduce although chronic attendance abus-ers should always be targeted. If as much effort wasapplied to efficient time management on the job asthere is to absence management, the labour savingswould be very significant. For example.

For a staff of 100 with an absence average of sevendays per year, the time loss is 7 x 100 x 7.5 hours…5250 hours per year.

For a staff of 100 with time loss of 15 minuteseach per day due to extended breaks and late startsor inefficient assignments, the time loss is:100 x 260 x 15 …6500 hours per year60

In discussions with custodial managers over sev-eral years, I’ve found that the typical time loss ismore like one hour per day, now that really is anopportunity for cost reduction that should be ad-dressed.

Simple calculator tools for the formulas listedabove will save readers time and frustration. Theyare available to use (at no cost) on our web site atwww.groupb.ca/Services.html click on ‘SupervisorsToolkit’. In the tight times that we are facing usingguesswork is not a wise practice. Also, it’s always agood idea to remind your administration that there’smuch more to custodial management than a mopand a bucket.

Continued From Page 9

12 CLEAN BC - NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2008

ACME SUPPLIES LTD.Robin Impett2311 Government St.Victoria, BC V8T 4P4Tel: (250) 383-8822Fax: (250) 381-0822E-mail: info@acmesupplies.caWeb Site: www.acmesuppliesltd.com

ADVANTAGE MAINT. PROD. LTD./PACIFIC COAST WHOLESALETom James8128 Winston St.Burnaby, BC V5A 2H5Tel: (604) 606-8623Fax: (604) 606-9023tomj@pacificcoastadvantage.comWeb Site: www.advantagemaint.com

ATLAS GRAHAM INDUSTRIES CO. LTD.Scott Gander34963 Edgeview PlaceAbbotsford, BC V2S 7R8Tel: (604) 996-7268Fax: (604) 854-8180E-mail: sgander@shaw.caWeb Site: www.ag.ca

AVMOR GROUP (THE)David Travis20791 - 99 Ave.Surrey, BC V3V 2N2Tel: (604) 561-3560Fax: (604) 580-2571E-mail: dtravis@avmor.comWeb Site: www.avmor.com

BC CONTRACT CLEANERSASSOCIATIONDonna TraynorP.O. Box 50131 South Slope RPOBurnaby, BC V5J 3G3Tel: (604) 542-9813E-mail: info@bccca.ca

BUNZL CANADA INC.Clive Sands8219 River WayDelta, BC V4G 1G9Tel: (604) 946-8884Fax: (888) 661-6433E-mail: clive.sands@bunzlcanada.caWeb Site: www.bunzldistribution.com

BUSY BEE SANITARY SUPPLIES INC.Michelle Lupul1 – 2260 Hunter Rd.Kelowna, BC V1X 7J8Tel: (250) 861-6685Fax: (250) 861-6634E-mail: kelowna@busy-bee.caWeb Site: www.busy-bee.ca

BUTCHER COMPANY (THE)Keith Hosking#66 – 3500 144 StreetSurrey, BC V4P 3J6Tel: (778) 229-3101Fax: (604) 536-8023keith.hosking@johnsondiversey.comWeb Site: www.butchers.com

CASCADES TISSUE GROUPIan Covey8988 HudsonVancouver, BC V6P 6Z1Tel: (604) 263-6560Head Office: (800) 361-4070ian_covey@cascades.comwww.cascades.com

COMPLETE CLEANING SUPPLIES LTD.Jim Sblendorio#207 – 17665 66A Ave.Surrey, BC V3S 2A7Tel: (604) 576-2292Fax: (604) 576-2922E-mail: jvscomplete@telus.net

DEB CANADAJim Gardner#6 – 19141 – 124 AvenuePitt Meadows, BC V3Y 2V6Tel: (604) 644-2095Fax: (604) 465-4196E-mail: jgardner@debcanada.comWeb Site: www.debcanada.com

ENTERPRISE PAPER CO. LTD.David Leeson95 Brigantine Dr.Coquitlam, BC V3K 6Y9Tel: (604) 522-6295Fax: (604) 522-6297dleeson@enterprisepaper.comWeb Site: www.enterprisepaper.com

