High Efficiency Washing Machine Causing Odors And Marking Your Clothes? Use EATOILS™ SUPERFRESH™ And Your Problems Will Be Solved!

 Left Picture: View of rubber gasket from outside washing machine.

Right Picture: View of inside rubber gasket showing mold and mildew deposits.

If you own a high efficiency front load washing machine then you have probably been very pleased with the fact that these washing machines 1) clean your clothing better with less water, 2) make your clothes come out of the washing machine dryer (due to a high speed final spin cycle, which allows for less drying time), and 3) save time and money due to their energy saving features.

One thing you may not be happy about is the fact that these washing machines can and will cause your laundry area as well as your clothes to have a mold or mildew type smell.  Also, you might notice that occasionally you can get a dark mark on one or more of your laundry items.

The odor and mark are both caused by the rubber gasket that is located immediately inside the front door of the machine. As you can see in the pictures above, the inner lining of the gasket is manufactured in such a way that water can collect at the bottom of the gasket causing the water to sit there between loads. Wet rubber can mark clothing on its way into and out of the machine.  Couple that with the fact that the area inside the gasket gets no light, is damp, and warm, and you have a perfect breeding ground for mold and mildew spores to form and grow.

Manufacturers of these washers suggest that you always leave the door slightly ajar to allow air in. They also sell or recommend using a machine cleaning solution or small tablets that you can use in a wash cycle every two to three weeks to help clean the inside of the gasket. While doing these two things may help, they do not totally remove the mold, odor, or prevent the occasional marking of clothing.

Here is how to fix these problems: Clean the inside of the gasket thoroughly using our EATOILS™ SUPERFRESH™ Certified Green Cleaning Solution. Mix at 4 ounces to a gallon of warm water and clean the inside of the gasket using a small soft bristled brush and a rag. 1) Spray liberally inside the gasket with the diluted SUPERFRESH™ solution, 2) lightly scrub the gasket with a soft bristled brush, 3) let it sit for about 10-15 minutes, 4) and wipe with a damp rag. You will be amazed at the amount of mold and mildew that you will remove. At this point the mold and mildew will be eliminated and removed from the gasket along with the odor.  After thoroughly cleaning the gasket, spray some more of the SUPERFRESH™  solution inside the whole circumference of the gasket and machine and allow to air dry.

Once you are done cleaning the gasket, you can spray any clothing or towels that may have absorbed the odor. Using your spray bottle, mist the clothing or towel items just until lightly damp and this will remove any residual odor. Remember the SUPERFRESH™ is Certified Green and will not harm you or your clothing. After treating the clothing or towels you may choose to launder again but this is not necessary.

To keep the mold, mildew, and odor from returning, spray some of the EATOILS™ SUPERFRESH™ diluted at 2 ounces per gallon of water inside the gasket every 1-2 weeks and continue to keep the door slightly open when the machine is not in use, per manufacturer instructions.

Here is what one client wrote to our distributor in Texas who provides the product and cleaning service to his clients, "Thanks for making my washer not so stinky! Your odor removal product ROCKS!!!! (and it's green...yea for me!)" - Mrs. C. Wheeler, Splendora, Tx.

EATOILS™ SUPERFRESH™ is an excellent cleaning and deodorizing product for hard surfaces like kitchen, garbage areas & bins, bathroom, tile and grout, pet litter & pet areas, - try EATOILS™ SUPER CARPET-FRESH™ for carpeting and upholstery(spot cleaning, pre-spray and full extraction cleaning), clothing(laundry pre-treat, spot removal & deodorizing), and fabric cleaning challenges. SUPERFRESH™ will also remove most odors on contact - even SKUNK odor!

For more information about our EATOILS™ SUPERFRESH™ Certified Green Cleaning product, it’s many uses, as well as all of our other Certified Green Cleaning products, please feel free to call us toll free at 866 621 8244 Monday - Friday 9:00 - 5:00 Eastern time and visit us at our website.

