If you had to stay in a hotel room with an unpleasant smell, poor air circulation or loud noises from the air-conditioning unit, you would likely want to change rooms. You might even vow to avoid the hotel or add negative feedback to a review site to warn other travelers. Today, it’s easier than ever for hotel guests to share details of their unpleasant experiences on the Internet using social media. Negative reviews can be extremely damaging to a hotel’s reputation and the bottom line. A successful hotel operation will ensure that service and customer satisfaction are at the forefront...

NATIONAL REPORT—Water treatment for systems such as cooling towers, chillers, heat exchangers and evaporative condensers has traditionally been one that has required the use of hazardous chemicals—e.g. chlorine, bromine, isothiazolinone, molybdate, phosphonate—to control calcium, bacteria, algae, scale, corrosion and biofilm. Because of the toxicity of the water treated with chemicals, it cannot be reused on property. A number of suppliers, however, have developed chemical free or similarly safe treatment systems that allow for the reuse of blow-down water while still providing a means to keep systems clean and running efficiently. Chemical free treatments vary from the introduction of atomic...

GREENVILLE, S.C.—Every year, approximately 48 million Americans suffer from foodborne illnesses, 128,000 of which are hospitalized, and 3,000 die. Foodborne illnesses are caused by consuming food or beverages that are contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites, or even toxic chemicals that are often carried and transported by fruit flies. Aunt Fannie’s has found a solution with FlyPunch!, an all-natural, non-toxic fruit fly pesticide that is safe to use around food.The FlyPunch! solution attracts and kills flies naturally, eliminating the threats of fruit flies, and harmful cleansing products. Aunt Fannie’s founder and CEO, Mat Franken, explains, “Our product is really versatile,...

PLYMOUTH, MINN.—One of the most challenging issues cleaning personnel must deal with is malodor eradication. Often, even once the source of the odor has been removed, odors persist because they have penetrated carpets, wall coverings, furniture, etc. One of the fastest, most effective, and safest ways to tackle persistent malodors is with an ozone generator. However, contractors must know that ozone can be hazardous to people, plants, and pets. They should not be present when an ozone generator is in use.U.S. Products, a leading manufacturer of ozone generators, also believes cleaning contractors should know the following about ozone generators:•   ...

TAMPA, FLA.—Hasek Communications, the Tampa, Fla.-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes GreenEarth Cleaning as an advertising partner. The GreenEarth dry cleaning process uses liquid silicone in place of petrochemicals. Essentially liquified sand, silicone is non-hazardous and non-toxic to the environment. When released to the environment, it safely breaks down into the three natural elements it is made from: sand (SiO2) and trace amounts of water and carbon dioxide. Liquid silicone is chemically inert, meaning it doesn’t chemically react with fabric fibers. It just carries the detergent to clothes and gently carries away the dirt and oil. It also...

If your hotel advertised that it is so green that it no longer uses cleaning chemicals at all to clean guestrooms, do you think potential guests would make reservations years in advance? Not care if cleaning chemicals, green or otherwise, are used or not? Not even consider making a reservation in your hotel property? If your answer is the last—not even consider making a reservation in your hotel—you are probably not alone. The concept of chemical free cleaning, as it is called, is still very new; however, don’t be surprised if it becomes more and more common and prevalent in...

The hospitality industry has made great strides in embracing green cleaning and its positive impact on the environment, corporate profitability and customers. According to the Green Hotels Assn., the hospitality industry is increasing eco-friendly purchasing and operations, as such matters are increasingly important to guests. Notably, one important aspect of green cleaning that also impacts hotel guests is laundry care. With new technologies in commercial laundry programs, today’s hoteliers have more options than ever when it comes to their on-premise laundry. Cold water washing, in particular, is gaining momentum as it has been shown to be able to boost customer...

ST. PAUL, MINN.—Ecolab Inc. is the first major corporate participant in Minnesota’s newest alternative energy program, which uses community solar gardens—shared solar panel sites with grid-connected subscribers—to offset electricity use.SunEdison, Inc., a leading solar technology manufacturer and provider of solar energy services, will develop the solar gardens under the Xcel Energy Solar Rewards Community Program, which launched in December 2014 in Minnesota. The solar gardens will deliver electricity to Minnesota’s local grid, and as a subscriber, Ecolab will offset the electricity it purchases for its corporate and research, development and engineering campuses in Minnesota.“Supporting SunEdison’s solar garden project enables...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking action to protect the public from seven ethylene glycol ethers or glymes chemicals that can cause health effects including birth defects and blood toxicity.“Today’s action is part of our continuing efforts to help ensure that chemicals in products we use every day are safe for the American public,” said Jim Jones, Assistant Administrator for Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. “Finalizing this action could prevent an increase in the use of these chemicals and reduce human exposure through ingestion and inhalation.”Some of these chemicals are currently used in consumer products, including...

TAMPA, FLA.—Hasek Communications, the Tampa, Fla.-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Agaia, Inc. as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. According to Agaia, Evolve is the first all-natural, green cleaning technology proven in both lab testing and customer use to match or exceed the performance of petroleum-based Jan-San cleaners and laundry detergents. Five products have received the coveted Green Seal certifications: All Surface Cleaner, Glass & Window, All Duty Industrial 203, Hard Water & Scale Remover, Laundry for Industrial and Institutional Use. Call (800) 992-4242, e-mail learnmore@agaiainc.com or visit www.agaiainc.com.