Clean Break

Green Cleaning Testing
Site Visits
The toluene replacement is being piloted on site for one of the four products identified by the lab. They are working on adhesion control. There are plans in the works for a return visit to assist on the project.

An additional site visit is being coordinated for next month for the cable cleaning project.

The lab has been working with three manufacturers of janitorial/household cleaners. Testing has been conducted to help these products get Green Seal and/or EPA DfE certification/recognition. Areas of testing included this month: all purpose, bathroom, glass, manual dishwashing, carpet stain cleaning, floor finish durability.

Overall, the lab has worked with 8 companies since July and conducted 40 trials.

Database
The plan to link the products with the various cleaning standards or certifications has been completed internally but there has been no work done on making these links “live”. Furthermore, there are still plans to create a separate interface for janitorial products.

Outreach
The lab is working on a couple of articles looking at how well green cleaners really work. The paper will be based on the testing program that the lab uses to assess products.

Status of How Effective Are ‘Green’ Cleaners?
The IEHA/TURI Partnership has changed direction and will not be recognizing high performing products using a formal logo for use on products or product packaging. However, the partnership will still promote the work that the lab does in testing safer products.

As part of the strategy to promote the IEHA/TURI Program industry-wide, an article on why testing for performance is important will be run in the Cleaning and Maintenance Management magazine. In addition, as the first installment of a regular column in Executive Housekeeping Today highlighting High Performance Cleaning Products (HPCP). This will provide solid science-based information to the IEHA members.

Disinfection Testing Partnership within UML School of Health and Environment (SHE)
The project has not been laid to rest just yet. A new connection with the SHE is being investigated. The Dean of SHE has expressed an interest in the project and will try to assist in getting a partner. Dr. Quinn from Work Environment also is looking into other partner. In the meantime the lab is starting a preliminary study on the use of an ATP measurement device donated to the lab. Three students (2 from TURI lab and 1 WE capstone program) are ready to start working on the project.

Green Cleaning Testing
The lab is assisting several companies in their search for safer cleaning methods. One company is looking to replace toluene in its pre-painting operation. The lab has conducted bench testing and some basic piloting of the top products. The company is going to start evaluating these products on-site in January.

The wax removal project started back in October found a couple of options. While the lab has been waiting for sample parts, the company has taken the successful results and applied the testing methods on-site, using other products. They were getting good results with simply boiling water, skimming the wax off the top, then adding cleaner to the boiling pot to remove the rest of the wax.

We are getting ready to work with a LED company to replace acetone in their cleaning process. Representatives from the company came to the TURI Lab to discuss the project.

The site visit at the company looking for assistance in reducing the use of nPB in its aircraft parts manufacturing facility took place and the lab’s objective was to identify possible non-aqueous wipe solvents. Testing is ongoing.

In addition to the end users of safer cleaning products, the lab has been working with a couple of manufacturers of janitorial/household cleaners. Testing has been conducted to help these products get Green Seal and EPA DfE certification/recognition.

Overall, the lab has worked with 7 companies since July and conducted 34 trials.

Database
More work has been done to try and provide end users with a way to easily identify products that have received performance testing for janitorial applications. The plan will be to link the products with certifications to the testing we have conducted for these products. The testing will include all of the relevant testing beyond the minimum testing required for certification, allowing the end user to get a better idea of how well these products work.

Material Safety Data and Technical Data sheet links were checked to determine which products needed new MSDS/TDSs or if the vendor contact information was up to date. Early next year the lab will begin to reach out to vendors to get newer products listed in the database.

Outreach
The lab presented at the TURA 20th anniversary symposium held in early November. The topic focused on how the lab’s hands-on assistance has increased how many companies have adopted the changes we have identified for them. Before the hands-on assistance the lab had a 30% adoption rate, after changing the program, 80% adoption.

The lab is working on a couple of articles looking at how well green cleaners really work. The paper will be based on the testing program that the lab uses to assess products.

The TURI Lab was recently interviewed by WBZ TV Channel 4 for a piece on safer cleaning products. The segment aired November 10.

Interviewed by Prevention Magazine on laundry cleaners and dryer sheets.

We have established a partnership with the International Executive Housekeeping Association (IEHA) to promote cleaning products that are both green and effective. The TURI Lab will test and validate high performance products.

The fee-based program will test soil removal efficacy of hard-surface cleaning products—both those certified as green by third-party organizations such as Green Seal, EcoLogo, EPA DfE and EcoForm, as well as products with green attributes—and recognize products that perform well in standard and customized cleaning tests.

Products accepted into the program will be tested using a variety of scientific methods and devices producing a detailed analysis of product performance. Manufacturers can use this information to improve their formulations as well as promote their products. Manufacturers of cleaning products that qualify after testing will be entitled to display the IEHA "High Performance Cleaning Product" designation and logo.

For more information on test procedures, performance benchmarks, or to apply for testing, please contact us.

A short video on the services the lab can provide to companies looking to have the there green cleaners evaluated for performance.

Green Cleaning Testing
We are currently working on a wax removal project for a company that makes glass capillary tubes. Testing has found a couple of aqueous based cleaners that work well in conjunction with heat and ultrasonic energy. The next steps will be to test on dirty parts.

Overall, the lab has worked with 4 companies and conducted 15 trials. Two site visits for new projects were scheduled recently. One was for a company that wanted to replace toluene for oil removal prior to painting. The second end user wanted assistance for reducing the use of nPB in its aircraft parts manufacturing facility.

Database
New products have been added to the database. Uploading testing information will take place by the end of the October. Plans to move ahead with a Janitorial/Household interface have resurfaced again. Stay tuned...

Outreach
A training for janitorial service providers was given at the MA Operational Service Division. The session provided basic information about Green Seal's GS 42 and ISSA Cleaning Industry Management Standard. The powerpoint slides are available at the Lab section of the TURI website under the Going Green for Cleaning.


The lab has been serving on the steering committee for the upcoming Process Cleaning Conference. The scope of sessions has been the focus of the group so far.

The lab will have a chapter in the 2nd edition of the Handbook of Critical Cleaning. The chapter looks at metal cleaning and how to select, test and implement safer cleaning products.

The lab staff attended the ISSA Interclean conference in Chicago, IL. The lab was there to encourage manufacturer's of safer cleaning products to get their products tested for performance. The lab participated in the International Executive Housekeepers Association's conference that was running concurrent to the ISSA show.

TURI Status
TURI has received funding from the University of Massachusetts Lowell that will allow the Institute to continue work through June 2010.

In partnership with the International Executive Housekeepers Association, the TURI Lab has put together a short video on what the lab can do for safer cleaning product performance testing. Take a look at the video: At YouTube and/or on the TURI site for the lab