CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Cintas Corp. as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. Cintas recently introduced its first air-conditioning (A/C) coil cleaning service for the hospitality industry. Certified as a “Green Process” by the Green Clean Institute, ChemTron Coil Cleaning by Cintas enables hoteliers to lower their energy bills, extend the life of A/C units and improve indoor air quality. Users of the PTAC cleaning service increase air flow by up to 28 percent and reduce energy consumption up to 17 percent.ChemTron Coil Cleaning by Cintas goes above and beyond...

AKRON, OH—GOJO Industries, Inc. has introduced its new GOJO LTX touch-free soap dispenser. LTX is a dispensing system designed using life cycle assessment principles. The LTX Dispensing System for GOJO soap and next-generation PURELL Advanced Instant Hand Sanitizer is engineered to be a reliable and easy-to-service touch-free soap dispenser while offering sustainable design and operation. Life Cycle Assessment calculates and tracks the environmental impact of a product throughout its life. The decisions GOJO made when designing the LTX touch-free soap dispenser led to a reduction in life cycle impacts, including reduced smog emissions by 62 percent, global warming gases by...

PHOENIX—Best Western International is rolling out its “I Care Clean” program throughout 2012 that will bring advanced cleaning technologies used in hospitals, such as UV wands and black lights, to the more than 2,100 Best Western hotels in North America. As part of this I Care Clean program roll-out, housekeeping staff at Best Western hotels in North America will be empowered to exceed customer expectations in an entirely new way using several tools to clean guestrooms and common areas. The tools include:• Ultra violet (UV) sterilization wands. Wands from Purelight are used to sterilize “high touch points” in the...

OREGON, OHIO—Fruit flies can sustain themselves on a vast range of nutrients and can live on sink or floor drain slime, a sour mop or from fermenting food in the cracks of the floor. Blackhawk Tool and Machine LLC introduces ECO-TRIO, designed to stop fruit flies where they breed with a three product system comprised of ECO-DRAIN, ECO-SINK AND ECO-FLOOR. They attack the cause of many kitchen problems, rather than the effect, and offer a solution to the age old fruit fly and grease build-up problem. Beginning with ECO-DRAIN, it features a delivery mechanism which continuously releases a proprietary all-natural...

Spring cleaning, at least for the hotel and lodging industry, typically has more to do with evaluating the facility’s current cleaning tools, products, and processes than actually performing special cleaning projects. With this in mind and because more and more properties have transferred to green cleaning products and systems, we are finding that many hotel and housekeeping managers are asking what’s new in green cleaning during the spring cleaning season. Green cleaning is evolving as it continues to grow. Along with the development of chemicals and products that are sustainable as well as green, one new area of interest is...

NEW YORK—GTC Greening the Cleaning announced that its new and improved line of cleaning products is now third-party tested and verified. An independent lab has certified that every single product is as green as its label indicates. “This is big news as most green cleaning products on the market do not have their claims verified and tested by a third party,” said Deirdre Imus, founder and president of The Deirdre Imus Environmental Health Center. “Here at GTC, we’re proud to be continually raising the bar for green cleaning.”Deirdre developed the award winning GTC program and product line back in...

ALEXANDRIA, VA.—TRSA has launched its Hygienically Clean certification program to recognize textile services companies’ commitment to cleanliness through third-party, quantified biological testing and inspection. The certification process eliminates subjectivity by verifying that textiles cleaned in these facilities meet hygiene standards appropriate for any type of business that uses garments, linens, towels, floor mats, mops and other professionally laundered items. A specific designation for laundries with medical work (Hygienically Clean—Healthcare) is available and another will soon be offered for those who serve restaurants and other businesses where food safety is paramount (Hygienically Clean—Food Service). To attain a Hygienically Clean certification, a laundry...

TOLEDO, OHIO—Betco Corp. introduces its Smart Restroom System. The Smart Restroom System provides a comprehensive solution to building owners, managers, and facility management to reduce building operating expenses while conserving natural resources while generating higher customer retention and satisfaction. Betco’s Smart Restroom System includes SmartValve and SmartScreen. These patent pending components turn most any urinal with a standard or automatic flush mechanism into a water conserving urinal avoiding costly tear-outs and installation of water free urinals as well as monthly cartridge maintenance costs. SmartValve and SmartScreen: •    Install quickly. The locking unit replaces handle or automated flusher in less than five...

NATIONAL REPORT—In a 2010 bed bug study, 95 percent of U.S. pest control companies surveyed reported finding at least one bed bug infestation in the past year. Rollins performed more than 8,000 bed bug treatments in the first quarter alone. Bed bugs continue to sweep the news and are on the rise in almost every environment, from the bedroom to the board room. A quick Google search on bed bugs reveals nearly 4,000 news results in 2010, and their search volume is up 450 percent in the past six years. Thought to be introduced with the early colonists, reports of...

MUKILTEO, WASH.—Believe it or not, the first official recorded incident of “sick building syndrome” occurred at the headquarters of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1988. This ironic turn of events happened shortly after new carpeting was installed in the facility. Health experts believed that the newly installed carpeting was probably releasing high levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), causing illness among the agency’s staff. Although there have been many advances, carpet installation can still pose a risk to human health more than 20 years after that incident. And as spring approaches, many facility managers face two choices when...