There really are so many factors to consider in what makes a cleaning product green or not green. Another of these factors is, is the product dyed by artificial means?
Dye is placed in cleaning products for consumers to to differentiate between products as well as to make products look good. Would you think that your dishwashing liquid was good if it was clear? Dishwashing liquid is traditionally green and it is now quite common for it to be orange with an orange fragrance as opposed to the usual lemon smell. A clear product may not leave all consumers convinced of the cleaning products ability to clean. Colour also helps us to easily see which product we have in front of us - dishwashing liquid is green, fabric softener is blue or white, bleach is clear, etc. Labelling the cleaning product and ensuring the label is always readable is very important when working with products that are not all dyed.
The problem with artificial dyes is that they can cause irritation to the skin. I fully support always using gloves when using any cleaning product. However, not everybody does use gloves and skin irritation is a possibility.
Some of the substances that make up dyes have been found to be toxic. Within the cleaning product this dye would be diluted to be a tiny amount of the finished product. However, the whole point of going green is to be good to the environment and good to people too. This would include the people who make the product and would be exposed to large quantities of the dyes and other raw materials.
In recent years there has been a move towards more natural dyes being available. These natural dyes are made mostly from plant sources. This is a much better choice for green products.
Blendwell Chemicals manufactures the Enviro Blend range of cleaning chemicals. The Enviro Blend range is free of artificial dyes and where possible we have eliminated dyes all together. Please visit www.blendwell.co.za to find out more about this fantastic range of green cleaning chemicals.
Tuesday, 18 October 2011
Monday, 17 October 2011
How to clean "green" - Phosphates
It is important to know about which ingredients or raw materials to avoid when buying green cleaning products. As the legislation still needs to be set and there are as yet no governing bodies in the arena of green cleaning in South Africa, the consumer needs to be informed as to what makes a product green.
One of the particularly environmentally unfriendly ingredients is phosphates. These would typically be found in washing powders. The phosphates help to clean the clothes or linens and then the water containing the used washing powder is pumped out of the washing machine and follows its usual pathway often to watercourses. This water is then higher in phosphates that might occur in nature. Phosphate-high water will help encourage algae growth in a natural environment. This increase in algae then begins to suffocate the body of water - oxygen is removed from the water and plants and aquatic life cannot be supported in such a body of water.
It's important to see why phosphates are something you would want to avoid in your cleaning products. Blendwell Chemicals manufactures a range of green cleaning products called Enviro Blend. The Enviro Blend range is completely free of phosphates and we have a wonderful washing powder called Enviro Wash that has enzymes to make cleaning more effective.
To find our more about Enviro Wash or any of the huge range of products that Blendwell Chemicals manufactures please visit www.blendwell.co.za
One of the particularly environmentally unfriendly ingredients is phosphates. These would typically be found in washing powders. The phosphates help to clean the clothes or linens and then the water containing the used washing powder is pumped out of the washing machine and follows its usual pathway often to watercourses. This water is then higher in phosphates that might occur in nature. Phosphate-high water will help encourage algae growth in a natural environment. This increase in algae then begins to suffocate the body of water - oxygen is removed from the water and plants and aquatic life cannot be supported in such a body of water.
It's important to see why phosphates are something you would want to avoid in your cleaning products. Blendwell Chemicals manufactures a range of green cleaning products called Enviro Blend. The Enviro Blend range is completely free of phosphates and we have a wonderful washing powder called Enviro Wash that has enzymes to make cleaning more effective.
To find our more about Enviro Wash or any of the huge range of products that Blendwell Chemicals manufactures please visit www.blendwell.co.za
Friday, 14 October 2011
How to clean "green" - SLES
When looking for green cleaning products there now seem to be so many out there and it can be a little overwhelming for a consumer seeing so many choices. The thing is, if a product says it's green, is it really? Not always. One almost needs a science degree to work it out.
Here are some tips to make your choices easier.
There has been a lot of talk about different raw materials or ingredients that go into cleaning products and one that has received a lot of talk is SLS and SLES (Sodium Lauryl Sulphate and Sodium Laureth Ether Sulphate). These products are used to create bubbles in cleaning products. It it this process of foaming that helps lift the dirt, grease and grime from the surface to be cleaned.
