ATLANTA—With concerns about germ transmission at an all-time high and businesses increasingly concerned about public health, pest control leader Orkin, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Rollins Inc., announced a new service that will help businesses quickly and thoroughly suppress a wide variety of serious pathogens. In dense places where people congregate, if high-touch surfaces such as countertops, fixtures and public seating are not disinfected, harmful viruses such as the novel coronavirus can spread rapidly. Just like frequent, careful handwashing is a basic measure for humans to stave off virus transmission, large-scale sanitization is imperative to keeping establishments where people shop, eat...

SAN FRANCISCO—Is your hotel “Covid Clean?” It can be, thanks to a new app that gives housekeepers step-by-step cleaning instructions that follow Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines to stop the spread of the virus. Beekeeper, a mobile-first communication platform for frontline workers, is now offering the “Cleaning Task Lists” by Whispr app free to its customers. The smart checklist will work on any Android or iOS device and can be activated by Whispr immediately if the hotel is an existing Beekeeper user. “We are extremely proud of our innovation partner, Whispr, for designing an app that will enable hotels...

BROOKLYN, N.Y.—Fil Doux Textiles, a Brooklyn-based textile company producing mill-direct, luxurious upholstery and Otratex, the first-ever degradable vinyl alternative, is pleased to debut Pro-Tech Plus, a powerful bleach cleanable, water-based ink and denim protectant, which is now available for all Otratex collections. Designed for the hospitality, cruise, and contract industries, Otratex—The Conscious Choice, is made with natural enzymes embedded in the material that creates enhanced degradability. Within 30 years, the material fully decomposes when placed in an anaerobic environment such as a landfill, returning to the natural elements that comprise it. The collection, which comes in over 270 natural and...

CINCINNATI—Due to the global pandemic caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Hydro Systems, a leader in chemical dispensing equipment, software and services, has published an educational white paper, “Dispensing Cleanliness During an Outbreak or Pandemic.” The white paper discusses the current state of the pandemic, cleaning best practices and the benefits of using chemical dispensing systems to combat an outbreak. The white paper is available for download at https://hydrosystemsco.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Coronavirus-White-Paper_U.S._FINAL.pdf. “From schools to hotels to office buildings, every facility in the U.S. has been impacted by COVID-19 in some shape or form and now requires frequent cleaning to mitigate the spread of infection,” said...

HOUSTON—The Westin Houston Medical Center is the first and only hotel in the United States to utilize LightStrike Germ-Zapping Robots to sanitize and disinfect its guestrooms and common areas to help combat the threat of coronavirus. The room disinfection technology, provided by San Antonio-based Xenex Disinfection Services, was developed by two epidemiologists in Houston, with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center as their first customer. The Westin Houston Medical Center purchased two of the decontaminating robots, which are already at work sanitizing rooms inside the building. LightStrike robots have been proven to quickly destroy viruses, bacteria, and fungi using...

PHILADELPHIA—COVID-19 has elevated the need for cleaning supplies, and many suppliers are running out of stock or engaging in price-gauging practices. In times of national emergency and disaster, Monarch Brands has traditionally ramped up production and logistics without raising prices. Recently deployed automation features and a split shift workforce ensures that Monarch Brands continues to meet demand while mitigating exposure to COVID-19. All wholesale microfiber and rags get automatically weighed and wrapped before being carried to the dock by “Fred,” an automated pallet train that moves along a magnetic track. Fred handles 7,500 pounds loaded on his back while pulling five...

The rise of coronavirus infections across the globe has meant that many important events and conferences have been suspended. However, it is expected that once peaks subside and business eventually gets back to normal, the demand for clean, green centers will rise exponentially. Just five days ago, the Council on Foreign Relations canceled a roundtable called Doing Business Under Coronavirus, an indicator of the pause many businesses are being forced to take. When these events are once again in demand, what steps can you take to ensure your hotel’s conference space rates highly on the sustainability index? Follow these tips to stand out...

LONDON—The World Travel & Tourism Council says up to 50 million jobs in the travel and tourism sector are at risk due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Gloria Guevara, WTTC President & CEO, said: “WTTC figures show the stark impact on the travel and tourism sector of the present COVID-19 outbreak with analysis now suggesting that up to 50 million jobs are at risk in the sector globally. When the time is right, WTTC and the global private sector will be ready to help and support the government and countries to recover.” Latest figures from WTTC, which represents the global travel...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—AspenClean announced its collection of nine cleaning products that meet the Environmental Working Group’s rigorous criteria for health, ingredient disclosure and transparency. These are the first cleaning products to earn the EWG VERIFIED mark. EWG is widely recognized as the most trusted and rigorous evaluator of chemical safety in consumer products. EWG awards this prestigious mark only to products that meet stringent ingredient and transparency requirements. “We are very proud that AspenClean is the first home cleaning brand to participate in this initiative,” said EWG President Ken Cook. “Earning the EWG VERIFIED mark isn’t easy, as anyone who has read our exacting criteria can attest. We...

Our industry is certainly going through a challenging time right now. Hygiene and disinfection are top of mind and even a matter of life and death in some cases. I reached out to Stephen P. Ashkin with The Ashkin Group—The Green Cleaning & Sustainability Experts to get his take on the current coronavirus situation and how to address the virus and he contributed the following very helpful six questions and answers relating to disinfection. Please read through his list—especially paying attention to disinfectant dwell time. Are we using the right disinfectant? US EPA has established specific guidelines for disinfectants that are...