Consumer demand and demand from commercial customers have helped pressure companies like Ecolab, Procter & Gamble and The Clorox Company to green up their product lines. That is certainly good news for everyone. Meanwhile, many other smaller companies have come along to offer other green cleaning options. I have posted news about many of those products over the last few years. Type in “green cleaning” on the Green Lodging News website and 11 pages of articles are generated. It is great to have so many cleaning product choices.
This past week I wrote an article about cleaning products and equipment that rely almost solely on water for cleaning (click here for article). At first I was skeptical. Yes, hot water and a little elbow grease can make a difference in a dirty bathroom but it certainly cannot disinfect or deodorize, can it? The more I read about the new water-based products, however, the more I was convinced that they are certainly worth giving a try and they do have the potential to at least supplement and possibly even replace the more traditional green and not so green cleaning products you have been used to using.
How can water be an effective sanitizer? In the form of super-heated vapor (steam), water can be a very effective cleaner and kill bacteria and most other harmful pathogens. Unlike most cleaning products on the market, steam leaves no residue. In fact, steam cleaners will eliminate the residue from chemical cleaners used in the past, helping those guests and staff who are sensitive to chemicals. Vapor systems must be carted along from room to room but they are portable and easy to use.
‘Water’ in Spray Bottles
Of course steam cleaning is not practical for every area of a property. For areas requiring an even more portable, spray approach, there are spray bottle options. One company offers a spray bottle that includes a battery that applies an electric charge to tap water. It is this electric charge that converts the water into an ionized solution. It attracts dirt like a magnet and lifts it from the surface, enabling it to be easily wiped away. The ionized water both cleans and sanitizes.
Another spray bottle system also uses electricity but this time liquefied ozone is created. A stain remover and deodorizer that sanitizes while it works, it kills almost 100 percent of bacteria, 50 percent faster than chlorine bleach. After its job is done, it turns back into water and oxygen. Yet another spray bottle product uses highly alkalinized molecules of water with the pH of 12.6. Molecules of PH 12.6 bind with dirt particles to lift the dirt away from a soiled surface.
All of these water-based products offer tremendous environmental, public health and financial benefits. Cleaning personnel are no longer exposed to harmful chemicals or fumes. Guests with allergies no longer have to deal with residues. Indoor air quality is better. Chemicals or green cleaners do not have to be produced, packaged and transported. No harmful fluids are poured down the drain. Water is much less expensive and is an abundant resource.
During my time as publisher and editor of Green Lodging News, I have come across many products and technologies that are what I consider to be “no brainers.” Water-based cleaning products would certainly seem to fall into that category. If you have experience working with any of the water-based systems I have described, I would love to hear from you with your comments. I can be reached at (440) 243-2055 or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
More Certification Programs
In the last two weeks I have written about two more new green lodging certification programs—one for the Hocking Hills region of Ohio and one for Arizona. There is now a long list of states, cities and one region that have certification programs. To access that list, click here.
Advertising Opportunities in 2010
There are still some excellent Green Lodging News advertising opportunities available for 2010, including ad spots on the website and in the weekly e-newsletter. There are also many Green Supplier Spotlight dates available throughout the year. If your company has a product or products it would like to feature in Green Lodging News in 2010, be sure to contact me at (440) 243-2055, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com. The 2010 media kit is available by request or by clicking here. Thank you to all of those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.
Green Lodging News Blog & Twitter
Be sure to bookmark the Green Lodging News Blog in your browser. The address for the blog is http://greenlodgingnews.blogspot.com. More importantly, participate with your comments. Green Lodging News is also now on Twitter. To follow my postings, go to http://twitter.com/greenlodging. Be sure to add Green Lodging News to those tweets that you follow. Green Lodging News now has 402 Twitter followers.
As always, I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
