LOCKHART, TEXAS—Tolley Brothers, an antimicrobial copper research firm, has launched a full range of germ-mitigation products designed to protect electronics devices and office workspaces from harmful microbes. This new product line consists of peel-and-stick EPA-registered antimicrobial copper designed to be applied to any surface, eliminating the need for complete resurfacing. The antimicrobial properties of this technology provide immediate and continuous germ protection for cell phones, work spaces, and other surfaces as long as the product remains in place. Additionally, the company has developed a timer-based UV-C light that’s designed to douse your workspace overnight, effectively killing germs while the user sleeps. Effectiveness...

MIAMI—ABCO Cleaning Products, a leader in sustainable cleaning tools, is celebrating America Recycles Day on November 15 by introducing its innovative line of Natura brooms and brushes. Constructed from 100 percent post-consumer plastic waste, the brooms are available in a variety of sizes and colors, and the brushes feature crimped bristles for enhanced cleaning power. ABCO anticipates recycling 2.1 million plastic bottles in 2020 through production of these products. “America Recycles Day is a terrific opportunity to spotlight how using reclaimed material protects our planet,” said Carlos Albir, President, ABCO. “Not only does using recycled plastic reduce waste in landfills,...

HORSHAM, PENN.—Defend Tech hand towels from Sofidel’s Papernet brand are the latest solution launched to support the new standard of cleanliness. The hand towels are infused with orange essential oils, which can kill germs captured on the paper itself. Essential oils have many applications because of various properties—they are antimicrobial, stress-relieving and gentle on delicate skin. “Sofidel, with its professional brands including Papernet, is positioning itself as the leader in innovative hygienic solutions with an emphasis on sustainability,” said Fabio Vitali, Vice President, Marketing, Sofidel. “In addition to our award-winning Bio Tech, Dissolve Tech and Freshen Tech products, Defend Tech...

PHOENIX—Best Western® Hotels & Resorts (BWHR) continues to enhance its industry-leading cleaning program, We Care Clean, through its partnership with P&G Professional, the away-from-home division of Procter & Gamble. BWHR announced the addition of Microban 24 Professional to its cleaning protocol. Starting this fall, all 2,300 Best Western-branded locations across the United States and Canada will have access to Microban 24 Professional, adding an extra layer of protection for hotel guests. “Now more than ever, there is nothing more important than providing a safe and clean home away from home for our guests, and creating a healthy environment for our hotel...

Nephros, Inc., a commercial-stage company that develops and sells high-performance water purification products and pathogen detection systems to the medical and commercial markets, announced the results of a study this summer of water safety issues in light of the COVID-19-related nationwide shutdown. As further described in a new academic paper available on the biology preprint site bioRxiv, from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Nephros collected and analyzed 88 water samples from a variety of occupied and unoccupied buildings, using its SequaPath pathogen detection system. Key takeaways from the study include: Bacterial counts in unoccupied, underused building plumbing systems were significantly higher—between...

ST. PAUL, MINN.—Ecolab, the global leader in water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services, received approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its Sink & Surface Cleaner Sanitizer. The product is the first registered by the EPA to kill the virus that causes COVID-19 in 15 seconds—the fastest product available. Ecolab’s advanced chemistries, including Sink & Surface Cleaner Sanitizer, are key to helping restaurants and other businesses meet heightened expectations for cleanliness and more stringent regulations to help reduce the risk of exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19 and other viruses. Sink & Surface Cleaner Sanitizer...

CAMBRIDGE, U.K.—In its first year of operation, Spotta’s Bed Pods have reduced the amount of bed bug incidents discovered by hotel guests from 50 percent to just 3.3 percent in its customers’ properties. The “always-on” monitoring service uses AI-driven recognition technology to identify insects and provide real time alerts. The Bed Pod enables hotels, other accommodation providers and their pest control partners to identify occurrences of bed bugs and treat the problem early, limiting the damage pests cause. Following its first year of real-world deployment in customer hotels—servicing over 91,000 room nights—52.2 percent of detections made by Spotta were in rooms...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—As companies, organizations and governments focus on safe and healthy reopening plans in response to the pandemic, more than 130 LEED projects have engaged the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Safety First pilot credits to support those efforts. The credits provide sustainable and healthy best practices that align with public health and industry guidelines and help address critical operations including indoor air quality, water systems, cleaning and re-entry. The Safety First credits are part of USGBC’s economic recovery strategy and reinforces that healthy people in healthy places is the fastest way to rebuild a healthy economy. The Safety First...

MIAMI—When Global Wellness Summit (GWS) delegates meet at The Breakers Palm Beach from November 8 to 11, they will experience a number of new technologies and creative moves that are “meeting firsts” and all designed to keep them as safe as possible. The GWS has been working overtime to invent new standards for a hygienic and healthy conference, and while it includes the “givens,” such as a smaller gathering (150 in-person attendees according to Beth McGroarty, V.P. of Research for the Global Wellness Summit), physical distancing, masks and temperature checks, the organization has gone much further: deploying cutting-edge air...

TORONTO—Tersano announces the launch of the iClean mini, a sleek, hand-held home device that employs the company’s patented Stabilized Aqueous Ozone SAO technology to deliver a new level of  cleaning, disinfecting and deodorizing for home and personal use. Consumers can now safely and effectively clean and disinfect their home and personal spaces without the fear of chemical contamination. The iClean mini creates Tersano’s proprietary SAO solution, which is compliant with the requirement established in the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), to eliminate SARS-CoV-2, the pathogen that causes COVID-19. FIFRA is managed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The coronavirus...