A great deal of the uproar with these products is due to them being used in cosmetic preparations, baby products and toothpaste. They can cause skin irritation particularly in individuals who are prone to irritation. These products used in cleaning chemicals can also cause skin and eye irritation. Most responsible chemical companies will advise using gloves and avoid product splashing into your eyes when using these products so that the user can avoid any problems. In fact regardless of whether or not the manufacturer tells you to wear gloves it is always a good idea to do so. And of course, avoid splashing any chemical into your eyes - wear goggles if necessary
The other problem with SLS and it's family of raw materials is that it is most often made from petroleum. All green products steer away from petroleum based raw materials as they increase our carbon footprint. Blendwell Chemicals now uses SLES that is made from renewable plant sources only.
For more information on Blendwell Chemicals and its huge range of cleaning products, go to http://www.blendwell.co.za/
Here are some tips to make your choices easier.
There has been a lot of talk about different raw materials or ingredients that go into cleaning products and one that has received a lot of talk is SLS and SLES (Sodium Lauryl Sulphate and Sodium Laureth Ether Sulphate). These products are used to create bubbles in cleaning products. It it this process of foaming that helps lift the dirt, grease and grime from the surface to be cleaned.
A great deal of the uproar with these products is due to them being used in cosmetic preparations, baby products and toothpaste. They can cause skin irritation particularly in individuals who are prone to irritation. These products used in cleaning chemicals can also cause skin and eye irritation. Most responsible chemical companies will advise using gloves and avoid product splashing into your eyes when using these products so that the user can avoid any problems. In fact regardless of whether or not the manufacturer tells you to wear gloves it is always a good idea to do so. And of course, avoid splashing any chemical into your eyes - wear goggles if necessary
The other problem with SLS and it's family of raw materials is that it is most often made from petroleum. All green products steer away from petroleum based raw materials as they increase our carbon footprint. Blendwell Chemicals now uses SLES that is made from renewable plant sources only.
For more information on Blendwell Chemicals and its huge range of cleaning products, go to http://www.blendwell.co.za/
Thursday, 13 October 2011
How to clean "green"
Blendwell Chemicals has been doing research and reformulating our products for years in order to find better, more environmentally friendly ways of cleaning. It's really important to us to go green but also that our green products are not less effective than their non-enviornmentally friendly counterparts. Eighteen months ago, Blendwell Chemicals launched it's Enviro Blend range. We are very proud of this range and will continue to add new products as time goes on.
Another green venture that has made us very excited is that we have begun manufacturing the Delphis Eco range under licence to the UK. This awesome range of green products has part of their range accredited by Defra. This means that they carry the Ecolabel mark which is also know as 'The Flower'. It is a European-wide symbol for products that satisfy stringent controls with respect to their effects on the environment and people. All products bearing the Flower have been checked by independent bodies to ensure they comply with strict ecological and performance criteria.
All the products in the Delphis Eco range are non-toxic and non-flammable as well as not being tested on animals. These green products are phosphate free which means that they have reduced impact on aquatic life. They are suitable to use in many different areas, Besides all this, are made from sustainable resources and readily biodegradable. Using these green products will help you to reduce your carbon footprint.
Recently, Delphis Eco won the prestigous 'Greenest Business Award'. For more information on this award you can go to http://www.blendwell.co.za/ and you will find the press release under 'Articles'.
For further information on green cleaning products please see our website.
Another green venture that has made us very excited is that we have begun manufacturing the Delphis Eco range under licence to the UK. This awesome range of green products has part of their range accredited by Defra. This means that they carry the Ecolabel mark which is also know as 'The Flower'. It is a European-wide symbol for products that satisfy stringent controls with respect to their effects on the environment and people. All products bearing the Flower have been checked by independent bodies to ensure they comply with strict ecological and performance criteria.
All the products in the Delphis Eco range are non-toxic and non-flammable as well as not being tested on animals. These green products are phosphate free which means that they have reduced impact on aquatic life. They are suitable to use in many different areas, Besides all this, are made from sustainable resources and readily biodegradable. Using these green products will help you to reduce your carbon footprint.
Recently, Delphis Eco won the prestigous 'Greenest Business Award'. For more information on this award you can go to http://www.blendwell.co.za/ and you will find the press release under 'Articles'.