EXPANDED TECHNOLOGIESMike Moonie1461 River St.Kamloops, BC V2C 1Z1Tel: (250) 374-1948Fax: (250) 374-2440E-mail: sales@cleanway.ca

FLYTE ENTERPRISES LTD.Theresa ChevalierSte. 112, 31018 Peardonville Rd.Abbotsford, BC V2T 6K5Tel: (604) 850-8508Fax: (604) 855-4804E-mail: info@flyteenterprises.comWeb Site: www.FlyteEnterprises.com

GROUP B SERVICES LTD.Colin Butterfield2689 MacDonald Dr. E.Victoria, BC V8N 1Y1Tel: (250) 886-7663E-mail: info@groupb.caWeb Site: www.groupb.ca

HENDERSON MATSStephen Henderson#132 – 1585 Broadway St.Port Coquitlam, BC V3C 2M7Tel: (604) 472-1699Fax: (604) 472-1629E-mail: steveh@hendersonmat.comWeb Site: www.hendersonmat.com

INTERNATIONAL PACIFIC SALESGarry Weir22111 Fraserwood WayRichmond, BC V6W 1J5Tel: (780) 642-1306E-mail: garry@intlpac.comwww.internationalpacificsales.com

JANITORS’ WAREHOUSEDISTRIBUTORS INC.Gerry Arnold100 SW Marine Dr.Vancouver, BC V5X 2R1Tel: (604) 327-1101Fax: (604) 327-7602E-mail: info@janitors-warehouse.ca

KRUGER PRODUCTS LTD.Kathy Burfield1625 - 5th Ave.New Westminster, BC V3M 1Z7Tel: (604) 528-4534Fax: (604) 522-0296kathy_burfield@krugerproducts.caWeb Site: www.krugerproducts.ca

M-CHEM TECHNOLOGIES INC.Gerry Arnold1607 Derwent WayDelta, BC V3M 6K8Tel: (604) 526-5655Fax: (604) 526-1618E-mail: info@mchem.com

MARINO MANUFACTURING LTD.Jim McIlhargey5633 Kilmore Cres.Surrey, BC V3S 7J8Tel: (604) 574-2877Fax: (604) 574-2878E-mail: jimm@marinomop.comWeb Site: www.marinomop.com

OSTREM CHEMICAL CO. LTD.Kenji Sawai#100 – 8149 River WayDelta, BC V4G 1L2Tel: (604) 940-8161Fax: (604) 940-8162E-mail: inquiries@ostrem.comWeb Site: www.ostrem.com

PAPERMAKE ENTERPRISES LTD.Borko Bua19028 - 27th Ave.Surrey, BC V3S 5T1Tel: (604) 536-7767Fax: (604) 537-8330E-mail: admin@papermake.comWeb Site: www.papermake.com

PLUS II SANITATION SUPPLIESGreg Sadowski5898 Trapp Ave., Unit 106 - 108Burnaby, BC V3N 5G4Tel: (604) 636-0512Fax: (604) 636-0515E-mail: admin@plus2sanitation.comWeb Site: www.plus2sanitation.com

R & J TRADING CO. LTD.Romney Shen#205 - 625 Park Cres.,New Westminster, BC V3L 5W4Tel: (604) 777-0890Fax: (604) 777-0895E-mail: romneyshen@randjtrading.comWeb Site: www.randjtrading.com

RECOCHEM (B.C.) INC.Sam Deguilo1745 Kingsway Ave.Port Coquitlam, BC V3C 4P2Tel: (604) 941-9404Fax: (604) 941-9984E-mail: sdeguilo@recochem.comWeb Site: www.recochem.com

REV SALES AND MARKETING INC.Rod Peacock505 – 8840 210 St.Langley, BC V1M 2Y2Tel: (604) 338-1849Fax: (604) 513-1811E-mail: rod@revsales.comWeb Site: www.revsales.com

RUBBERMAID CANADAJessica Sinclair#51 - 20449 66th Ave.Langley, BC V2Y 3C1Tel: (604) 532-0471Fax: (604) 532-0473jessica.sinclair@rubbermaid.comwww.rubbermaidcommercial.com

