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.

2 Documents to Explain your Cleaning Products

Blendwell Chemicals supplies two documents for every cleaning product that we manufacture. These two documents will help you with all the information you may need about our cleaning chemicals, how to use them and how to stay safe with them. The documents can be quite technical so if you need some help - just ask.

The Data Sheet includes a description of the cleaning product, how to use it, dilutions, its basic chemical stats and safety recommendations. This document is usually about one page long and is great for a quick overview of the cleaning product you are interested in. You should be able to find all the most important facts about your cleaning product on this page.

The Material Safety Data Sheet is also known as a MSDS. This document is much more indepth document than the data sheet. The MSDS will provide you with information regarding the hazardous components that make up your cleaning chemical. These hazardous components are a legal requirement so that users are aware of the potential risks of that particular product. This doesn’t mean however that because these raw materials are used in your cleaning product that it must be incredibly harmful. Hazardous raw materials can be diluted so much in formulation that they are no longer hazardous or that can also be neutralized in formulation. You will find information on the environmental impacts of the cleaning product and full safety information too. The safety information will cover what safety equipment you may need and what to do if there is a significant spill of the cleaning product. The MSDS will cover how this product will react in a fire and the storage requirements. First aid advice and transport codes are also available here. There will a risk and safety analysis at the end of the document that will include the hazard listing of the finished product,

If you buy any of our cleaning products we are happy to supply you with either of these documents so that you know more about the cleaning chemicals you are using. Blendwell Chemicals is your partner in cleaning and is the best manufacturer of cleaning products in the Midrand area.

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.

4 Key Elements of Cleaning Faster and Easier

No matter what you’re going to clean you will need to know a little bit about how to clean. Sure, you may not need to know all the rules for cleaning to get the job done but knowing and applying the rules will help save you time, effort and money too.

Anything that requires cleaning needs more than one element to be cleaned. Certain items will require all four elements to be considered and adjusted.

THERMAL ENERGY means that heat may be required for cleaning to be optimum. Some items, often where they are greasy, will need heat to support cleaning. Think of cleaning and oven or grill.

CHEMICAL ENERGY is the actual cleaning chemical used to clean. Using the right cleaning product at the right dilution will definitely make cleaning easier. More is not always better. In fact, there are some cleaning products, like dishwashing liquid, where using more cleaning chemical makes it harder to get your items clean.

MECHINICAL ENERGY is the energy that you or a machine uses to clean. This is the actual wiping motion when you clean a countertop or scrubbing when cleaning the paving bricks outside.

The final element is time. Some cleaning requires extended contact time so you may apply the cleaners and then wait for 20 minutes before starting to clean (this would allow for chemical energy to do the hard work for you). But all cleaning requires time even if it is only a couple of seconds contact time.

The equation of cleaning is:

CLEANING = (CHEMICAL ENERGY + MECHANICAL ENERGY + THERMAL ENERGY) X TIME

For more information on cleaning please visit www.blendwell.co.za. Blendwell Chemicals is a manufacturer of cleaning products in Johannesburg South Africa. We are the best local wholesaler of cleaning products.

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.

2 products for cleaning stainless steel factory floors

Stainless steel factory floors can be tough to clean. There is bound to be a certain amount of grease and grime on these floors so you’ll need some powerful cleaners. This does not mean that you can only use traditional cleaners. There are some green cleaning products that can do the job without harming the environment.

• Enviro Maxi 

Blendwell Chemicals has an eco-friendly cleaning product from the EnviroBlend range of cleaners called Enviro Maxi. This is an industrial strength cleaner that can make tough cleaning jobs really simple. Enviro Maxi is made with raw material that are safe and from renewable sources.

• Eco-Lyte DG 

You can also get the Eco-Lyte range of eco-friendly cleaning products from Blendwell Chemicals. Eco-Lyte DG will easily clean your stainless steel factory floor. Eco-Lyte cleaning products are made from salt and water that has been passed through a specialised electrical process. These cleaning products have no impact on the environment but are extremely powerful.

