Month: March 2013

Here’s Hoping All Your Bunnies Are Made of Chocolate

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Dust Bunny

Where do these cute little guys come from, anyway?

It probably won’t  surprise you to learn that these cute little dust balls aren’t actually bunnies!   The exact composition of a dust bunny can vary depending on area, weather and season.  Typically, house dust is composed of stuff like dead skin cells, hair, pet dander, carpet fibers, clothing fibers,  pollen, dead insect parts, and other particulates that entered your home through the windows and was tracked in on the soles of  shoes.  Dust bunnies are usually held together in clumps because the fibers that compose them become entangled and get matted, much like lint does.  There are also electrostatic forces between the dust particles themselves that help the bunnies form in the first place.  They can actually be a little bit gross!

Keep dust bunnies under control with regular vacuuming and dusting.

Vacuum with a machine that has a HEPA filter. HEPA  stands for high-efficiency particulate air filter.  HEPA fliters are designed to trap most of the fine particulates in the machine, so they aren’t simply spewed them back into the air.  Make sure to use the vacuum attachments every few months to reach dust that lurks under furniture, in sliding glass door tracks, behind the refrigerator and under other large household appliances.   Metro Cleaning Service Albuquerque recommends using a microfiber cloth, dusting mitt, or a refillable duster instead of a feather duster.  While feather dusters can be great for dusting delicate items such as figurines and small glass objects, they don’t do a great job at trapping dust.   Dusting sprays can be a good choice when used in combination with a microfiber cloth.

Here’s hoping all your bunnies may be made of Chocolate!

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Metro Cleaning Service Albuquerque is a commercial janitorial service and office cleaning company that serves Albuquerque and the surrounding area.

What Is Dirtier Than A Toilet Seat?

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What Is Dirtier Than A Toilet Seat?

The kitchen sponge is a handy and common clean up tool! Sponges save both money and the environment because they are re-useable. What you may not be aware of is that some sponges are actually dirtier than an average toilet seat. Some studies have found that kitchen sponges contain as many as 10 million bacteria per square inch. If you routinely use a sponge to wipe your kitchen counter top, plates and cups, or cutting board, those surfaces could also end up being dirtier than your toilet seat! Before you swear off sponges, here are a few tips to help you keep them clean and safe!

1. Let kitchen sponges dry thoroughly between uses.

Rinse and thoroughly wring the sponge after use. Purchase a binder clip (from office supply store) and clip it to the bottom of the sponge. The clip will serve as a “base” and allow the sponge to stand upright so that it will dry faster.

2. Sanitize your sponges!

Never let food and dirt remain on the sponge, and never use a sponge to wipe a cutting board or plate used for cleaning raw chicken. Sponges can be sanitized by soaking them in 1 quart of hot water mixed with 3 tablespoons of household bleach. Soak for five minutes, squeeze excess water out, and let air-dry.

3. Use your microwave!

Make sure your sponge is thoroughly wet and then microwave on high for 2 minutes. You can also place the sponge in a microwave safe bowl with a small amount of water. Do not microwave any sponge or scrub pad that contains metal, do not microwave dry sponges, and do not microwave sponges that contain any type of cleaning solution or chemical! Also, be very cautious when handling freshly microwaved sponges as they can be extremely hot.

Bonus Tip:
After microwaving the sponge, there will be quite a bit of steam and moisture in your microwave… which provides the perfect opportunity to remove some of that stuck-on gunk and debris from the microwave interior!

4. Replace sponges often!

The average sponge should be replaced after two to eight weeks, depending on frequency of use!

Always remember, if your sponge has developed an unpleasant or musty odor, it is probably best to be cautious and throw it out!
Please Note:
Microwave sponges at your own risk! Although many laboratory studies have been unable to duplicate this result, there have been rare instances of people reporting sponges catching fire while being microwaved. Make sure you adjust microwave times according to size of sponge and power of microwave. Never microwave metal, never microwave a dry sponge, and never microwave a sponge that contains cleaning solutions or other chemicals.

 

Is Your Coffee Mug Making You Sick?

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Is Your Coffee Mug Making You Sick?

At Metro Cleaning Service, we love cutting down on waste as much as anyone else. Reusable mugs are wonderful, but not if they are going to make you sick!

What if your mug isn’t as clean as you think it is? It might not be! Approximately twenty percent of office mugs carry fecal bacteria, and 90 percent are covered in other germs. It is common practice to give our office mugs a not so thorough scrub that includes a squirt of liquid dish detergent, a kitchen sponge and a quick rinse off under the kitchen faucet. Most office sponges and kitchen scrub brushes are breeding grounds for bacteria. Office sponges and brushes are used many times daily, by many different individuals and are rarely sanitized. When these handy (but potentially dirty) kitchen tools are used to clean a coffee mug, they can simply end up transferring germs from one mug to another.

Before you trade in your coffee mug for a styrofoam replacement, you might want to make it a point to give your mug a nightly run through in the dishwasher, complete with the dry cycle. At the very least, you may want to consider passing up the kitchen sponge, and opting for a paper towel instead. Rinse mug in the hottest possible water, and dry with a clean paper towel. Lastly, don’t leave your dirty mug on your desk overnight. Bacteria need just a small amount of residue to begin multiplying!

Just when you thought it was safe to turn off the lights….

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Just when you thought it was safe to touch that light switch....

Everyone comes down with it sooner or later. The horrible stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting seem to come out of nowhere. People are forced to miss work. Parents are forced to stay home with sick children. Hours and hours of workplace productivity are lost each year to norovirus. It is common knowledge that 2013 has brought about one of the worst flu seasons yet. What you may not know is that flu season is still here! Although spring is on the way and the flu is not foremost on our minds, it is still all too easy to contract this dreaded illness!
The stomach flu that has recently made it’s way around the globe is a new strain of norovirus. This strain was first detected in Australia in 2012. From September 2012 to December 2012, it was the leading cause of outbreaks of the disease in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

How is norovirus spread?

Norovirus is commonly transmitted via inadequate hand washing by infected individuals. The virus is found in vomit and stool, and without proper hygiene will easily transfer to surfaces such as door handles, sinks and faucets, light switches, etc. The virus will survive on surfaces for a long time, infecting individuals that are unfortunate enough to come in contact with contaminated surfaces.

What can be done to prevent the spread of norovirus?

Proper hand washing is key in preventing the spread of norovirus. EFFECTIVE hand washing is not just a quick splash under the faucet and a shake off on the run. It involves soap, lather and proper technique. Mom was right! Done correctly, hand washing should take a minimum of 20 seconds! That may not seem like a long time, but try to time yourself the next time you wash up!
Cleaning professionals can play an important role in protecting the health of building occupants. The CDC advises cleaning nonporous and high-touch surfaces (e.g., door knobs, light switches, etc.) with a chlorine bleach solution of 5 to 25 tablespoons to each gallon of water. There are also many other commercial disinfectants registered as being effective against norovirus by the EPA. Make sure you read the labels and follow manufacturers instructions when using commercially available disinfectants!

Have a happy, norovirus free spring!

While nothing can completely prevent the spread of the stomach flu, effective hygienic hand washing and proper disinfecting can slow the transfer of the virus from one person to another! If you suspect an outbreak of norovirus (or any other illness) in your facility, contact your cleaning service provider and let them know! Metro Cleaning Service is always happy to partner with our clients to help protect the health and safety of building occupants!

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