What is the difference between deep cleaning and maintenance cleaning?

When you’re serious about cleaning you will learn the difference between deep cleaning and maintenance cleaning. Maintenance cleaning is the regular cleaning that happens most often. Deep cleaning will be that really intense clean that occurs least often.

The environment to be cleaned will dictate the type of cleaning required and how often. A small office environment where there are not many people and everyone is quite tidy will not require that much cleaning. You may find that cleaning two or three times a week is enough. For an area that has many people passing through, it may need cleaning at least once a day maybe twice. Areas where food is prepared or eaten may require hourly cleaning.

Maintenance cleaning usually requires quick cleaning methods that will not require major moving of furniture or stripping of machines. It will require a quick wiping down of most surfaces including floors.

Deep cleaning will require cleaning of machine parts including extractor fans and air conditioners; moving equipment and furniture and cleaning behind their normal position and undersides and sides of tables and work surfaces. It will probably also include window cleaning. In a food environment or ablution facilities, deep cleaning should occur at least weekly. An office may only require deep cleaning every  couple of months.

For more information on cleaning chemicals and the cleaning products you should use, visit www.blendwell.co.za.

Blendwell Chemicals is your best local manufacturer of cleaning chemicals.

Cleaning up the Office

In the past many of us might have thought that office cleaning was necessary purely because of what clients might think of our business. We did it because of the impression we would give people and that it would like nice for us.

Studies have been done on how a clean work environment affects employees. It has been discovered that the benefits are enormous. To the extent that the European Agency for Health and Safety at Work (EU-OSHA) has now launched the Healthy Workplaces Campaign. This campaign aims to make everyone in the workplace aware and work together to create better work environments.

The benefits of this include fewer accidents, less absenteeism, increased productivity, a happier and more productive workforce, improved relationships with suppliers and partners and a better reputation with investors, customers and the community. With all of those benefits its well worth the effort to clean up your act and create a workplace you want to be in. You could even take it one step further and go green. Using eco-friendly cleaning products will be even better for your work environment.

You’ll be able to find all the office cleaning chemicals you need at Blendwell Cleaning Solutions.

For more information on the enormous range of office cleaning products that we manufacture please visit www.blendwell.co.za. Our factory is in Midrand, South Africa. We are your local cleaning chemical manufacturer! 

Why would you use a QAC disinfectant?

When your environment requires for you to be HACCP compliant it is important to choose the right cleaning chemicals. Only use cleaning products that are HACCP compliant otherwise you could run into serious trouble. Disinfecting surfaces in the food industry is something that needs to be done a lot and your products need to be really effective.

There are two types of disinfectants that can be used. QAC based disinfectants are disinfectants that use Quaternary Ammonium Compounds (QAC) as their base. These disinfectants have no smell which is a positive thing for food safe cleaners. These cleaning products are very easy to use and can be used at a low concentration. The use of these cleaning chemicals will not cause corrosion but have a very good kill rate.

Blendwell Cleaning Solutions has a large range of cleaning products in their h-range (HACCP compliant) of cleaning products and you can get more information on Food Safe Cleaning Chemicals.

We have a factory in Midrand, South Africa and we are your local cleaning chemical manufacturer!

How to clean green with Eco-Lyte

Blendwell Cleaning Solutions has an awesome new range of green cleaning products. These eco-friendly cleaners are a necessity for cleaning any environment.

Eco-Lyte products are a brilliant new range of cleaning products that are extremely simple (they don’t contain lots of unnecessary additives), supremely effective and completely green. If you are looking for environmentally friendly cleaning products, look no further. This is where science and nature are in harmony.

Eco-Lyte products are produced via a patented process of Electro-Chemistry also known as ECA (ElectroChemical activation).  This process requires specialised machinery. The process in Eco-Lyte technology transforms small amounts of simple food grade salt and water into two highly active products known as Eco-Lyte NTL(the anolyte solution) and Eco-Lyte DG (the catholyte solution).  