For further information on green cleaning products please see our website.
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
Halaal Certified Food Cleaning Chemicals
Blendwell Chemicals has recently passed its Halaal certification inspection for food grade cleaning chemicals. This is a very exciting opportunity to be able to supply cleaning products into Halaal food factories.
We have done a great deal of searching the web to see if there are many competitors in this field and there are not. I have taken a look at the South African National Halaal Authority website and they actually have a list of Halaal certified factories. They can be found at http://www.sanha.co.za/. This website is filled with a huge amount of information regarding halaal certification and the requirements thereof. You will be able to find further information at http://www.halaal.org.za/
Customers of Blendwell Chemicals will be able to venture into a new market thanks to this certification.
We have done a great deal of searching the web to see if there are many competitors in this field and there are not. I have taken a look at the South African National Halaal Authority website and they actually have a list of Halaal certified factories. They can be found at http://www.sanha.co.za/. This website is filled with a huge amount of information regarding halaal certification and the requirements thereof. You will be able to find further information at http://www.halaal.org.za/
Customers of Blendwell Chemicals will be able to venture into a new market thanks to this certification.
Monday, 10 October 2011
How to clean your carpets by hand
The weekend is over and it's time for things to get back to normal. If your household is anything like mine you will have all sorts of food trampled into your carpets by your precious little toddler. It doesn't matter how hard I try to contain food to tiled floor areas only there is always some that escapes.
I simply cannot afford to call in professional carpet cleaners once a week so it's necessary to clean my carpets by hand. The trick to cleaning carpets by hand is to not use too much chemical. I know we've all grown up with the theory that using more of a cleaning chemical will make something cleaner but this simply isn't true. Especially with carpets, if you use too much chemical and this is left to dry on the carpet it then becomes slightly sticky and attracts dirt. Within a day or too, your carpet will be dirtier than ever.
Fact of the matter is, is that you can't hose down your carpets without potentially rotting them and the underlay. You can't use just water as it's unlikely you'll get out the stains and chemicals can make it attract dirt.
Your best option is to use Blendwell Chemicals' Carpet Shampoo. The reason this cleaning product works so well is that you use the foam, not the liquid to clean the carpet. You can mix one cup of Carpet Shampoo to 5 litres of water. It's best to use water that is no warmer than luke warm. Agitate the water to create foam. First remove any lumps that you can from the carpet. Then with medium-stiff plastic brush scoop the foam onto the brush and work it into the carpet. This may require a little elbow grease but the result will be well worth it. As you need more foam, just agitate the water again and away you go. This will not leave your carpets soaking wet so they'll be completely dry in a few hours if you make sure to just use the foam. Make sure to check with the carpet manufacturer that this method of cleaning is recommended - it is for most carpets.
Blendwell Chemicals is a cleaning chemical manufacturer based in Halfway House, Midrand, South Africa. Carpet Shampoo is just one of a huge range of cleaning chemicals that we manufacture and you can visit our website on http://www.blendwell.co.za/
I simply cannot afford to call in professional carpet cleaners once a week so it's necessary to clean my carpets by hand. The trick to cleaning carpets by hand is to not use too much chemical. I know we've all grown up with the theory that using more of a cleaning chemical will make something cleaner but this simply isn't true. Especially with carpets, if you use too much chemical and this is left to dry on the carpet it then becomes slightly sticky and attracts dirt. Within a day or too, your carpet will be dirtier than ever.
Fact of the matter is, is that you can't hose down your carpets without potentially rotting them and the underlay. You can't use just water as it's unlikely you'll get out the stains and chemicals can make it attract dirt.
Your best option is to use Blendwell Chemicals' Carpet Shampoo. The reason this cleaning product works so well is that you use the foam, not the liquid to clean the carpet. You can mix one cup of Carpet Shampoo to 5 litres of water. It's best to use water that is no warmer than luke warm. Agitate the water to create foam. First remove any lumps that you can from the carpet. Then with medium-stiff plastic brush scoop the foam onto the brush and work it into the carpet. This may require a little elbow grease but the result will be well worth it. As you need more foam, just agitate the water again and away you go. This will not leave your carpets soaking wet so they'll be completely dry in a few hours if you make sure to just use the foam. Make sure to check with the carpet manufacturer that this method of cleaning is recommended - it is for most carpets.