For more information on Blendwell Chemicals cleaning products please visit www.blendwell.co.za. Blendwell Chemicals manufactures all their cleaning products in Midrand, South Africa and are your best local cleaning products wholesaler. 

Have you signed up for our free training?

On the 17th of April at 10am we are running another one of our free training sessions. This time we will be covering Green Cleaning. This session is aimed at giving you a better understanding of all the green buzzwords and will teach you to be able to sell the right type of green product to your client. We will introduce you to all the eco-friendly cleaning products that Blendwell Chemicals supplies including the Delphis Eco range, Eco-Lyte products and Blendwell's own green cleaners including biological cleaners. To book your space please call Cynthia on 011-805-9940. Booking is essential.

When it's his turn to do the dishes...

If the man of your household is anything like my awesome husband, it’s been so long since he last did the dishes that he can’t possibly remember how to do them. However, the excuse of doing it badly just so I won’t ask him to do it again, is not going to work. So next time it’s his turn to wash the dishes I’ve got some tips for him to wash them in an eco-friendly way.

Firstly, use hot water. This will help to cut through the grease. You will also wash your dishes more effectively, if you run a sink full of hot water and dish washing liquid. This sink should have enough water in it that the dishes can be fully submerged. Be sure to not use too much dishwashing liquid as this will hamper the cleaning process. Then fill a second sink or a tub with more hot water for rinsing.

You should always use the greenest cleaning product that you can find. Most eco-friendly cleaning products are developed not only to be easy on the environment but also easy on the people who use them. They are usually not as harsh on the skin as traditional cleaners. Make sure that your dishwashing liquid only contains plant-based surfactants. All of the dishwashing liquids made by Blendwell Chemicals only contain plant-based surfactants. You can also add vinegar to the sink that you rinse in as this will help break down the soap.

Allowing your dishes to air dry is also the most eco-friendly and safe way to dry them. When drying with a dish towel, if there are any bacteria or germs on the dish towel, these will be spread to all the dishes.

 For more information on dish washing liquids available from Blendwell Chemicals please visit http://www.blendwell.co.za/Kitchen_And_Bathroom_Cleaning_Products. Blendwell Chemicals is a wholesaler and manufacturer of a huge range of cleaning products. We manufacture our cleaning products at our factory in Halfway House, South Africa. We are your best local cleaning chemical wholesaler.

Why do we clean?

There are many reasons to clean and we can all benefit enormously by living and working in a clean environment. Blendwell Chemicals manufactures cleaning chemicals for all home and work places. Out wide variety of cleaning products makes it possible to find almost every type of cleaner that you need at our factory.

Firstly, we clean for hygiene. Simple enough, we clean to keep things clean so that the spread of germs is minimised. Food being prepared in a dirty kitchen can make people sick very quickly. We also clean for safety. If something has been spilt on a floor and not wiped up, it is likely that someone will slip and hurt themselves.

Thirdly, we clean to maintain the longevity of our surroundings. A place that is never cleaned is likely to decay faster as certain surfaces can rot and disintegrate if not cared for. We also clean to make things look nice – for aesthetics. A dirty space will never look that good and cleaning makes all the difference.

Lastly, we clean for health. Studies have been done on people who live and work in dirty environments and compared to people who live and work in clean environments. The people who are exposed to clean environments are less likely to be absent from work, they need to see the doctor less and are more likely to be healthier.

Cleaning is a necessary part of our lives and Blendwell Chemicals can be your partner in cleaning. Our factory is in Midrand, South Africa and we are your best local cleaning chemical wholesaler. Please visit www.blendwell.co.za for more information.

Basic Guide to Cleaning

There are some important things you will need to know before you can be sure of how to clean something. Blendwell Chemicals guide to cleaning has a series of questions you need to ask in order for you to get the job done.

First you have to work out if the type of dirt you are cleaning is oil-based or not. If the dirt is oil you will need to use some type of degreaser as this will help to lift the oil off the surface.

The next thing you’ll need to take into account is whether or not the surface you are cleaning is porous. If the surface is porous then it may require some extra care. A porous surface will be able to absorb the dirt and it may sink into deeper layers. Hard surfaces can also be scratched or etched if not handled properly. It’s always good to know the nature of the surfaces you are dealing with.