For more information on the cleaning products manufactured by Blendwell Cleaning Solutions please visit www.blendwell.co.za. You will find our factory in Midrand, South Africa. We are your local cleaning chemical manufacturer!

Getting your teen to clean

It may seem like an impossible task but it isn’t if you preserve. Yes, most teens will be prepared to help out and the trick is to get them to want to do it. It may be that pocket money is linked to chores or a small reward is given if completed to a satisfactory standard. A key thing to remember here is that as a child grows up and their rights increase so should their responsibilities increase.

There are a huge amount of chores children from age 12 can do. It is best for you to select those chores which you need your child to do and discuss the list with them. The first thing is get them to agree to do their chores. They may need some training for specific things. Getting your kids to do these chores will help them when they finally leave the nest.

Here are some appropriate chores for kids 12 and up:

Change bed sheets

Do laundry from start to finish

Clean shower, bath and toilet

Completely care for pets

Prepare one supper for the family per week

Babysit younger siblings for short periods

Mow lawn, spread mulch, fertilize

Wash windows

Pack own suitcase for longer holidays

Kids for this age are able to be a great help around the house. By teaching them these skills you will make their transition to complete independence so much easier.  For more information on cleaning products you can use and how to use them, visit www.blendwell.co.za. Blendwell Chemicals is the best local cleaning chemicals manufacturer in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Cleaning jobs for kids ages 9-11

When your children reach this age you know they are no longer small children. You, as the parent, have already suffered through years of comments dripping with sarcasm and a child who believes they know so much more than you.

If you’ve been getting your kids to do chores from an early age, it should be no trouble to get them to keep on going and adding more complex chores as they grow older.

Here’s a list of chores for this age group:

Bathe and groom pets

Organise own cupboards including toys

Fold own clothes and put away

Clean bath/ shower after use

Help younger siblings with homework

Iron own clothes (ensure safety training here)

Take out rubbish bins on collection day

Organise recycling efforts

Wash car and vacuum inside

It’s important to remember that the more you involve your kids in household duties, the more your own time will be freed up to spend with them. There is always plenty to do to keep your house clean but a family having time for activities together is also important. If everyone does their share, their will be more together. You can contact Blendwell Chemicals for all your cleaning products. Please visit www.blendwell.co.za. 

List of cleaning jobs for kids

During the school holidays it’s good for you kids to really start helping at home. If you make it part of your routine, you’ll be able to carry on after the holidays too. Too many kids today expect to be served and don’t know how to use the appliances around the house. I’ve written out a list for each of my kids to follow and so far, so good – they’re sticking to it.

With each age group you’ll want to include new tasks but also keep up with the old chores. You’ll find that if you have more than one child, you will be able to have younger children take over easier tasks.

Here is a list of cleaning jobs for kids between 6 and 8 years of age:

• Change bed sheets
• Load washing machine and run a load of laundry
• Wash dishes by hand
• Load and unload dishwasher
• Unpack groceries
• Pack lunch for school
• Fold simple laundry items and pack away
• Vacuum
• Sweep front step and outdoor pathways
• Prepare simple meals like salads and desserts (please ensure child is well trained with knives)
• Mop floors

You will need to spend some time showing your children how to do any cleaning jobs. It is important to remember that you don’t want to start your kids who may not have done many chores before on a complete list like this. Rather, start with a couple of things and slowly phase in more. Encourage your kids and praise them when they do a great job – they might just want to do more.

For more information on cleaning products you can use please visit www.blendwell.co.za. Blendwell Chemicals is a manufacturer of cleaning chemicals in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Tips for Cleaning with Little Children

Now that the school holidays are upon us, the mess in my house has certainly increased. I’m not prepared to do this alone. My kids are the ones making the extra mess so they are going to help clean up – even the little ones.

I’ve been talking to each of my children about what I expect them to clean up and they have their own list of duties. They seem to be taking pride in what they do and are eager to do it well. Of course, there are lazy moments but I’m really proud of the job they’re doing.

