National Cleaning Week Has Just Come To A Close And It’s Been A Busy Time for ASL
Cleaning Products Europe Conference
The Cleaning Products Europe Conference took place this week in Prague. It is the leading conference in Europe, dedicated to providing focused insights on new trends and innovations in the cleaning products industry. It brought together the biggest names from across the industry, from household and cleaning products manufacturers to chemical suppliers and retailers and provided a great opportunity to share knowledge and ideas.
Creating a healthier indoor environment is key to the health and well-being of those who occupy a building. To achieve this, there must be clean air, clean surfaces and proper ventilation. In this post pandemic era, it was interesting that much of the focus at the conference was on cleaning for health rather than for appearance. For instance, a session entitled ‘Testing, Innovation and the Future of the Cleaning Product Industry’ examined lab testing for cleaning product efficacy and ‘Home Care – Beyond the Pandemic’ looked at the increased hygiene awareness that has exploded since the pandemic. At ASL we are believers in cleaning for health and hygiene and our asthma & allergy friendly® Certification Program addresses this.
The asthma & allergy friendly® Certification Program, run in collaboration with AAFA, tests products such as vacuum cleaners, air cleaners, surface cleaning sprays and dusting wipes to ensure that they reduce allergens. Household cleaning product ingredients are many, varied and largely unregulated. It is not a requirement for manufacturers to list all the ingredients on packaging and anything that constitutes less than 2% of the product can be omitted. The American Lung Association recommend using only cleaning products that “don’t have volatile organic compounds, fragrances, irritants or flammable ingredients”. The asthma & allergy friendly® Certification Program ensures that levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are very low in any products that are awarded the certification.
Magazine Publications
Cleaning and Maintenance Management Magazine
On the occasion of National Cleaning Week, an interview with ASL CEO, Dr. McKeon, appeared in Cleaning and Maintenance Management Magazine (CMM). The article highlights the fact that an effective cleaning strategy is imperative to improve indoor air quality and to reduce triggers of asthma and allergies but also that a healthier indoor environment is better for everyone.
Also published in CMM magazine, ASL Science Lead Emer Duffy’s article addresses the issue of carpet care and how correct carpet care can be part of an overall strategy for creating a healthier indoor environment. Indoor air pollution is one of the top five environmental risks to public health, according to the US Environment Protection Agency, and reducing indoor pollutant levels is essential for creating a healthier indoors. Regular cleaning and choosing third party certified vacuum cleaners & cleaning products form an important part of an effective strategy.
ASL’s U.S. Trade Mission Helps Build Relationship with Cleaning Industry
From L-R: Dr. John Ryan, Dr. John McKeon, Melissa Hockstad, Kristin DiNicolantonio, Matt Bisenius
The conference in Europe comes on the back of an extended trade mission for ASL in the United States where relationships with clients, partners and friends in the cleaning industry were cemented. Dr John McKeon and Dr John Ryan met the executive team of the American Cleaning Institute in Washington DC with Melissa Hockstad, Matt Bisenius and Kristin DiNicolantonio to discuss and expand on their shared goal of the importance of cleaning for health rather than just cleaning for appearances. The meeting took place on the occasion of Dr. John Ryan joining the Future Clear Labelling Group.
The trip also included a visit to the CPI Innovation Center in Michigan. The brainchild of Dave Maurer, the facility provides hands on training for those in the cleaning industry, fulfilling the canter’s philosophy that education only really happens if something is transferred into real life or into practice. A tour of the unique premises was inspirational and ASL is looking forward to working together to educate and empower people to improve lives by creating healthier indoor spaces.
From Left to Right: Dr. John McKeon, Patricia Olinger, Gavin Macgregor-Skinner
It was Patricia Olinger, JM, RBP and Steve Arehart of the Global Biorisk Advisory Council and ISSA-The Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association that made ASLaware of the CPI Innovation Center and it’s always a pleasure to meet up with our new partners, GBAC. GBAC’s program relies on comprehensive training, which teaches the proper protocols, correct disinfection techniques, and cleaning best practices for biohazard situations. This aligns nicely with ASL’s mission and we are uniquely positioned to deliver the education that is required around the impacts a building has on health. As global leaders in the field of healthy indoor environments and certification standards, ASL’s partnership with GBAC is an exciting and timely development to address the needs of the air aware world. The collaboration will address the knowledge gap that exists around the concept of a healthy indoor environment by empowering and educating consumers, retailers and manufacturers worldwide.
ASL is committed to improving lives by creating the healthiest possible indoor environment through education, science and innovation and is delighted to support National Cleaning Week and to keep the focus on how important cleaning is for health.
Keywords
cleaning products, cleaning industry, health, healthier, indoor environment, Cleaning Products Conference, CMM, certification, innovation, indoor air quality, indoor environment, VOCs, ventilation, building materials, allergen, allergy, asthma, asthma & allergy friendly®
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