How to clean will then depend on what concentration of cleaning products you use. As I’ve often said using the right cleaning product, the right way will save you huge amounts of hassle. You should ask yourself if a foaming or non-foaming product will work best for your application and how warm should the cleaning product and water be when it is applied. The cleaning chemical may need some contact time so it may be best to apply and then wait a few minutes. However, some cleaners work quickly and may cause damage if left too long. You will need to know how to apply the cleaning product and what mechanical action may be required for the best results.

Blendwell Chemicals can help you find the answers to all your cleaning questions. We manufacture a huge range of cleaning products in our factory in Midrand, South Africa. To find out more, please visit our website at www.blendwell.co.za. We are the best local cleaning chemical wholesaler.

Cleaning a driveway, forecourt or workshop floor

Driveways, forecourts and workshop floors can get seriously dirty. There is often a fair amount of grime that these areas are exposed to. Oil and grease from cars and trucks can often be difficult to clean. Exposure to the outdoors all brings a wide variety of dirt.

Cleaning these areas will require some strong cleaning products. Blendwell Chemicals will have all the cleaning products you need to get this job done. First, you can try a cleaning chemical called Conclean. This cleaning product contains caustic and is a powerful cleaner that easily lifts grease and oil.  

Yellow Floor Powder is a great choice for driveways, forecourts and workshop floors if you are looking for a strong cleaner that does not contain caustic.

Brickwash is a fantastic cleaning chemical to use if you are looking to remove excess cement that may occur during building. It can also remove light lime discolouration. This cleaning product is not designed to be used regularly. It is too powerful and will damage a floor if used often.

You can also use one of our multi-purpose cleaners like Wac GP Cleaner or Maxikleen to clean these areas. Maxikleen is stronger than Wac GP Cleaner but they are both fantastic cleaning products.

For more information on cleaning floors, please visit www.blendwell.co.za/Floor_Care_Cleaning_Chemicals. Blendwell Chemicals manufactures a massive range of cleaning products and you will be able to find what you’re looking for. We have our factory in Midrand, South Africa and we are your best local cleaning chemical wholesaler.

Safe Cleaning - what you need to know

Cleaning is something everyone has to do at some point. In certain environments, cleaning may be necessary several times a day. In other spaces, a once a week clean may be all that’s necessary. The environment, who uses that space and what is done in the environment, will dictate how and how often it is cleaned.

Always wear safety gear when you are cleaning. If you are using eco-friendly products it is still recommended that you use safety gear. A pair of gloves is a must, especially if you have sensitive skin. If the cleaning product you are using splashes on your skin you must always rinse off immediately with running water. By wearing gloves you will reduce that risk. If you are diluting chemicals or pouring them into other containers, you should also use safety eye wear to prevent any chemicals splashing into your eyes. The membranes in the eyes are extremely delicate and easily damaged. Please read the instructions that should come with your product as you may need to use other equipment like an oxygen mask, dust mask, chemical resistant overalls or chemical resistant shoes. These safety instructions should come with all cleaning products you purchase and if you don’t have them get in touch with your supplier to provide them so that you can avoid any unnecessary accidents.

Never mix different cleaning products. Remember in science class when you tried to mix things to create mini (or not so mini) explosions. By mixing cleaning products you may get the same result by mistake. Always follow the manufacturer’s directions on how to dilute their cleaning products. This will make your cleaning more effective and save time and money. In the case of diluting cleaning products –more cleaning product does not always give you better cleaning.

For more information on cleaning and cleaning products, please visit Blendwell Chemicals website at www.blendwell.co.za. Blendwell Chemicals has a factory in Halfway House, South Africa and we are your best local cleaning chemical wholesaler.  

What cleaning chemicals will clean a porous floor?

Hard flooring that is porous will be cleaned in differently from a floor that is non-porous. A porous floor will allow water to stink into it and these types of floors would include – brinks, untreated cement, terracotta and unglazed ceramics.