As your child gets more duties they should continue to do their previous chores as well. This list will grow with age.

Here’s a list of the jobs for 4-5 year old children:

• Make own bed – duvet
• Prepare own simple breakfast or lunch (like cereal or sandwich) and clear away after
• Empty laundry baskets and sort into light and dark loads
• Empty small bins around the house
• Help with vacuuming, sweeping and dusting
• Clean kitchen counters with cloth and spray
• Clean bathroom sink
• Help fold laundry – small towels, etc
• Take clothes out of the washing machine and put into basket and pass items for hanging on the washing line.
• Mop laminate floors with spray and flat mop.
• Use dust buster for cleaning small spills

I find that making specific times for chores makes it easier to do. It is simply part of the routine and there is less resistance. For example, when you get dresses, you should make your bed and after breakfast sort the laundry. Once an activity has started it’s going to be a lot harder to get your kids attention.

For more information on cleaning and cleaning products, please visit www.blendwell.co.za. Blendwell Chemicals manufactures a massive range of cleaning products for all industries. We are the best local wholesaler of cleaning products in the Midrand area.

Getting your kids to clean up!

The school holidays are upon us and kids everywhere are running amok, causing chaos and making a mess - as they should. At this time of year, kids can get really bored really quickly and the threat of Santa won’t bring you any presents only lasts for so long.

It’s time to introduce some tasks that your kids can do to help you out around the house so that it doesn’t permanently look like a bombs hit it. Kids of all ages can help out. The key is to finding jobs that they can do and sticking to it -that’s the hard part.  If you haven’t managed to train your older children yet, you may need to get them started with tasks for younger children and introduce new tasks regularly to get them up to speed.

Here are some ideas of what you can get your two to three year old to help with:

• Tidy up toys and pack away.
• Put dirty clothes in the wash
• Wipe table where they ate.
• Spray and wipe chairs and table
• Wash vegetables
• Tear lettuce
• Help set and clear the table
• Bring in pet food bowls and check water bowl – tell parent if low
• Unpack plastic items and cutlery from the dishwasher

At first they may not be great with any of these tasks but a whole lot of encouragement and they will improve and they will show enthusiasm. If they grow up with chores to do there will be less resistance from them. For more information on the cleaning products you can use visit www.blendwell.co.za. Blendwell Chemicals is the best local cleaning chemical manufacturer in  Midrand South Africa.

What are Hazard Symbols and what do they mean?

When you receive a MSDS from Blendwell Chemicals you can expect towards the end of the document to see a small diagram in the hazard symbol section. This hazard symbol will give you information regarding how safe or dangerous the cleaning product could be to the user and the environment. This hazard symbol is created based on the information on the finished product. Although the cleaning chemical may contain hazardous components, the finished product may not necessarily carry the same hazard warning.

Some products are safe and they will not need to carry a hazard symbol.

If a cleaning product is classified as an irritant it will mean that this cleaning chemical can cause irritation if the product comes into contact with skin, eyes, hands and lungs. The cleaning product does not have to be an irritant on all areas but simply on one of them in a significant way.

Another hazard symbol that looks almost the same is for harmful products. You will notice that the little “I” in the corner of the irritant hazard symbol is missing. The harmful hazard symbol can refer to the cleaning chemical being harmful to the environment or it being harmful to people either by ingestion or contact.

The Corrosive hazard symbol will appear for a cleaning chemical that will cause burns and serious damage to the skin, lungs or eyes. If this hazard symbol appears on your cleaning product, please handle with care. It will be very important that you use safety gear when handling this product. It is always important to use safety gear but with this hazard symbol on your cleaning product, you could cause permanent damage if you allow any carelessness when handling this product.

The Toxic hazard symbol is one that is used for cleaning products that are poisonous when ingested, breathed in or with direct contact. It can also refer to a cleaning product that is known to cause cancer or other illnesses. This product must be handled with the utmost care.

