Home Cleaning & Maintenance

Cleaning & Maintenance

From the housekeeping department, where green cleaning is considered and implemented, to engineering, where mechanical systems are maintained and fine-tuned, hotel operators have implemented innovative products and processes to save energy and minimize the impact on the environment. Got news or a story idea to share? Contact Glenn Hasek, editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at: greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.

Cleaning & Maintenance

Home Cleaning & Maintenance
From the housekeeping department, where green cleaning is considered and implemented, to engineering, where mechanical systems are maintained and fine-tuned, hotel operators have implemented innovative products and processes to save energy and minimize the impact on the environment. Got news or a story idea to share? Contact Glenn Hasek, editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at: greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.

Green Lodging News Welcomes Better Living as Directory Partner

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Better Living as a Green Product Directory partner. Holiday Island, Ark.-based Better Living is a provider of U.S.-made Sun Aire Ductless Furnaces and Sun Aire Air Purifiers. The energy-efficient Ductless Furnace can heat an area of up to 500 square feet economically with clean, comfortable radiant heat. The Sun Aire Air Purifier safely eliminates airborne bacteria and viruses, mold spores, and pet/smoke/ammonia odors using a natural sunlight process. The purifiers are made from brushed stainless steel and include a lifetime/washable 0.5 micron pre-filter. They weigh just...

Read Cleaning Chemical Labels Before Using Them–Not After

A hotel housekeeper, ignoring the strong odors that filled the guestroom as she worked, always scrubbed the shower stalls with a commercial cleaner she had used for years. The housekeeper liked the product because it was powerful and effective, cutting her cleaning time considerably. However, one day she began coughing uncontrollably. It was then that she wondered if this “tried and true” product might be more harmful to her health than she ever thought. In addition, she realized that although she had read the directions on how to use the product, she never read anything more on the label such...

Ecolab’s 2006 Sustainability Report Details Company’s Environmental Stewardship Progress

ST. PAUL, MINN.—Ecolab Inc. has published its 2006 Sustainability Report, which details the corporation’s efforts in the areas of economic progress, environmental stewardship and social responsibility. It provides data on related activities for 2006. “Sustainability at Ecolab is much more than just a green product line,” says Bruce Cords, vice president of Environment, Food Safety and Public Health. “Sustainability is something we work to integrate into all that we do as part of our business development and daily practice.” Highlights of the report include: Continued advancements in research and development. From solid formulations to innovative packaging...

Noted Authors Introduce ‘Green Cleaning for Dummies’

BLOOMINGTON, IND.—Beginning this month, commercial or institutional cleaning executives will have no excuse for not starting a green cleaning program. That’s when ISSA will publish a special industry-specific edition of Green Cleaning for Dummies, written by industry experts Steve Ashkin and David Holly, which demystifies and simplifies the green cleaning process. “Setting up a green cleaning program is easier than people think,” says Ashkin, who has spent more than 25 years in the cleaning industry and the past 17 years advocating for environmentally preferable cleaning. “Based on our extensive experience greening the cleaning industry, we were able to...

NCL Introduces Earth Sense Floor Sealer/Finish

PHILADELPHIA—National Chemical Laboratories announces the introduction of Earth Sense Aspire Environmentally Responsible Metal-Free Floor Sealer/Finish. Aspire is certified by Green Seal under GS-40, along with the companion product Green Impact Environmentally Responsible Speed Stripper. Go to National Chemical Laboratories.

Hilton Portland & Executive Tower Earns Green Seal Certification

PORTLAND, ORE.—The ongoing efforts of the Hilton Portland & Executive Tower—one of the country’s first hotels to green its operations and the largest hotel in Oregon—have been recognized by Green Seal with the coveted Green Seal Lodging Properties certification (www.greenseal.org). Green Seal is a nonprofit organization that promotes the management, purchase and use of environmentally responsible products and services. In 2005, Hilton Portland & Executive Tower turned its attention to greening hotel operations. Recognizing the enormous consumption and dramatic impact of the hospitality industry on the planet, hotel management decided to take action to decrease its environmental footprint....

BedandBreakfast.com Offers Editor’s Picks for Top Eco-Friendly B&Bs

AUSTIN, TEXAS—Although travelers burn gas to get to their destinations, one answer to greener travel is to vacation by choosing an eco-friendly B&B. BedandBreakfast.com innkeepers are moving toward greener getaways by investing in earth-friendly practices to ensure guests the finest in eco-escapes. BedandBreakfast.com currently lists more than 35 earth-friendly special packages. Listed in alphabetical order by state, here are some examples of green packages offered by BedandBreakfast.com members. Strawberry Creek B&B, Idyllwild, Calif.: Relax on soft, cotton-like hammocks made from recycled soda bottles. This inn’s tranquil wooded setting is certified by the National Wildlife Federation as an...

Allergy-Friendly Hotel Room Concept Making Industry Inroads

NATIONAL REPORT—When the first loft-style NYLO hotel opens later this year in Plano, Texas, an entire floor—44 rooms—of the 176-room property will include allergy-friendly guestrooms. Atlanta-based NYLO Hotels LLC has partnered with Pure Solutions NA, Buffalo, N.Y., to provide the PURE rooms. NYLO, which has a goal of opening 50 properties throughout North America by 2010, intends to include one PURE floor in each of its hotels. NYLO’s decision to provide these super clean rooms will be a welcome relief to the 70 million Americans who suffer from allergies or some type of chemical sensitivity. The PURE rooms also will...

Santa Monica’s Ambrose Hotel Aims to ‘Leave Only Footprints Behind’

SANTA MONICA, CALIF.—A Partner Member of the Green Hotel Assn. and a Santa Monica Sustainable Works Business Greening Program participant, The Ambrose hotel here is doing what it can to “Leave Only Footprints Behind.” It is that phrase that the 77-room property uses in its stylish logo. In every area of the hotel’s operations, a commitment to sustainability is clear. That commitment stems from the owner, The Ambrose Group L.L.C., as well as the “all concierge” team of employees at the property. The Ambrose first got involved in greening the hotel’s operations by participating in Santa Monica’s Sustainable Works Business Greening...

Ecolab Named Among Top 100 Corporate Citizens

SAINT PAUL, MINN.—Ecolab Inc. once again has been ranked in the 2007 CRO Magazine (formerly Business Ethics Magazine) annual list of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens, one of only 11 companies to make the list for eight consecutive years. “We are honored that Ecolab has been consistently recognized as one of America’s 100 Best Corporate Citizens,” says Douglas M. Baker, Jr., Ecolab Chairman, President and CEO. “We value and expect good business results, and we also value how we achieve those results. We believe doing the right thing and driving great financial results are interlinked. Our goal as...