Blendwell Chemicals is a cleaning chemical manufacturer based in Halfway House, Midrand, South Africa. Carpet Shampoo is just one of a huge range of cleaning chemicals that we manufacture and you can visit our website on http://www.blendwell.co.za/
Friday, 7 October 2011
How to clean your braai
Spring has certainly sprung! With this fantastic weather we're having and rugby to watch this weekend, it's time to get out the braai and invite friends over.
It seems inevitable that we always remember to buy all the food and get everything ready but as we go to light the fire we remember that the braai hasn't been cleaned for months and there's still all sorts of things stuck to it.
Not this time, I have some fabulous tips to help you get your braai cleaned up before the braai actually starts. If your braai looks anything like mine you'll need to start with brushing out the old, burnt-out coals. It's always a good idea to wear gloves when handling any cleaning products. Take the grates which all the meat rests on while cooking and have them soak in a special solution. Now you'll need a container large enough for the grates to be able to soak in. Into this container you can add five parts of hot water and one part of Blendwell Chemicals' Wac GP Liquid. So if you are adding 5 litres of water you will then add 1 litre of Blendwell Chemicals' Wac GP Liquid. Wac GP Liquid is a brilliant cleaning chemical that seriously wacks away grease, grime and dirt. For cleaning your braai you're going to use this cleaning product at a very high ratio but as we all know burnt-on grease is no fun to clean off.
Leave the grates soaking in the solution for 20 minutes. This will give the cleaning chemical a chance to start working and for the hard parts to begin to soften. You should then take a wire brush and brush off the grates. Depending on how much dirt and grease is on the grates, you may need to scrub a little but this fantastic cleaning product will be doing most of the hard work for you.
If you have a built-in braai with some metal sides, you can clean these with the same solution as you used to soak the grates but you can use a plastic brush or cloth to clean the sides and wipe with a wet cloth afterwards. For a weber braai use a cloth and rinse with clean water.
Blendwell Chemicals manufactures Wac GP Liquid. Wac GP Liquid is an extremely versatile cleaning product that can clean just about anything. For more information on this and other cleaning products please visit http://www.blendwell.co.za/ Blendwell Chemicals manufactures their huge product range in Halfway house, Midrand, South Africa.
It seems inevitable that we always remember to buy all the food and get everything ready but as we go to light the fire we remember that the braai hasn't been cleaned for months and there's still all sorts of things stuck to it.
Not this time, I have some fabulous tips to help you get your braai cleaned up before the braai actually starts. If your braai looks anything like mine you'll need to start with brushing out the old, burnt-out coals. It's always a good idea to wear gloves when handling any cleaning products. Take the grates which all the meat rests on while cooking and have them soak in a special solution. Now you'll need a container large enough for the grates to be able to soak in. Into this container you can add five parts of hot water and one part of Blendwell Chemicals' Wac GP Liquid. So if you are adding 5 litres of water you will then add 1 litre of Blendwell Chemicals' Wac GP Liquid. Wac GP Liquid is a brilliant cleaning chemical that seriously wacks away grease, grime and dirt. For cleaning your braai you're going to use this cleaning product at a very high ratio but as we all know burnt-on grease is no fun to clean off.
Leave the grates soaking in the solution for 20 minutes. This will give the cleaning chemical a chance to start working and for the hard parts to begin to soften. You should then take a wire brush and brush off the grates. Depending on how much dirt and grease is on the grates, you may need to scrub a little but this fantastic cleaning product will be doing most of the hard work for you.
If you have a built-in braai with some metal sides, you can clean these with the same solution as you used to soak the grates but you can use a plastic brush or cloth to clean the sides and wipe with a wet cloth afterwards. For a weber braai use a cloth and rinse with clean water.
Blendwell Chemicals manufactures Wac GP Liquid. Wac GP Liquid is an extremely versatile cleaning product that can clean just about anything. For more information on this and other cleaning products please visit http://www.blendwell.co.za/ Blendwell Chemicals manufactures their huge product range in Halfway house, Midrand, South Africa.
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