The Environmental Hazard is for a chemical that will do serious damage to the environment including water. This cleaning product will require careful disposal.

Flammable cleaning products will carry this hazard symbol. These cleaning products will require special storage in a proper flame resistant cupboard or room.

Blendwell Chemicals will supply you with the information you need to handle your cleaning products safely. For more information on the cleaning products available from Blendwell Chemicals, please visit www.blendwell.co.za. Blendwell Chemicals is the best local cleaning chemical manufacturer and wholesaler in Johannesburg. We are your partner in cleaning.

3 Steps to Cleaning

No matter what you are cleaning there are some basic steps to start with. These steps are simple questions you can ask yourself before you get started.

The first question is: Is the dirt you want to clean oil based or other? If you’re cleaning oil, you will need specific cleaning products to lift the oil from the surface.

The second question is: Is the surface to be cleaned hard or porous? Porous surfaces will be able to absorb some of the cleaning product which could damage the surface or item being cleaned. It is most likely that you will need to rinse the surface with clean water after cleaning. What equipment you use will also need to be considered.

The third step is to calculate what actions should follow. This will include things like what cleaning product should you use and at what dilution ratio. Will you need a cleaning product that foams or one that specifically does not foam? What temperature should your cleaning products be and what equipment will you need? How will you be cleaning (wiping, scrubbing, mopping) and how much time will you need?

 For more information on cleaning and cleaning products, please visit www.blendwell.co.za. We are your best local cleaning chemical manufacturer in the Midrand area.

Now you are ready to get going with cleaning your car

Start with checking the headlining. Hopefully all is in order here. A quick vacuum will not go amiss. If there are dirty patches you should use a product like Blendwell Chemicals Carpet Shampoo. Here you’ll use the foam to clean any dirty patches so that the area is not left wet.

Then clean the fascia and dashboard.  It’s usually easier to have a cleaning product like Blendwell Chemicals Wac GP Cleaner. This all-purpose cleaner is ideally diluted into a spray bottle and then sprayed onto all the areas to be cleaned and wiped with a clean cloth. When I last cleaned my car, I cleaned with diluted Eco-Lyte DG Cleaner. It was brilliant on the milkshake that had spilt the day before and I had not had a chance to clean up. Because it had been so hot the mess had dried up. I sprayed the green cleaner and a quick wipe later and it was all cleaned up. It wasn’t nearly as difficult as I had imagined. Here are my before and after photo’s:

After cleaning the fascia and dashboard, you can move onto Silicone Cleaner to shine up these plastic surfaces. Please be careful not to over use a silicon product on the steering wheel or gear lever as you don’t want these areas to be slippery.

Cleaning the seats of your car will often require some spot cleaning. I recommend that you first do some vacuuming of the seats before you apply any cleaners to the seats. Whatever you happen to be cleaning, a great tip to follow is always clean dry before wet. Once the dust and dirt has been lifted by the vacuum, you can move onto cleaning with cleaning chemicals. For fabric seats, you could use the Carpet Shampoo if you are planning to clean the whole seat or you can opt for Wac GP Cleaner if there are just one or two spots that need cleaning.  The Carpets can be cleaned in the same way.

If your car has leather seats, you will want to use Blendwell Chemicals Leather Cleaner and Leather Polish. These two cleaning products are designed to work together to bring out the best of your leather seats.

For more information on cleaning your car, please visit www.blendwell.co.za/Car_Cleaning. Blendwell Chemicals manufactures all their cleaning products in Johannesburg, South Africa. We are your best local wholesaler of cleaning products

Do you have proper HACCP cleaning schedules?

Photo courtesy of RGB Stock

In a food environment it is vital to follow HACCP procedures to ensure food safety. Part of these procedures will include having cleaning schedules and stringently sticking to them.

