letters and views Letters To The Editor Insights from the JanSan industry. Each month, we welcome readers to opine on the noteworthy — or even the trivial — aspects of their lives as JanSan professionals. The following is some of the correspondence we have received in recent weeks. Coping With The Chemical Conundrum To really understand why you would choose a non-chemical cleaner over other methods of cleaning, you must first understand and acknowl-edge that there are health and environmental con-cerns with the use of com-mon chemical cleaners. In many situations, the use of chemical clean-ers or topical cleaners is not effective. Cleaning chemi-cals are continually off-gassing in our facil-ities. While we use chemicals, they are generally harmful to our bodies. No one knows for sure what prolonged exposure may bring or has brought in the way of health concerns; we are just now somewhat realizing what kinds of effects chemicals are having on our children. Chemicals are a consumable and are very expensive. Chemical byproducts, including the con-tainers they come in, are harmful to the environment. Chemicals, including so-called “safe chemicals,” are ineffective on porous sur-faces and in cracks. Residues from topical cleaners also har-bor bacteria in biofilms. Instructions for dwell times required on surfaces greatly vary and are generally ignored. Many commercial chemicals are ineffective where organic material is still present. Heavy scrubbing is important for a chemical cleaner to be effective. Brushing your teeth is a good example; even a small surface like this requires two minutes to be effective. Think what a large surface really requires. Earth is already inundated with unnatural, engineered, manufactured chemicals. Chemicals have entered our food chain through our sewage treatment centers, through dumpsites and through poor hazardous waste handling by manufacturers and individual citizens. The amount of commercial cleaning chemicals used for cleaning is reaching unmanageable proportions in America and throughout the world, which is why steam vapor has been very popular in Europe for years. Normal cleaning is tedious and time-consuming. Often, you need to be on your hands and knees and have your nose in your work. A vapor system can help achieve all of this without harmful chemicals. Steam vapor reaches into pores and cracks, bringing with it temperatures of over 200 degrees Fahrenheit. With a quality vapor system, less than one quart of water is used per hour. Little, if any, residue of any kind is left behind and nothing is consumed. In many cases, you are pulling years of soils and contaminates from surfac-es, which is why each subsequent use becomes easier and faster. You are sanitizing, cleaning and deodor-izing in one operation. The initial expense might seem consider-able, but a quality system will perform for many years. You will spend much less time cleaning and will achieve superior results. Your facility will be healthier and cleaner. — Randy Zielsdorf, consultant with Advanced Vapor Technologies LLC. CM Get involved CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management Online ™ viewers as well as CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® magazine readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor on topics of interest to the professional clean-ing and maintenance industry. Send letters to the editor to [email protected]. Cleaning Is Compulsory Cleanliness is absolutely necessary for our health — spiritually, mentally and physically. 6 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • October 2011
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