S.K. SANITARY SPECIALTIESKim Karpinka1841 Pandora St.Vancouver, BC V5L 1M4Tel: (604) 255-2220Fax: (604) 255-5655E-mail: info@sksanitary.comWeb Site: www.sksanitary.com

SIPCO INDUSTRIES LTD.Bob O’Keeffe7236 Wilson Ave.Delta, BC V4G 1H3Tel: (604) 940-9922Fax: (604) 940-9334E-mail: bobo@sipcobio.comWeb Site: www.sipcobio.com

THE JANITOR ROOMSUPPLY HOUSE LTD.Neena Jaura#4 – 7788 132 St.Surrey, BC V3W 0H5Tel: (604) 599-0449Fax: (604) 599-0439E-mail: info@janitorroom.comWeb Site: www.janitorroom.com

TRANSTAR SANITATION SUPPLY LTD.Don Wolfe3975 North Fraser WayBurnaby, BC V5J 5H9Tel: (604) 439-9585Fax: (604) 439-1267E-mail: transtar@uniserve.comWeb Site:www.transtarsanitationsupply.com

TREATED AIR SYSTEMS MFG. INC.Douglas Heselton6421 - 179 St.Surrey, BC V3S 7J9Tel: (604) 576-2912Fax: (604) 576-2912E-mail: info@treatedair.comWeb Site: www.treatedair.com

UNISOURCE CANADA INC.Brock Sands1425 Derwent Way, Annacis IslandNew Westminster, BC V3L 5A9Tel: (604) 520-7500Fax: (604) 520-7455E-mail: bsands@unisource.caWeb Site: www.unisource.ca

WESCLEAN EQUIPMENT &CLEANING SUPPLIES LTD.Mark Gunnlaugson#6 – 953 Laval Cres.Kamloops, BC V2C 5P4Tel: (250) 372-1714Fax: (250) 372-5535mgunnlaugson@wesclean.comWeb Site: www.wesclean.com

WESCLEAN EQUIPMENT &CLEANING SUPPLIES LTD.Andrew Bacon4082 McConnell CourtBurnaby, BC V5A 3L8Tel: (604) 421-7150Fax: (604) 421-2504E-mail: abacon@wesclean.comWeb Site: www.wesclean.com

WESCLEAN EQUIPMENT &CLEANING SUPPLIES LTD.Rod McLean220 Slater Rd.Cranbrook, BC V1C 5C8Tel: (250) 426-6816Fax: (250) 426-3353E-mail: rmclean@wesclean.comWeb Site: www.wesclean.com

WESCLEAN EQUIPMENT &CLEANING SUPPLIES LTD.Andrew Bacon#2, 6809 Kirkpatrick Cres.Saanichton, BC V8M 1Z8Tel: (250) 544-1280Fax: (250) 544-1290E-mail: abacon@wesclean.comWeb Site: www.wesclean.com

WESTERN PACIFIC PAPER LTD.Henry Reimer101 - 245 Fell Ave.North Vancouver, BC V7P 2K1Tel: (604) 980-0818Fax: (604) 980-0929E-mail: hreimer@westpacpaper.comWeb Site: www.westpacpaper.com

WOOD WYANT INC.Paul ZorkSuite 100 – 185 Golden Dr.Coquitlam, BC V3K 6T1Tel: (604) 945-7810Fax: (604) 945-7820E-mail: info@woodwyant.comWeb Site: www.woodwyant.com

XYNYTH MANUFACTURING CORP.Kevin Wice#122 – 3989 Henning Dr.Burnaby, BC V5C 6N5Tel: (800) 635-8423Fax: (604) 473-9399E-mail: sales@xynyth.comWeb Site: www.xynyth.com

ZEP MANUFACTURING CO. LTD.Denny Lewis1210 Cliveden Ave.Delta, BC V3M 6G4Tel: (604) 520-1148Fax: (604) 520-1194E-mail: denny.lewis@zepmfg.comWeb Site: www.zep.com

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