NATIONAL REPORT—In 2002, when San Francisco’s famed Fairmont Hotel reopened after more than a year of extensive remodeling, one of the first things visitors noted was that acres of carpeting had been replaced with acres of hard surface floors. This is an example of a trend that has been occurring in all types of commercial and residential settings. Where wall-to-wall carpeting was common, hard surface floor coverings, such as stone and wood, are now taking its place. For hotel housekeepers this can mean a major change in cleaning operations. Instead of vacuuming these acres of carpeted floors, they now need to be cleaned by both dust and damp mopping, which presents a challenge for hotel properties seeking to green their cleaning operations. When dry mopping hard surface floors, dust is generated and it can impact indoor air quality (IAQ) negatively. Furthermore, if harmful contaminants are on the floors, there is a possibility that these can become airborne.

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Love Rainbows and Butterflies as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. Love Rainbows and Butterflies is the owner and operator of CedarOilCentral.com. The site is the place to purchase organic pest control products formulated from Texas Red Cedar Oil.

DALTON, GA.—The Carpet and Rug Institute has expanded its Seal of Approval testing and certification program by adding two new testing categories and expanding the existing extractors and deep-cleaning systems testing programs. Introductions to the program include a new Pet Odor and Stain Category and an Energy Efficiency Rating Option for Vacuums.

PHILADELPHIA—National Chemical Laboratories, Inc. (NCL) announced that its EARTH SENSE Industrial and Institutional Cleaning Products have achieved Recertification status under the Green Seal GS-37 (2009) Standard (5th Edition). Included in this recertification are EARTH SENSE #16 pH Neutral All Purpose Cleaner and EARTH SENSE #18 Multi-Surface Cleaner with H2O2.

CINCINNATI—Procter & Gamble Professional released the findings of its “Cleaning in a Down Economy” survey, which revealed that 85 percent of surveyed cleaning professionals have adopted a “doing more with less” approach in response to current economic conditions. P&G Professional launched the survey to gauge how decision makers managing in-house or contract cleaning services have reacted, and adapted, to recent business conditions.

SEDONA, ARIZ.—Sedona’s Kings Ransom Inn recently launched Green Suites International’s “EcoRoom Accommodation Program,” converting each of its 53 guestrooms into healthier, more environmental “EcoRooms.” The guestrooms will now feature more than a dozen environmental products. Kings Ransom Inn has also received a 4-leaf rating as part of the Green Suites Green Hotel Certification Program.

BOISE, IDAHO—ProTeam has earned the gold Seal of Approval/Green Label from the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) for seven of its leading vacuums, signifying that they meet the highest standards for carpet cleaning effectiveness and indoor air quality. Vacuums awarded gold pass a stringent testing process at an independent laboratory and meet three key performance criteria: amount of soil removed, containment of dust and dirt within the machine, and carpet fiber protection.

CANTON, MASS.—Pro-Link, Inc., a jansan marketing and buying group, has introduced a new line of cleaning chemicals called BioLink that are biobased and certified green. Biobased chemicals are made with natural, renewable resources such as soybeans, coconuts, and corn. The new line meets or exceeds the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s BioPreferred program’s minimum for biocontent.

WINCHESTER, VA.—Rubbermaid Commercial Products (RCP), a leader in innovative facility maintenance solutions, announces a new concept in cleaning. The DVAC 1 Pass Cleaning Solution combines multiple cleaning tasks into one to reduce non-productive labor time. The award-winning DVAC 1 Pass Cleaning Solution is a dolly-integrated vacuum.

NATIONAL REPORT—With advancements in controls technology and equipment design, washer-extractors (washers) are becoming increasingly more sophisticated and flexible. This is good news for hoteliers looking to save money in a recovering economy. In the race to gain new business, vendors are manufacturing higher G-force machines that spin off more water faster, allowing linens to dry in less time. In some cases, advancements have allowed rinse cycles and dryers to be eliminated entirely. While innovation has allowed vendors to squeeze just about as much water as they can out of the washing process, other advances, especially in software programming, are reducing demand for chemicals. Thanks to these efficiencies and others, payback time on today’s washers can be very reasonable, experts say—as short as one year to 18 months depending on model size. What size and type of machine to buy depends on a number of factors: number of rooms, types of items that will be washed, etc.