Spruce Industries Blog » Building Supplies

Cleaning To Reduce Staph Infections

Daniel Josephs — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:47:03 +0000

Over the recent weeks and months I have read article after article about how facilities weren’t properly cleaned and how it lead to people getting injured or sick. Today I came across an article that finally reported some good news. Mohamed Mohamed, the director of Custodial Services at Texas’ Frisco Independent School District, reports that staph infections have dropped to one-tenth of what they were last year because of changes in cleaning. What were the changes in cleaning you asked? He specifically cites the use of disinfectant wipes as a major improvement. For example, they have been washing down the cafeteria tables after every period. The chemical was then given the proper dwell time to be effective (usually 10 minutes – depending on the product). This may sound like a simple improvement but this goes a long way to promoting a staph-free culture. Some other areas that Mohamed is encouraging change is the athletic department. They are steam disinfecting their football equipment to avoid cross contamination with pathogens. I applaud Mohamed for his work at Frisco ISD and wish other directors followed his lead.

If you have a good example of how you changed your cleaning habits to promote a cleaning healthy culture please post your comments or send us an e-mail. The best example of the week will earn a 5% discount coupon.

Here are some disinfecting products that we recommended if you wanted to implement that same program that Mohamed did:
Clorox® Germicidal Wipes
Quest Phenomenal Citrus Total Release
Carpe Diem™ TB

O'Dell Corporation Goes Beyond Selling Green

Danielle Esposito — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:51:32 +0000

Whether it be huge conglomerates or your run of the mill Mom & Pop operations who decide to “go green”, it may seem like just another stint at a great marketing ploy and joining the competition on the green fanaticism. And in some instances, that might be just exactly the case. Not to say that these companies aren’t headed in the right direction, but come on people! Let’s get seriously serious and if you really want to make a difference, you should be following in the steps of The O’Dell Corporation. The O’Dell Corporation is dedicated to the preservation of the environment by producing products for responsible cleaning alongside with green manufacturing of those products.

The Leonardo Academy – A non-profit organization dedicated to a vision of advancing sustainability and putting the competitive market to work on improving the environment¹ — along with The Green Cleaning Network, have awarded The O’Dell Corporation for successfully completing the requirements for the Cleaning Industry Climate Initiative. Their levels of carbon dioxide, sulfur oxide and nitrous oxide emissions have dropped so dramatically that the only energy they’re using is their employees burning off their lunches!! The following table outlines the total emissions reductions that result from the company’s renewable energy use and maintenance of the company’s tree farm.

Total Emissions Reductions by Pollutant Type	Carbon Dioxide	Sulfur Dioxide	Nitrous Oxide	Mercury
Off-Site Emission Reductions from Renewable Energy (lbs)	154,892	1,806	411	0.00541
Emission Reductions from O’Dell Tree Farm	99,063,814	–	–	–
Total Company Emission Reductions (lbs)	99,218,706	1,806	807	0.00541
Total Company Emissions (lbs)	591,922	2,733	807	0.00525
Percent Emission Reduction	16,721%	66%	51%	103%

So what does all of this mumbo jumbo mean? Layman’s terms: They saved more energy than they actually used. How can something like this be possible you ask? O’Dell has established their own 1000-acre tree farm and in conjunction with The South Carolina Waterfowl Association, has also created wetlands to provide naturally occurring food sources such as fruit trees, grasses & grains, which promote healthy growth and reproduction of many other species of wildlife. Their certified tree farm REMOVES 3,600 tons of carbon dioxide and PRODUCES 4,000 tons of oxygen annually, enough to supply 16,200 people.

More recently, O’Dell has brought environmental stewardship into the manufacturing process. While recycling of corrugated and plastic materials has been implemented for some time, newer technology now offers greater opportunities to contribute to the overall environmental impact. O’Dell has become the first manufacturer in South Carolina to obtain “Green Power Partner” status with LEC and the EPA. They are 100% green power supplied. O’Dell has also fully committed themselves to taking advantage of new, sustainable technologies as they become available.

Here at Spruce, we applaud companies like The O’Dell Corporation who have single handedly changed the face of what it means to “go green”. They have demonstrated a whole hearted participation in dramatically changing how we can control the forefront of our global issue: emissions reduction. If we can all, not only produce environmentally safe products, but do it in an environmentally manufacturing way, we can hit the issue head on. Only time will tell. But I hope sooner rather than later.

¹www.LeonardoAcademy.org

Hand Hygiene Requirement for LEED-EB

Daniel Josephs — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 23:57:25 +0000

Today I received a copy of the 2008 LEED-EB revision. LEED which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is a certification that provides independent, third-party verification that a building project is environmentally responsible, profitable and a healthy place to live and work. Currently they have three different classifications: New Construction (NC), Existing Building (EB) and Community Interiors (CI). The organization behind the LEED certification is the USGBC which stands for US Green Building Council. The USGBC is a non-profit organization that is committed to expanding sustainable building practices. For more information regarding LEED and USGBC visit www.usgbc.org.

I haven’t had a chance to read through the entire revision, but I did come across something that I thought was very interesting. A new policy has been added that requires: “Development of strategies for promoting and improving hand hygiene, including both hand washing and the use of alcohol-based waterless hand sanitizers.” I think the key to this addition is the development of strategies for “promoting” hand hygiene. It is about time. Finally people are listening to the experts. It isn’t enough to just supply hand washing products, you need to tie this in to a program that promotes hand washing. Take a look at the attached PDF. I think GOJO does a great job of attacking the problem in schools.

GOJO Promoting Good Hand Washing

Ice Melter Guide

Daniel Josephs — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 20:43:31 +0000

Rock Salt
Is the cheapest form of ice melter. It reacts to give traction vs. melting ice. Rock salt has several negative aspects – it is corrosive to steel and some metals, it can be toxic to vegetation, it leaves a white residue and lastly it is not effective at low temperatures (<20°F)

Calcium Chloride
Works by absorbing moisture from the atmosphere. It does not require direct contact. The reaction that turns calcium chloride into liquid generates heat so it can melt ice at temperatures as low as -25°F. One of the down sides of calcium chloride is that if you apply it too heavy it will leave a residue which can track into your facility. It can also be harmful to newly poured concrete and moisture can harden and cause the pellets to clump.

Magnesium Chloride
Is quite similar to calcium chloride but considered less corrosive and hazardous to the environment. The drawback is that it does not work on ice while temperatures are below 5 degrees.

Special Blend
Things to consider with blends:
1. What is the coldest temperature it will effective melt ice i.e. 0°F/-18°C?
2. Is it hazardous to concrete and /or vegetation?
3. Is it hazardous to humans, do you need gloves or goggles to handle?
4. What is the shelf life?
5. Where will it be stored?