In the Kitchen

Everything needs to be clean, and be cleaned regularly otherwise the risks of contamination are increased because where there is dirt there are germs. However, it is not necessary to disinfect everything, for example the floor. After a few seconds of disinfecting the floor someone will walk on it with footwear they wore in the street! If food is dropped onto the floor it should be binned. The floor should be cleaned thoroughly, with all traces of grease etc, where germs can breed removed. An ideal ‘green’ cleaning agent is a dilution of Citra Clean Concentrate as it cuts through grease & fat leaving a clean, non-slip surface.

Work-surfaces

These need to be cleaned AND sanitised and a three-stage process should be adopted. Sweep any detritus into the bin. Wash with a solution of Citra Clean Concentrate or Orange Squirt to remove all traces of soiling – and dry with a paper towel. Disinfect (or sanitise) and wipe dry with a fresh paper towel.

An ideal and effective ‘green’ sanitising agent is one or two Chlorine tab’s in a dedicated, clean trigger-spray bottle, filled each day with fresh water. Chlorine kills all germs dead and far too-many cleaner-sanitizers can leave soiling and support bacterial growth, resulting in pockets of living bacteria that may cause contamination of food during preparation. A dilution of Citra Clean Concentrate can also be used for cleaning griddles, ovens hobs etc, as well as the exterior surfaces of white-goods. It is also very effective at removing grease and fat from extraction hoods, filters and ducting, and ideal for general cleaning of walls and all greasy surfaces.

Washrooms

The most common problem with most washrooms (or toilets) is the smell, and despite copious applications of disinfectant or bleach this invariably returns. Because of this problem some aggressive cleaning chemicals including bleach have been used, damaging the surfaces and exacerbating the absorption problem. So, how to solve a problem like this with ‘green’ cleaning methods?

Bio-Productions introduced urine eating bacteria into liquid cleaners some years ago to address the contaminated floor and walls problems, and created a biological urinal block to cure the odours from the urinals. By including these specially selected bacterial strains, the urine which has been absorbed into the contaminated surfaces is digested, and the soiling in the urinal traps is rapidly converted into CO2 and H2O. – so no smell!

Anyone can clean a hard surface, because the soiling is ‘on’ the surface, but only micro-organisms can clean within it, where urine & body fluids are absorbed. The few areas in a washroom which need disinfecting include, cross contamination points such as toilet seats, tap-handles and door levers. Again the floors and walls don’t require washing with bleach or disinfectant, unless a ‘deep-clean’ is required, so maintaining surfaces with an environmentally sympathetic, biological cleaner will prevent odours and remove general soiling.

Using a biological block in the urinals will keep everything working and smelling sweet in the drains – as well as enabling you to reduce the frequency of flushing – to save around 90,000 litres of water per urinal per year! Environmentally friendly or what? The prevention of germs can be achieved by spray-wiping with a solution of fresh water in a trigger-spray bottle containing one or two chlorine tablets (renewed each day).

General Cleaning & Front-of-House

Household cleaning creates one of the largest sources of pollution there is. Every bucket of used cleaning solution (a mixture of soiled water and chemical cleaner) is discharged down the drain, and these cleaning agents invariably contain aggressive chemicals. These chemicals may be more or less biodegradable and when they mix with other chemicals in the drain they create other, unknown chemical solutions.

By reducing the number of different products needed to maintain the client’s building to (say) 5 or 6, it is far easier to select and monitor their use than if there were 20 or more different products. It should be possible to source one multi-purpose cleaner (such as Citra Clean Concentrate, for hard-surface cleaning, upholstery & carpet cleaning, etc. A good quality Glass, Mirror & Stainless Cleaner/Polish for all brightwork and plastic. A Disinfectant/Sanitiser, for cross-contamination points & food preparation areas. Perhaps a spray & wipe Polish for the finger-marks on desks, tables & cabinets.

Occasionally a toilet acid may be required to reduce the problem of calcium buildup in urinals & toilet bowls, but this can also be achieved with regular use of Blu-Away, our biological non-acid toilet maintainer, and used together with Toss Blocks, our biological urinal blocks, washrooms can be completely odour free..

Obviously there are requirements for specific solutions to specific tasks. Dishwashing, for example. There are a number of quality hand and machine products available which have been formulated to achieve the required results. A general-purpose cleaner just isn’t going to be suitable and using the wrong formula for a task is just as wasteful as using a poor quality product. Invariably you have to use more of the product and the results are not necessarily quite as good as they might be.

All cleaning processes require ‘energy’. This can either be attained from the power of the machine (electricity) the heat in the water (more electricity), elbow grease or the chemical. Selecting the correct chemical is an important first step in reducing waste (energy or chemical), saving money, and reducing the environmental impact of the task.