The American Cleaning Institute (ACI)

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  Make your own mini-book: The Art of Sciences & Bubbles is now available in a downloadable PDF format.       Combine water and detergent. Stir well, but do not shake. For stronger bubbles, add ½ cup corn syrup or glycerin, or more detergent. Experiment with different brands of dishwashing detergent until you find one that works best for you. HINT: Playing with bubbles can be messy and slippery! Try blowing bubbles outdoors, near…
What is soap and how does it work? The sudsy stuff we use every day of our lives is a mystery to most of us. But behind our cleaning products is an array of scientific data and information. This science and chemistry helps to ensure our products work and are safe for you and your family to use. The resources below will walk through what it means to be clean and how the cleaning process works. For more information and activities, we encourage you to check out…
Q: We had a real tree for Christmas but now I am finding tree sap everywhere! What is the best way to clean mittens, coats and my carpet?  A: Rubbing alcohol can remove sap from washable clothing, knit gloves, and rugs, because it acts as a solvent. For clothes, even a down coat, saturate the area with alcohol, let sit for a minute, then launder in warm water with regular detergent. Heat sets stains, so be sure all the sap is gone before using the…
Understand the language of soaps and detergents. ALCOHOL: A class of organic compounds containing one or more hydroxyl groups. The alcohols used in light duty and liquid laundry detergents are isopropanol or ethanol (ethyl alcohol). These alcohols are used at low levels in liquid detergent formulations to control viscosity, to act as a solvent for other ingredients, and to provide resistance to low and freezing temperatures encountered in…
The holidays can do a number on your home! Between house guests, holiday feasts, and kids on school breaks, your house probably need some TLC. Try these tips to clean up and start New Year off on a sparkling clean foot. Clean Up After House Guests Give your house’s surfaces a deep clean. Wash all your linens. Vacuum carpets, floors, and baseboards to give yourself a fresh start. Clean out your refrigerator - eat the last of those yummy leftovers and then clean and store your leftover…
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the single most important thing we can do to keep from getting sick and spreading illness to others is to wash our hands.How to Wash Your Hands Teaching Handwashing From teaching hand hygiene to preschoolers with Hooray for Handwashing songs and stories to getting students involved in promoting clean hands through the…
Q. How do I get lipstick off my white cloth napkins?A. To remove most lipstick stains from napkins, put the napkin stain down on top of a couple layers of paper towel or absorbent towel. Dampen another towel with rubbing alcohol (70 or 90 percent), then dab, dab, dab the stained area. Look underneath and you should see lipstick on the paper towels. Keep at it until all of the stain is gone. Some long-lasting lipsticks may need more work to get off.You also can spritz a prewash…
Think about all the "public" surfaces you touch on your way to work – railings, door handles, coins and tokens, cash machines, elevator buttons and more. Then, when you get to your destination, washing your hands probably isn't the first thing you do. Instead, you probably grab a cup of coffee and turn on your computer. If you power up before you clean up, all the germs and bacteria that commuted with you are transferred from your hands to your workstation. Ugh! And then, if…
Q: Pie is always a favorite dessert in our house. So when we found out that January 23rd is National Pie Day, we thought it was a great excuse for a dessert party! We'd like to make it a fun evening, maybe with checked tablecloths and napkins. But we realize that inviting a bunch of people over to eat pie is also an invitation to stains. How do we get rid of them (the stains, not the guests!)?  A: Blueberry, cherry, boysenberry, strawberry, apple, rhubarb … no matter what your…
Parents: 20 Seconds Could Save You or Your Kids Weeks in Bed this Cold & Flu Season   Click the image to enlarge We’re already deep into cold and flu season – but it’s never too late to start protecting yourself. Easy step? Keep your hands clean. Consider this: 65% of U.S. parents of children ages 5 and under don’t always wash their hands for at least 20 seconds, according to a new survey by…