While “green” cleaning in hotels is common, less is known about green carpet care. This is unfortunate because, in many facilities, carpet is the largest surface used on a daily basis, and some carpet cleaning methods have the potential to negatively impact the environment. Let’s define green carpet care to help facilitate the discussion. A working definition may be as follows: “Green carpet care involves using systems, products, and procedures to help keep carpets clean and healthy with the least impact on the cleaning worker, building users, and the environment.” The goal of green carpet cleaning can be accomplished when the...

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.—Armchem, a leading business to business distributor of more than 50,000 specialty industrial products, and a winner of Merfin’s Growing Green Program Award, introduces a new green version of their number one product, Grout 66. The green version is a non-corrosive, non-fuming tub, tile and grout cleaner that provides top-tier performance for cleaning tubs, tile, grout, walls, toilet bowls, urinals, shower stalls and other bathroom surfaces. Grout 66’s highly concentrated formula uses the latest acid replacement technology to remove dirt, soap scum, salts, body oils, rust, lime, calcium and iron deposits in 30 seconds. The...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes NanoTouch Materials, LLC as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. NanoTouch antimicrobial mats, packaged in a tamper-evident pouch or a convenient travel tube, use nanotechnology to constantly kill bacteria, viruses and fungi without the use of heavy metals or diluted poisons. The mats can be offered as a guest amenity and be used on the bathroom vanity or desk as a place to rest a toothbrush, glasses, medicines, or other personal items.NanoTouch antimicrobial facility touch points also use nanotechnology to constantly kill bacteria, viruses and fungi....

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—MIOX Corp., an industry leader in on-site chemical generation technology, announced it is an ISO 9001:2008 Certified Company. MIOX designs and manufactures equipment that generates oxidant based chemicals on demand.“MIOX places the highest value on the voice of the customer, and that trust is only gained through delivering great products,” said MIOX chief operating officer, Kyle Lee. “We are honored to have achieved our ISO certification based on our standard business practices. Our customers can buy with the security that they are receiving high quality standardized products continuously being evaluated for improvement.”MIOX’s ISO registrar, Orion Registrar, completed two...

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIF.    —ClearWater Tech, LLC (CWT), provider of EcoTex O3 ozone cold water laundering systems, has added two new videos to the Service and Maintenance playlist on YouTube: “Changing the Inline Particulate Filter” and “UV Ozone Lamp Replacement.”“No other ozone provider comes close to matching our YouTube Library,” asserts Marc DeBrum, CWT assistant sales manager and applications engineer. “Three years ago we launched the library as a way to give customers and prospects convenient access to ClearWater products along with service information. Our collection now includes 24 videos in three playlists: EcoTex O3 Laundry Systems, the Service...

FOREST, VA.—When a hotel offers something truly unique to first-time and repeat guests, word spreads quickly. When that offering helps keep germs from spreading, word-of-mouth goes viral in a good way. That’s what happened at the boutique Craddock Terry Hotel in Lynchburg, Va., when they started featuring a trio of NanoTouch Materials products in their guestrooms. NanoTouch Materials is the world’s first manufacturer of printed, portable, removable, and self-cleaning NanoSeptic touch point products that constantly kill bacteria, viruses, and fungi.Executives at Craddock Terry and the development and management firm, Cornerstone Hospitality, added NanoSeptic self-cleaning antimicrobial travel mats on which...

KELOWNA, B.C.—The Best Western Plus Kelowna Hotel & Suites continues to charge forward with environmentally responsible initiatives. Not only has the hotel installed an electric vehicle charging station, they have just received LEED Silver Certification for their new environmental wing through the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC).LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a third-party certification program that rates buildings to the highest environmental performance standards in Canada. “This was quite the process,” says Brenda Rayburn, director of sales and marketing for the Best Western Plus Kelowna Hotel & Suites. “However, for me, the length of time...

WATERFORD, N.Y.—Cascades Tissue Group announced that it has achieved Green Seal Standard, GS-1 re-certification of Sanitary Paper Products for its entire line of Cascades and North River away-from-home towel and tissue products. In September 2011, Green Seal made major revisions to its GS-1 standard. The standard was first established more than 20 years ago for products such as bathroom tissue, facial tissue, paper towels, napkins, wipes and placemats. Overall, it sets the environmental, health, and social requirements for sanitary paper products and comprehensively addresses environmental life-cycle issues spanning raw materials, manufacturing, packaging and product use and performance.With this latest...

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIF.—ClearWater Tech plans to showcase its newest Corona Discharge Ozone Generator when the Aquatech Society Conference recognizes its 50th anniversary this month at the Grand Wailea Resort in Maui, Hawaii. The conference is being held January 13 to 17, and ClearWater (booth 74) will display the CD12AD wall mounted ozone generator at the one-day floor exhibition on January 16.“The 50th anniversary conference has all the makings to be a memorable occasion, and the trade show portion of the event presents us with an excellent opportunity,” said Cameron Tapp, president and CEO of ClearWater Tech. “There is...

NATIONAL REPORT—Invisible coatings available through several vendors and applied by trained technicians are making it easier for hoteliers to clean and maintain guestrooms and other areas while also creating more healthy spaces. These coatings, some of which are created using nanotechnology, can eliminate odors, viruses, bacteria and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) while preventing the formation of mold and mildew. The coatings can also help extend the life of hotel assets. Each company’s product and application process is somewhat different and so are the benefits but the end result, vendors say, is something that can be marketed by a hotel...