Rethinking That "5" Second Rule

RETHINKING THAT "5 SECOND RULE!"

We've all done it at least once. Eat a piece of food that has just fallen on the floor. You know, the "5 Second Rule." Doesn't look dirty... no hair or dust visable, so into the mouth. Well, you may just want to reconsider that practice. According to independent tests from the University of Arizona found the following number of bacteria particles on one-square-inch samples:

Toilet seat: 49
Kitchen counter: 1,686
Kitchen tile: 2,546
Bathroom floor: 18,025
Carpet: 200,000 plus

That's some food for thought!

Lawsuit Targets Makers of Household Cleaners

A lawsuit was filed this week in New York state seeking to enforce a law on the books since 1976, but never enforced. The suit was filed by the nonprofit public interest law firm Earthjustice on behalf of: Women's Voices for the Earth, Environmental Advocates of New York, New York Public Interest Research Group, Riverkeeper, Sierra Club, and American Lung Association in New York. The group seeks to force chemical manufactures to disclose the chemical ingredients in their products and any health hazards they may pose.

See full article here.

According to New York law, companies are are required to file semi-annual reports with the state listing the chemicals contained in their products and describing any company research on these chemicals' health and environmental effects. But since the 1976 law was passed, companies have not filed a single report.

I support any effort to increase transparency when it comes to household and commercial cleaning products. As a residential cleaning service owner, it is important for me to know exactly what I am exposing my staff and my clients to.

As the article points out, ingredient disclosure requirements are virtually non-existent in the United States. While I understand the manufacturer's stance that they could be disclosing trade secrets that would put them at a competitive disadvantage, I think the public has a right to know if the products they or a professional are using are potentially harmful to themselves or the environment.

OSHA (The Occupational Safety and Health Administration) requires that professional cleaning companies like Partners In Grime carry a MSDS (Material Safety Date Sheet) for every cleaning chemical we use. A MSDS is a disclosure form designed to provide both workers and emergency personnel with the proper procedures for handling or working with a particular substance. MSDS's include information such as physical data, toxicity, health effects, first aid, reactivity, storage, disposal, protective equipment, and spill/leak procedures.

MSDS's are designed for employees, employers, and emergency personnel. MSDS's are not written for consumers. An MSDS reflects the hazards of working with the material in an occupational fashion. For example, an MSDS for a particular cleaner is not highly pertinent to someone who uses a bottle of it once a year, but is extremely important to someone who does this in a confined space 40 hours a week.

All of Partners In Grime's professional cleaning crews carry a MSDS with them at all times for every cleaning chemical we use. If any of our clients would like to see a particular MSDS, please ask the cleaning crew to show you. You can always call or email our office and we will be happy to fax or email them to you as well.

Partners In Grime

8031 Ward Parkway Plaza

Kansas City, MO 64114

816-444-6060

http://www.partnersingrime.com/

info@partnersingrime.com

Kansas City Residential Cleaning Company Feedback

We received the following feedback card this week:

From Laura in Kansas City regarding her cleaning on 1/19/2009

"Great job on 2 very dirty bathrooms!"

Great Job Julia and Maria!

Partners In Grime currently services homes in Kansas City, Overland Park, Leawood, Mission Hills, Prairie Village, Fairway, Mission, Roeland Park, Lenexa, Shawnee, Lee's Summit, Merriam.

For a quote Click Here or call us at 816-444-6060.

Johnson County Residential Cleaning Company Feedback

We received the following feedback card this week:

From Jennifer in Mission Hills, KS commented on her first cleaning with Partners In Grime.

"We had a great experience! Thank you"

Way to go Pam and Julia!

Partners In Grime currently services homes in Kansas City, Overland Park, Leawood, Mission Hills, Prairie Village, Fairway, Mission, Roeland Park, Lenexa, Shawnee, Lee's Summit, Merriam.

For a quote Click Here or call us at 816-444-6060.

Johnson County Maid Service

Partners In Grime has been cleaning homes since 1978 in Overland Park, Leawood, Mission Hills, Prairie Village, Lenexa, Shawnee, Mission, Roeland Park, Merriam, Fairway, Stanley, Spring Hill and Olathe.

Click Here for more information about our services.

Click Here for our Frequently Asked Questions.

Partners In Grime
Locally owned and operated since 1978

8031 Ward Parkway Plaza

Kansas City, MO 64114

816-444-6060

http://www.partnersingrime.com/

info@partnersingrime.com

Women with Asthma should not be cleaning their own homes!!! Read on:


SATURDAY, Feb. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Housecleaning products may pose a threat to women with asthma, U.S. researchers say.
During a 12-week study, they compared cleaning-related health effects in women who did and did not have asthma and found a higher number of lower respiratory tract symptoms among the asthmatic women.
Dr. Jonathon A. Bernstein, of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, and colleagues found that "women in both groups exhibited increased upper and lower respiratory tract symptoms in response to cleaning agents rated mild in toxicity, suggesting a subtle but potentially clinically relevant health effect of long-term, low-level chemical exposures."
The researchers recommended "that women with asthma should be routinely interviewed as to whether they clean their home and cautioned about the potential respiratory health effects of these activities."
The study was published in the January issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
Asthma affects about 20 million people in the United States. Death rates from the disease are higher among women than men. In many homes, women are the primary cleaners.
Authors of the study concluded that "longer, prospective studies of nonprofessional household cleaners are needed to determine whether there is an association between household cleaning agent exposure and the development of asthma."

It is our opinion that hiring a professional house cleaning service like Partners In Grime is the safest and healthiest way to maintain your home. Partners In Grime uses "Green" or low toxicity cleaning products for the health of you, our staff and our environment.

If you suffer from Asthma or are worried about developing Asthma, please give Partners In Grime a call at 816-444-6060 or email us at info@partnersingrime.com

Valentine's Day Alert For Husbands!!!!!

Husbands should note that 55 percent of married women say they would prefer to receive a whole-house cleaning in lieu of an expensive gift on Valentine’s Day, according to this recent "Mr. Clean Keeping It Fresh" survey. This comes as no surprise, as over half of both married men and married women say they have argued with their partner over a dirty, smelly bathroom, a disorganized kitchen, finding towels on the floor or having a messy countertop and other things.

It's not too late to get you wife, girlfriend or significant other a gift card for professional house cleaning. Give us a call at 816-444-6060 for pick up or delivery on Friday.