Discolored Greasy Ceiling Tiles? Try Our EATOILS™ SUPER FLOOR DEGREASER™

Here’s how to clean a greasy, discolored restaurant kitchen ceiling.  Our distributor in the Houston, TX area, Clean and Green Solutions recently was called in to a local restaurant to see what they could do to help with their discolored ceiling tiles.  Over the years, fats, oils, and grease had accumulated on the surface of their ceiling tiles, especially in the kitchen over the fryer area.

Ceiling tile above the fryer area in a local restaurant – note how clean the tiles

   are compared to the original(yellow) tiles.

As the primary source of the discoloration was from airborne food grease from the fryer, we suggested cleaning the ceiling tiles with our EATOILS™ SUPER FLOOR DEGREASER™ - an ideal product for removing food grease and oils.  Also, due to the nature of our products, the client could rest assured that the products would not harm the ceiling tiles as long as they weren’t wet too much in the cleaning process.

All of our EATOILS™ products are environmentally friendly and contain no harmful ingredients.  As a matter of fact, our products contain no solvents, no VOC's(volatile organic compounds - that can cause breathing problems and allergic reactions in many people), no harsh chemicals, etc.  Without these nasty ingredients, the result is that our products clean deeper, and yet provide a safe product for you and your employees to use.  These products are so safe that you can use them without worrying that they might ruin your delicate surfaces or finishes.  EATOILS™ products are GREENER-CHOICE™ APPROVED GREEN to provide you with an additional level of protection for you and your facility.

So here’s what they did.  The product was mixed at 6 oz./gallon of warm water and sprayed directly onto the ceiling surface in a light foam.  After leaving the product in contact with the tiles for a few minutes, the tiles were lightly brushed with a soft brush to remove the excess product without damaging the tiles.  As you can see in the picture above, the result was very dramatic.  All oils and grease were removed and the ceiling tiles came back to virtually white again, saving the restaurant owner the cost of replacement tiles and keeping his restaurant in a much 'cleaner state'.  For more information about this product, click here.

For traditional ceiling tiles with normal discoloration from smoke, regular living, etc., you should use our EATOILS™ SUPERFRESH™ - it removes all types of discoloration, even mold & mildew.  This product is actually used by fire restoration companies – whenever there is a fire in a multi-unit building, the fire is usually contained to within a few apartments, but the smoke damage can be throughout the rest of the building.  EATOILS™ SUPERFRESH™ is used to remove the smoke from every surface in the building – walls, ceilings, furniture, carpeting, etc.  It cleans and removes the odor fast! - allowing the tenants to get back into their homes quickly.  For more information about this product, click here.

For more information about these products come to our website at www.eatoils.com  or call us toll free at 866 621 8244 Monday – Friday, 9:00 – 5:00 Eastern Time.

TREX Deck Cleaning With EATOILS(TM) BT200(TM)

One of the newest approaches out there for building decks is the introduction of composite deck materials.  One of the most popular composite decking systems is Trex™ Deck.  When cleaning a Trex™ Deck, great care must be taken to ensure that the decking is not damaged as it is a plastic type material. Using too much pressure while using a pressure washer can damage the Trex™ Decking. The contaminants that most often need cleaning off the Trex™ Deck are Mold + Mildew, and the occasional, and often heavy, Barbecue Grease from the grill.


 

Manufacturer's instructions state that to clean a Trex™ Deck you should use either: 1) a special brand of Deck Cleaner, 2) just warm soapy water and a bristle brush, or even 3) Sodium Hypochlorite (Bleach) with soapy water.  Note: using bleach will fade the color of the Trex™ Deck. They also state that regular maintenance cleaning of your Trex™ Deck is needed to keep the Mold and Mildew stains away.