A cleaning schedule will allow for both maintenance and deep cleaning. Each time cleaning is done the person who does the cleaning of that particular area must sign. This will allow for each cleaner to be accountable for their cleaning. Spot checks and thorough inspections should be done regularly. If the inspection results in cleaning not being adequate a new cleaning regime (NCR) must then be introduced. The inspections will involve different tests for each area. These tests are not just visual checks but rather measurable, relevant tests. This will ensure that no bacteria are given a chance to grown and the area is kept clean.

All cleaning schedules should include information on what cleaning equipment is required for that area, frequency of cleaning, protective cleaning and gear required, warnings and full details of what needs to be cleaned.

Blendwell Chemicals can provide you with the right cleaning products for the job as well as the technical information you may need. Blendwell Chemicals manufactures a range of HACCP compliant cleaning products in Midrand, South Africa. We are your best local cleaning products manufacturer.

3 ways to have green appliances in your home

Making the commitment to go green is not just about changing the cleaning products you use and how you use them. It’s about relooking at the things you buy and deciding what you really need.

Most appliances are marked with a scoring system for how electrically efficient they are. Choose the most efficient appliances and you may just see your electricity bill come down too.

Make sure you really need an electrical appliance before you buy it. After careful consideration you may decide it is not necessary. A tumble dryer may not be necessary if you don’t have uniforms that need to be dried in a hurry. Or if you have kids over the age of 8 they can do the washing upafter dinner each night and you may not need a dishwasher.

Sometimes you don’t need to have a large appliance and many smaller units use less electricity. If there are fewer people in your household you might opt for a washing machine that has a smaller capacity as it will use less water and electricity.

These small changes can make a huge difference to the environment. The immediate change it could make to you is lower water and electrical bills and that would certainly relieve my household budget. Every little thing we do to save our environment will add up and become a big thing. Blendwell Chemicals is working towards a greener future – join us.

Are there HACCP compliant cleaning products for high level disinfection?

Photo courtesy of Sanja Gjenero

Blendwell Chemicals manufactures a range of cleaning products specifically for use in the food industry. These food safe cleaners are in our H-range of products.

Sporequot H is a QAC (Quarterary Ammonium Compound) disinfectant. It is designed for both normal and high level disinfection and sterilization. It can be used through foaming machines if required. This disinfectant provides excellent microbicidal efficacy.

This cleaning product can be used in all water conditions and is totally free rinsing. It is capable of killing all bacteria, bacterial spores, fungi and yeasts. It is important to use this disinfectant only after the area has been cleaned and any soiling removed.

For more information on our HACCP cleaning chemicals please visit www.blendwell.co.za. Blendwell Chemicals is a manufacturer and wholesaler of a huge range of cleaning products.

Are there any cleaners that also disinfect and are HACCP compliant?

Photo courtesy of Jana Kollorova

The answer to that is – YES. Absolutely! Blendwell Chemicals manufactures a range of cleaning products that have specifically been designed for use in the food industry. The H-range cleaning products are all HACCP compliant.

Alko H is a concentrated, ready to use surface disinfectant. This cleaning product contains alcohol and is ideal for areas where rinsing surfaces after cleaning is problematic. It is suitable for all food related industries and can be applied to all food contact surfaces.

This cleaning product does not contain any perfume but it does smell because of the alcohol it contains. You should not dilute this cleaning chemical. Use it through a spray bottle and spray surface that it needing disinfecting or cleaning. It can be left to dry (evaporate) and will not contaminate food that is later prepared on that dry surface.

Blendwell Chemicals is able to supply wholesale bulk cleaning products for use in the food industry. This HACCP compliant range is called the H-range. You will find Blenwell Chemicals in Midrand South Africa.

Training in October

We're doing our free training session in October on Car Washing. We will cover all you need to know about the cleaning chemicals and cleaning equipment required for a car washing business. This training should be filled with demonstrations and useful information for selling products to car wash companies.

Our training sessions are offered to our clients and their staff as well as anyone looking into this business. If you would like to attend this session please call Cynthia to book your place on 011-805-9940. Training will take place at 10AM on the 16th of October 2013 at Blendwell Chemicals offices in Midrand.

