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When faced with a gigantic mess, it's tempting to get heavy-handed with cleaning products. Because there's no such thing as too clean, right?

Wrong.

Overusing certain cleaning products can actually lead to even bigger problems than spills: Some could damage your carpet or windows, and some could damage your health. We asked cleaning experts to name the worst offenders.

1. Glass Cleaner

Why it's bad to overuse: Cleaning expert Jolie Kerr blames overuse on a common mistake: "People tend to spray the surface in need of cleaning rather than the rag, cloth or paper towel they're using to wipe the surface." Spray too much and you're basically pushing dirt and lint around, which leads to nasty streaks.

Instead: Spritz the paper towel with your glass cleaner of choice, then wipe down the glass.

More at source: Huffington Post

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Our membership with the International Janitorial Cleaning Service Association signifies our commitment to provide the best and latest approaches to facility management as well as the tried and true methods of commercial cleaning. This approach combined with hard work and consistency make us a great choice for your facility health and wellness. We service Atlanta Metro.

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Based on information and belief, the lawsuit said, Kingery was provided with a cup containing the cleaning solution Urnex – a product used for cleaning coffee and espresso machines.

Kingery ingested the cleaning solution, which caused “burning mouth syndrome,” loss of taste, esophagitis, erosions in her mouth and esophagus, oral nerve ending damage and numbness in her lips and tongue, the lawsuit said.

Kingery is seeking over $1.5 million in damages for medical expenses, wage loss, household services, prejudgment interest and anticipated future expenses.

“The safety of our customers is our highest priority. We take this obligation seriously and are investigating Ms. Kingery’s claims,” wrote Laurel Harper, a spokeswoman for Starbucks Corporation, in response to FOX 13’s request for comment.

More at source: Fox

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Have you ever thought about cleaning your home with a toxic / harsh cleaner?  Stop where you are and consider that there are healthier methods to getting a home clean.  Contact a professional cleaning company who is certified in green cleaning to educate you and your family or facility on a healthier way.  Who wants to have toxic chemicals spread around their place or work home where their loved ones rest.  Lets stop hurting our environment and preserve mother nature for our future leaders.  Click below to find a certified green cleaning company now.

http://www.ijcsa.org/Green-Cleaning-Services

The Internal Revenue Service is providing a safe harbor for contracts on services that are performed on a regular basis such as janitorial and landscape maintenance and software support.

Revenue Procedure 2015-39 provides a safe harbor for accrual method taxpayers to treat economic performance as occurring ratably on contracts that provide services on a regular basis. In other words, under the safe harbor, a taxpayer can ratably expense the cost of regular and routine services as the services are provided under the contract.

Contracts for regular janitorial or landscape maintenance services are typical examples of contractual services that may qualify for the safe harbor, the IRS pointed out. Another example provided is for IT support and maintenance for human resources software.

A service contract that provides for a single product to be delivered to the taxpayer, such as an environmental impact study, will not satisfy the definition of a Ratable Service Contract because the contract does not provide for services to be provided on a regular basis. The revenue procedure defines a Ratable Service Contract and provides examples of contracts that will and will not satisfy the definition.

The revenue procedure also includes examples of bundled service contracts, which provide for both regular and one-time services. Whether part of a bundled service contract qualifies as a Ratable Service Contract depends on whether the parties have separately priced the services specified in the contract, the IRS noted.

More info at Accounting Today 

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Before you wash another load of laundry or scrub a pile of dishes, keep reading. Women’s Voices for the Earth launched a new report called “Deep Clean” in which the non-profit organization graded four major cleaning product manufacturers based on several indicators: their commitment to the safety of their products, disclosure of ingredients found in their products, responsiveness to consumer concerns, the company’s toxic chemical screening process, as well as the company’s willingness to remove chemicals of concern from the formulations.

The report examined the following companies:

SC Johnson & Son (the manufacturers of Pledge, Shout, Windex, Glade, and Scrubbing Bubbles)

The Clorox Company (the manufacturers of Clorox, Pine-Sol, S.O.S., Tilex, Liquid-Plumber, Green Works)

RB (formerly Reckitt Benckiser) (the manufacturers of Woolite, Lysol, Finish, AirWick, Old English)

Procter & Gamble (the manufacturers of Tide, Cascade, Dawn, Mr. Clean, Dreft Laundry, Febreze, Gain, Cheer)

The study found that not one of the above four companies are completely transparent about the safety standards of ingredients they include in their products. But, perhaps the most critical finding was that Procter & Gamble received a failing grade of “F” for its lack of product disclosure, insufficient toxic chemical screening process, responsiveness to consumer concerns and use of chemicals of concern.