Trex™ Deck owners in the Kingwood, Texas and Houston, Texas areas are fortunate to have our distributor and contractor, Clean and Green Solutions, available to safely clean their Trex™ Decks.  When they clean Trex™ Decks they use our Certified Green EATOILS(TM) BT200(TM) as a Composite Deck Cleaner that will kill the Mold and Mildew and gently remove all the contaminants away.  This process is totally safe for your landscape, pets, and family. Our EATOILS(TM) Composite + Trex Deck Cleaning product contains NO dangerous chemicals and is in fact GREENER-CHOICE™ APPROVED Green - it returns your composite or Trex™ Deck back to it’s original color and beauty as shown below.

Our cleaning process and method will not cause your Trex™ Deck to fade and it will stay cleaner than any other recommended cleaning method.

Thank you Doug Rucker, at Clean and Green Solutions for your great pictures!  Keep up the good work! To buy some click here.

For more information  about our products come to our website at http://www.eatoils.com or give us a call Monday - Friday 9:00 - 5:00 Eastern Time (toll Free) at 866 621 8244 - one of our qualified customer service agents will be pleased to answer any of your questions.

Combine the Advantages of EATOILS(TM) GREEN Cleaning Products With The New Reveal Microfibre Mop System From RUBBERMAID(TM)

EATOILS™ Products

Clean the floor and the grout with EATOILS(TM)

For several years now our clients have known that you can use our EATOILS™ products in combination with other cleaning methods and systems to optimize cleaning power and save money.  Recent innovations in Microfiber technology have revealed that our EATOILS™ products work very well with this system and with 'swiffer' type technology.  Now Rubbermaid™ has come out with a refillable microfiber system that works very well with our EATOILS™ products.

Reveal System From RUBBERMAID(TM)

As quoted in their literature, "The Rubbermaid Reveal Refillable Spray Bottle works with the Reveal Spray Mop to allow you to clean your floor your way. The bottle allows you to use any solution or just plain hot water to clean your floors. Buy multiple bottles and mix separate solutions for different floors in your house to make cleaning simpler."

Now you can have the benefits of our GREENER-CHOICE™ APPROVED GREEN cleaning products and use them with your home cleaning system. Use our EATOILS™ SUPERFRESH™ for all your hard surface cleaning and deodorizing jobs (bathrooms, floors, counters, garbage areas, pet areas, green bins, etc.).  Use our EATOILS™ SUPER FLOOR DEGREASER™ for kitchen floors, grout, and the worst food grease.

For more information about our EATOILS(TM) Certified GREEN cleaning products please call our office Monday - Friday 9:00 - 5:00 Eastern Time toll free at 866 621 8244 or come to our website

Oil Stains On Concrete Or Pavers - Use EATOILS™ BT200™ And They'll Be GONE!

hydraulic spill on concrete pavers                                             concrete pavers after using BT200™

Oil stains on concrete can be a real problem. Whether it is on a roadway, driveway, restaurant drive-thru, bank drive thru, mall parking lot, parking garage, pavers, or whatever, - large or small, it can be an ugly mess!

Typical cleaners and degreasers will have some affect however, they don't go deep enough into the pores of the concrete to remove the black oil stains so only the surface of the oil is removed and a lasting stain remains - the results are usually less than satisfactory.

EATOILS™ BT200™ on the other hand, does go deep into the pores of the concrete to remove the oil residue and return the concrete to its original color.

EATOILS™ BT200™ is composed of natural surfactants, nutrients and beneficial microbes that target oils and grease with billions of tiny scrubbers to break down and digest the oils and other hydrocarbons and replace them with three harmless chemicals - oxygen, water, and carbon dioxide as a result.

Here's a testimonial from the Pressure Washing Institute's website Testimonials forum:

BT200™ and Pavers "I have been cleaning this one property’s front entrance area for about 4 years. They only clean it once a year. It has an area of red pavers (about 7500 sq. ft.), that when I got there 4+ years ago was totally wasted with leaked oil, a major stain as buses and cars park here. I told the manager back then - the best thing was to flip the pavers. He didn’t want to do that. I have cleaned the area 4 times with heavy duty degreasers and heat, but just didn’t get the stains out enough at all, I just made it better than it was. I was never happy with the finished product but the manager said it looked better. We would finish it but there were still some pretty black areas and then lighter stuff that looked okay."