Recycling at school

It’s Clean-up and Recycle Week and there are lots of community cleaning up projects all over the country. If you want to find out more, please visit http://www.cleanup-sa.co.za/cleanupdiary.htm.

Schools are often very involved with their communities. A school is the perfect place to locate recycling bins. These bins do need to be well managed so that they do not over-fill. The school may choose not to have facilities for all recyclable material but only select collecting one or two items.

The school should identify a company that can come collect the recyclable materials or alternatively find a charity organisation that will collect the recyclables who can benefit from these goods.

Educators, learners and parents must be educated and encouraged to use the recycling facilities to ensure participation. Learners should know about how the packaging of their lunch or drinks maybe recycled. They should be encouraged to use bottles and lunch boxes that are not disposable so that they create less waste.

It may be necessary for bottles, cans and boxes to be flattened if they are to be stored before they are collected.

We can all do some kind of recycling. If you haven’t yet started then pick one thing to recycle. You’ll see it’s easier than you think. At Blendwell Chemicals  we’re always looking for new ways to recycle our waste. We can all work together for a better world for our children.

Recycling at the office

Since it’s Clean Up and Recycling Week, this is the perfect time to look at how we are doing things and see if we can do them better. Find ways of recycling goods in your office is a great way to contribute. For more information on community projects, please visit http://www.cleanup-sa.co.za/cleanupdiary.htm

Each office is different but there are many different things you can do. Firstly you will need to assess your environment and see where you create recyclable waste. Many offices still use a lot of paper. Making sure that where possible the blank side of paper is also used is an easy way to recycle. You can cut up this used paper and use the clean side to write phone messages and notes. Even better, your phone messages can all be on email – taking out the need for message slips that may get lost. Instead, you may consider paper that has been printed to be taken home and used by your staff member’s children for drawing on.

The paper that does have to go through your shredder can be collected by a paper recycling company to ensure that it does not go into normal waste.

If you do not have a canteen on site, staff members should be encouraged to bring lunch in a plastic lunch box and something to drink in a glass or plastic juice bottle. If these are used every day, there will be much less of an environmental impact than new plastic or paper bags and cans or new bottles being used each day.

All staff members will need to be informed of your recycling efforts and bins for different items must be easy to access for the system to work.

Identify a company that will be able to collect your recyclable items if you do not have facilities nearby to drop off.

There are many creative ways to recycle things in your office. You just have to look at your office and  work out what can be re-used or recycled. Find a way to do your part in Clean-up and Recycle Week! Blendwell Chemicals is looking for ways to improve too.

Photo courtesy of Sanja Gjenero for RGB Stock.

4 Tips for Cleaning Carpets

Sometimes it can be really hard to keep carpets clean. At home, the dogs, the kids and who knows what else trudge in a huge amount of mess. In the office, everyone walks in with mess from outside or the factory, workshop or warehouse. A simple little vacuum is not going to be able to keep things neat and tidy.

 Blendwell Chemicals manufactures a range of cleaning products designed specifically for cleaning carpets when you need some extra cleaning.

• First things first, try to stop dirt at the door. Have a door mat for people to wipe their feet on before entering. I have not yet been able to train my dogs to do this but small children can be taught. Make a game out of it and sing a silly song while you do it to get them in the habit.
• Always do a spot test on a piece of carpet that can be covered and is unobtrusive. You want to make sure that this is the right cleaning product for your carpet and a spot test is the best way to do this.
• Choose the right cleaning product for you. If you have a carpet cleaning machine, you will need a low foaming cleaning product. If you are cleaning by hand, you will need a high foaming product.
• Maintain your carpets between big cleaning sessions but vacuuming regularly and cleaning up spills immediately.

You’ll be able to keep your carpets looking new and fresh by following these tips. For more information on carpet cleaning products, please visit www.blendwell.co.za/Carpet_Cleaning. Blendwell Chemicals manufactures all their wholsale cleaning products at their factory in Midrand.