For me, this finding raises alarm bells about the safety of its laundry detergents: Tide, Gain, Cheer and Dreft Laundry, as well as Febreze air “freshener,” Mr. Clean all-purpose cleaner, Cascade dishwashing detergent and Dawn dish soap.

The study found that SC Johnson & Son and Procter & Gamble still use synthetic musks in their products. These musks are artificial chemicals known to disrupt hormones. This finding calls into question the potential safety of the above-mentioned Procter & Gamble products as well as SC Johnson & Son’s Pledge, Shout, Windex, Glade and Scrubbing Bubbles.

More at source: Care 2

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Window washers "overwhelmingly" ratified a three-year labor contract that would raise wages by up to 16 percent over the life of the agreement, the union said Wednesday.

"It's a good step but it's not the end," said Tom Balanoff, president of the Service Employees International Union Local 1.

Balanoff said the agreement, which covers 235 window washers, was reached last week and averted a strike. The union negotiated with Corporate Cleaning Services and seven other companies that bargained together in a coalition.

The workers, who now make from $11.15 to $17.65 per hour, will earn as much as $20.50 by the end of the contract, Balanoff said. The contract also calls for employers to pay 60 percent of health care insurance premiums, rather than a set amount, meaning companies will share cost increases with workers.

Despite those wins, a point system workers sought to end was expanded and could be used by all eight companies. Under the system, a worker gets a set amount of points, or hours, to clean a building's windows. If the window washers finish the work early, the company pays them commission. But if they work beyond the time allowed, they don't get any additional pay. Workers felt the system forced them to rush and take shortcuts, often at the expense of safety.

More at source: Chicago Tribune

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A Winnipeg woman is accusing a local cleaning company of firing her when she was pregnant and needed time off for medical appointments.

The Manitoba Human Rights Commission argued her case against Cindy Dayman, owner of Take Time Cleaning and Lifestyle Services, before an adjudication hearing Thursday. 

Andrea Szabo alleged Dayman fired her after she revealed on a company health form that she was pregnant. She complained her medical appointments weren't accommodated. The Commission's legal counsel argued Dayman violated the Human Rights Code. 

"There's nothing to indicate pregnancy was a factor," Dayman countered. 

Cleaning complaints

Three customers complained about her cleaning services and it was a final, serious complaint that led to Szabo's termination, according to Dayman.

Szabo said it was "outside of her comfort zone" to bring a complaint against Dayman. 

"It was not an easy decision for me to go ahead with my complaint,"  Szabo told adjudicator Robert Dawson at the hearing. "I was very shocked to lose my job at four months pregnant."  

Szabo began cleaning for the company in June 2012. She signed a health and availability form at the time and one of the questions asked if she was pregnant or planned to become pregnant. She checked off no.

Szabo asked for time off to go to medical appointments in the fall of 2012. Dayman said those requests violated a company policy stating cleaners needed have consistent availability. 

More at source: CBC

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I am pleased to announce the release of our new website, designed with a fresh new look and user-friendly mobile navigation, updated with the latest information about our members products and services. We hope you will enjoy our new site. If you have any questions, comments or suggestion please send them my way.

Thank You, 

Matthew Carson | Administrator |  IJCSA

The labor protest movement that fast-food workers in New York City began nearly three years ago has led to higher wages for workers all across the country. On Wednesday, it paid off for the people who started it.

A panel appointed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo recommended on Wednesday that the minimum wage be raised for employees of fast-food chain restaurants throughout the state to $15 an hour over the next few years. Wages would be raised faster in New York City than in the rest of the state to account for the higher cost of living there.

The panel’s recommendations, which are expected to be put into effect by an order of the state’s acting commissioner of labor, represent a major triumph for the advocates who have rallied burger-flippers and fry cooks to demand pay that covers their basic needs. They argued that taxpayers were subsidizing the workforces of some multinational corporations, like McDonald’s, that were not paying enough to keep their workers from relying on food stamps and other welfare benefits.

The $15 wage would represent a raise of more than 70 percent for workers earning the state’s current minimum wage of $8.75 an hour. Advocates for low-wage workers said they believed the mandate would quickly spur raises for employees in other industries across the state, and a jubilant Mr. Cuomo predicted that other states would follow his lead.

More at source: NY Times

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