"Well, this week I used EATOILS™ BT200™ on it and I have to say, it was a major difference and looked damn good, I'm pretty impressed."

"Before when we cleaned even when it was still wet you could see the oil stain. Last night we cleaned and wet areas and areas that had some time to dry out - you just couldn't see the stains that have been there for years. My guys and I were pretty surprised - and so was the maintenance guy. The stains were gone (if not 100%, certainly 90%) - it really looked good - a lot better than any other time we have cleaned. We went the night before and applied the BT200™ and went back last night and cleaned. I took some pictures but I want to go back when its 100% dry and take another look. But no matter what, it’s A LOT better."

NEXT DAY: "All I’ve got to say is WOW! After seeing how it looked last night, I really wanted to see how it looked the next day when it was dry, WOW!! As I was driving to take a look at it the property, the manager on property called to tell me how great it looked. I told him I would be there in a few minutes. Man, it looks 98% better than anytime I cleaned it before. (I did do something different on one 10x10 section last night. Where I had the BT200™ on a little area I X-jetted some Degreaser, the area wasn’t any cleaner than where I just put BT200™.)"

"Now on the pavers it is fantastic! There was some border area with a very smooth concrete and that is showing the stain shadow a little more than the pavers, but even that’s 85% cleaner than I ever got it before. This product even got in between the pavers really good - in the grooves there was no stain at all. Good stuff EATOILS™!" Testimonial from Jeff LeCours of JL PRESSURE WASHING of Myrtle Beach, SC.

For more information about this product click here.

We have a complete range of Green cleaning and treatment products. For further information about these products please visit our website or call us toll free at 866 621 8244 any time Monday - Friday 9:00AM - 5:00PM Eastern time.

Here's An Article - Defining Green And Sustainability - EATOILS(TM) Is Still Your Best Bet

Here is the text of an article this week in Housekeeping Solutions magazine by Corinne Zudonyi, editor, titled - Defining Green and Sustainability:

In 2007, 67 percent of Housekeeping Solutions readers commented that they used green cleaning products within their facility. By 2010, that number jumped to 86 percent. What's even more impressive though, only 50 percent of readers surveyed in 2007 commented that they would do whatever they could to incorporate green products into their programs. In 2010, that number shot up to 88 percent.

As green cleaning and sustainable initiatives continue to evolve and gain momentum with in-house departments, it can become difficult for managers to navigate the lexicon of changing terms.

The federal government defines green as "products and services that reduce the health and environmental impacts as compared to other products and services used for the same purpose.” Custodial managers know that incorporating these products and methods into a green cleaning program will help improve the health and environment of a building and its occupants.

However, confusion often arises when it becomes necessary for managers to go beyond green products and define product certifications, product life cycle, greenwashing or biobased products, to name a few. Here, common terms and phrases that have caused confusion over the years are defined to help managers clarify green and sustainable best practices with confidence.

Refresher Course

Not all terminology associated with green and sustainability is new to custodial managers. In fact, sometimes all that's needed is a refresher course and some clarification on what they already know.

BIOBASED PRODUCTS — Defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as "a product that is composed, in whole or in significant part, of biological products or renewable domestic agricultural materials (including plant, animal and marine materials) or forestry materials.” Some common ingredients in biobased cleaning products include citrus, coconut, corn, lavender and parsley.

It is important to note that not all biobased products are green and not all green products are biobased. For instance, while the ingredient in a product may be naturally derived, one also has to consider the toxicity, packaging and the manufacturing process.

ENVIRONMENTALLY PREFERABLE PURCHASING — Purchasing products or services that have a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared with competing products or services that serve the same purpose.

LEED — The U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is a rating system and certification program for facilities. Due to consistent updates made to the program, there are now nine different types of certifications available, six of which pertain to the jan/san professional — LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (scheduled for revisions in 2012), LEED for Commercial Interiors, LEED for Schools, LEED for Retail, LEED for Healthcare and LEED for New Construction. Each category of certification has specific requirements outlined pertaining to custodial departments. In addition to those requirements, there are supplementary cleaning tasks that can help earn points towards certifications.