When using traditional cleaning chemicals you will want to use a cleaning product like floor scrub on these floors. Floor Scrub has been specifically designed to be used in a floor scrubbing machine. It is a low foaming cleaning product that is very effective at removing oil, grease and water-soluble soils.

If you would like to sanitise the floor after cleaning you can look to a cleaning product like Sanclean. Sanclean is recommended for all types of environments even hospitals, laboratories and clinics. It effectively kills most germs, bacteria, moulds and fungi and is an excellent disinfectant.

For more information on floor cleaning, please visit the Blendwell Chemicals website at www.blendwell.co.za/Floor_Care_Cleaning_Chemicals. Blendwell Chemicals manufactures a huge range of cleaning products in their Midrand factory. We are the best local supplier of wholesale cleaning products!

How to green clean non-porous hard floors?

When it comes to eco-friendly cleaning supplies Blendwell Chemicals has some amazing cleaning products. These green cleaning chemicals are available to resellers, distributors and contract cleaners from their factory in Midrand, South Africa. It’s close to the Midrand Gautrain station.

To clean non-porous hard floors like ceramic tiles, granite, sealed marble or sealed cement I would recommend you give the Eco-Lyte range of green cleaning products a try. Eco-Lyte uses a technological breakthrough in environmentally friendly cleaning chemicals. Eco-Lyte is made from simple table salt and water which is passed through a highly specialised electrical process. This process forms two super strong cleaning products, namely Eco-Lyte DG and Eco-Lyte NTL. Eco-Lyte DG is used for cleaning and Eco-Lyte NTL is an incredibly effective disinfectant. The Eco-Lyte range of green cleaning chemicals has outperformed traditional cleaners in most tests and they are the safest cleaners you could use.

For more information on green cleaning products please visit www.blendwell.co.za/Green_Cleaning_Products. Blendwell Chemicals is your best choice for local wholesale cleaning supplies.

How to HACCP clean non-porous hard floors?

When you have to clean a floor in a food factory, restaurant or industrial kitchen it’s necessary to follow the HACCP guidelines and use HACCP compliant cleaning chemicals. Blendwell Chemicals manufactures a range of specifically designed HACCP compliant cleaning products. Blendwell Chemicals calls this range of cleaners, the H-range.

Quot HF is a high grade disinfectant detergent that complies with SABS 639 and 1853. This cleaning product is a perfect choice when you want one cleaning product for cleaning and disinfecting to occur at the same time. As a HACCP compliant cleaning product, Quot HF contains no fragrance.

For sanitizing the hard floor, you can use Chlor HF which is also a HACCP compliant cleaning product. This cleaning product works by the foam method and effectively disinfects and sterilizes all hard surfaces. It also offers excellent stain removing properties.

For more information on HACCP cleaning, please visit our website at www.blendwell.co.za/Food_Industry_Cleaning_Products. Blendwell Chemicals manufactures all their HACCP compliant cleaning products at their factory in Halfway House, South Africa. Blendwell Chemicals is the best local bulk supplier of cleaning chemicals.

  

How to clean non-porous hard floors with chemicals?

First I think it’s important to establish what non-porous hard floors are. These floors would be floors covered with ceramic tiles, terrazzo, granite, slate, sealed marble or sealed cement. These floors are not able to soak up any liquids and if something is spilt it will pool on top of the floor.

If you were to choose to use traditional cleaning chemicals, Blendwell can offer some great options. To clean the floor you could use Wac GP Cleaner. This cleaning product is an extremely versatile cleaning product that is able to clean just about anything. It has been designed for cleaning very heavy dirt and complies with SABS 1344.

Another cleaning product you could also use for these hard floors is Blendwell Chemicals Cleardet. This cleaning product is a multi-purpose cleaner and has no fragrance so it can be used all over.

To sanitize your hard floors, you should use a cleaning chemical like Blendwell Chemicals  Sanclean. This detergent and disinfectant effectively kills most germs and bacteria. This cleaning product is fragranced and is able to clean and sterilize in one step.

For more information on cleaning products for floors please visit www.blendwell.co.za/Floor_Care_Cleaning _Chemicals. Blendwell Chemicals is your best cleaning products wholesaler in the Midrand area.