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The sniff test may tell you if you wore enough deodorant, but does not always work when deciding if you need to wash your clothes. What you do, the fabric type, the wear and the weather can play a deciding factor. The American Cleaning Institute offers these tips to help determine if it’s time to wash those bed sheets, jeans, shirts, socks and underwear.
Bed sheets should be washed at least every two weeks, more often if you sweat a lot at…
December 5, 2018
No matter the type of product you are using (soap or detergent), good cleaning takes a lot of energy. Three different kinds to be exact:
Chemical energy, provided by the soap or detergent
Mechanical energy, provided by a machine or by hand
Thermal energy, provided by heating water Let’s look at how all these elements work together.
Assume we have a great, big, oily, greasy stain on one of our favorite shirts…
December 6, 2018
The ingredients in your cleaning products fall into several different categories, added to provide different characteristics and cleaning functions. Each product formula is a careful balance of various ingredients that will work best for what you are trying to clean.
For more information about the specific ingredients in a cleaning product, visit the manufacturer's website or look for the product in SmartLabel…
December 5, 2018
What is Monkeypox?
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), monkeypox is a viral disease in the same family of viruses as the one that causes smallpox, although milder. It can be spread through close contact with a person with monkeypox or touching objects, fabrics, and surfaces that have been used by someone with monkeypox. There is currently an outbreak that has reached several countries and most U.S. states, which is being closely…
August 3, 2022
To minimize your chances of getting the flu from sick co-workers, students or fellow commuters, make sure you practice proper handwashing habits.
While you can't control every germ in your environment, there are actions you can take to help keep you and your family from getting sick. Be particularly vigilant during the fall and winter months, when colds and flu are at their peak.
Here are some important steps:
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this…
December 6, 2018
Did you know that there are different levels of laundry? There’s routine everyday cleaning and then there are the extra steps and enhanced precautions you should be taking when a family member is sick or has a weakened immune system. We relied on laundry safety experts to determine what precautions were recommended when and created a three-level laundry guide for best laundry practices for better health. Know the Levels of Laundry and how to step up your laundry routine, when needed, to help…
February 24, 2021
If you or your child have allergies or asthma, you already know that many things can bring on, or "trigger," an asthma flare or episode. Some things that trigger asthma attacks are called allergens. Some people get symptoms from only one allergen - like dust mites. For other people, more than one kind of allergen can trigger an episode.
Tobacco smoke is an asthma trigger. Avoid smoking in a home where a person with asthma lives.
The most common allergens are…
December 5, 2018
Cleaning products play an essential role in daily life. They can remove dirt and stains from our clothes, dried on food from our dishes, and even germs from our hands! Let’s learn more about the chemistry that makes this happen.
What Is Cleaning?
Cleaning is the process of taking something dirty—like your kitchen counter—and removing dirt, grease, and grime found on it. When we clean, we leave things better than they were when we found them. Cleaning helps remove dirt,…
December 5, 2018
What is RSV?
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), RSV, or Respiratory syncytial virus, is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. It can be serious for some, causing bronchiolitis or pneumonia.
Cleaning for RSV
RSV spreads primarily through virus droplets, either through close contact with an infected person who is contagious or touching a surface with the virus on it. Prevention is particularly important if you or…
November 23, 2022
Surfactants (yellow) cause water to lose surface tension, which is what keeps water separate from other materialsHave you ever seen a bead of water sitting on a surface? This is because water has a property called surface tension. This tension causes water to form a bead on the surface of things like glass or fabric. You can see surface tension at work by placing a drop of water onto a counter top. The drop will hold its shape and will not spread.
In order to clean the dirt on…
December 5, 2018