Still Causing Confusion

Although green cleaning is a concept in-house departments are accustomed to and familiar with, there is still some confusion when talking specifics. For instance, what is the difference between cleaning for health and indoor air quality? Is green really different from sustainability? These questions, as well as others, are answered in the following descriptions.

CLEANING FOR HEALTH — Some confuse this with indoor air quality, but IAQ only addresses exposure to cleaning through inhalation, which is just part of the cleaning for health concept.


"There are three routes of exposure: inhalation, ingestion and absorption through the skin,” says Steve Ashkin, president of The Ashkin Group and The Sustainability Dashboard. "Inhalation is important, but it is only one part of the equation. Cleaning for health looks at all the issues.”

The cleaning for health concept claims that cleaning has value beyond the aesthetic, and can positively impact human health and the environment by reducing exposure to chemicals, improving indoor air quality, and reducing germs that prevent disease, allergic reaction and infection for building occupants and cleaning crews. What speaks to management: the cleaning for health concept has shown to increase worker productivity and reduce absenteeism.

ECO-LABELING — An eco-label is a logo of which is affixed to a product that suggests green or sustainability. Common labels include those from EcoLogo, Green Seal, Carpet and Rug Institute or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, to name a few. Manufacturers might also put their own eco-labels on products, which is called self-certification.

Purchasers are advised to research eco-labels to confirm the accuracy of green claims. This is often easily done as many certifying bodies provide lists of products carrying their labels, as well as those fraudulently making claims.

GREENWASHING — TerraChoice and EcoLogo coined the formal definition for greenwashing as "the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service.”

As the green initiative took off, independent third-party certifications became necessary to differentiate a green product from one with no environmental benefit. In addition to certifications, Green Guides were introduced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to control and clarify the terms manufacturers used to market their products as green.

Proposed revisions to these guidelines are currently being reviewed to ensure that manufacturer environmental advertising and labeling claims comply with the law and do not mislead buyers. Changes to the agency's Green Guides include new guidance on marketers' use of product certifications and seals of approval, "renewable energy” claims, "renewable materials” claims and "carbon offset” claims. Those that do not comply are considered to be greenwashing.

According to TerraChoice, developers of the Greenwashing Report and The Seven Sins of Greenwashing, more than 95 percent of consumer products claiming to be green were found to commit at least one of the "Sins of Greenwashing.”


LIFE CYCLE — The life cycle of a product is a concept that recognizes the product's impact on the environment not only during usage, but across its entire life cycle. This includes everything from the extraction of raw materials to the manufacturing process, transportation and recycling or disposal of the product. The term cradle to grave (the cradle representing where the raw materials came from and the grave representing disposal after use, according to Ashkin) is often used in conjunction with life cycle, but should not be confused with cradle to cradle.


Cradle to cradle is used to explain a product that incorporates a sustainable life cycle, but as oppose to being disposed of, is instead recycled into or reused as a product of equal or greater quality. An example of this is taking the motor out of an old piece of floor care equipment and using it in a newer model that is then reintroduced into the workforce.


RADICAL TRANSPARENCY — This is a relatively new term used in the jan/san industry and is formally defined as "a management method where nearly all decision making is carried out publicly.” In other words, radical transparency is when manufacturers honestly and completely disclose sustainable processes and product ingredients — i.e. no secrets.

SELF-CERTIFICATION — To self-certify is when a manufacturer develops their own set of certifying criteria and a certification label that confirms achievement of that criteria. Tests are often not conducted by a third party but results and additional details such as life cycle studies and inspections of operations, are traditionally made available. Purchasing agents are encouraged to review these results when determining the product's viability for a particular cleaning program. Some experts consider this a form of greenwashing, but others comment that radical transparency will support self-certification claims.

SUSTAINABILITY — The concept of sustainability is often confused with or used in conjunction with green. The main difference, though, is that green is defined by products and/or services. Sustainability is defined as a process that "meet the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Sustainability minimizes cleanings impact on people and the environment, but more importantly, it is a process, not a product.

For instance, a green certified paper towel (a product) often consists of recycled fibers from previously cut-down trees. A manufacturer practices sustainability (a process) by planting a new tree for each that is used in the development of that paper towel, replenishing forests for future generations.

"There is no such thing as a sustainable product,” says Ashkin. "Sustainability addresses how products are made or used. It is about the triple bottom line: environmental aspects, financial aspects and social equity.”

New/Revised Certifications

To help in-house managers navigate the green and sustainable lexicon, third-party certifiers have developed — and in some cases already revised — product, personal, departmental and facility certifications. The goal is to create standards for which the industry can use as a benchmark to drive green and sustainable cleaning initiatives forward.

At EATOILS™ we continue to provide GREENER-CHOICE™ APPROVED GREEN cleaning and treatment alternatives for clients who are looking for products that meet or exceed sustainability and environmental standards.

For more information about our products come to our website.  We would love to hear from you by phone (call our toll free number at 866 621 8244) Monday - Friday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Eastern time.  Knowledgeable Customer Service Personnel are standing by, ready to answer your questions.

What to Use With Our EATOILS(TM) Products

Many clients have asked us how they can accomplish all of their household cleaning needs with Green products concentrating on our EATOILS™ GREENER-CHOICE™ APPROVED GREEN cleaning products.

Here is the simple answer: Our EATOILS™ cleaning products will clean all of your organic stains, keep your drain lines open, and maintain your septic system:

BT200™ cleans and degreases all oils and greases from automotive or industrial sources. This product is also amazing for removing mold & mildew from all surfaces. Click here for more information

SUPERFRESH™ cleans and deodorizes all hard surfaces in kitchen, bathroom, garbage areas, pet areas, etc. Click here for more information

SUPER CARPET-FRESH™ cleans and deodorizes all soft surfaces, including carpets, upholstery, and all kinds of fabrics.  Click here for more information

SUPER FLOOR DEGREASER™ cleans and degreases all food oils, fats and greases - it is ideal for busy kitchens and slippery floors.  It also deep cleans grout and tiles.  Click here for more information

SUPERFLOW™ opens clogged drains and keeps lines clear.  Click here for more information

SUPER SRV™ maintains septic and RV portable toilet systems.  Click here for more information

WHEN EATOILS™ WON'T DO:

1) To remove calcium, lime and rust stains - you need an acidic cleaner - the green answer is lemon juice - it has a pH of 2.0 yet it is safe for you to handle - and breathe - no noxious fumes! It is great in the kettle to remove scale - just add a 1/4 cup to the kettle with a cup of water and boil - the scale will be gone in less than a minute!  If you need a scrubber for, say, cleaning the tub or toilet - cut a lemon in half and use it as your SCRUBBER! - need extra abrasion? dip it in some baking soda, then scrub.

2) For deep cleansing, use a mixture of baking soda and lemon juice - the baking soda is abrasive and will remove baked on matter from pots, clean the kitchen sink, etc.

3) To sanitize, the objective is to kill germs.  In order to kill germs you need either a highly acid (pH of 2.0 or less) or a highly caustic (pH of 12 or more) solution.  Typical safe examples are ACID: Vinegar, citric acid, etc. and for CAUSTIC: Hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, 5% chlorine bleach.  The biggest need for a sanitizer is to clean food prep surfaces and toilets etc.

Aside from the areas listed above there may be rare occasions where you need a special product for a special need.  Some of those we can help you with.

We have products to help with graffiti, or paint accidents on virtually any surface.

If you get ink on a shirt or clothing try isopropyl alcohol (available at the drug store) - it is one of the secret cleaning products which works wonders on fabrics of all kinds.

If you have any cleaning questions please call us toll free(from anywhere in North America) Mon - Fri 9:00 - 5:00 Eastern time at 866 621 8244.