How do you mix and store to use your cleaning chemicals?

Now that we know what chemicals we are using to do our work we need to know how to properly handle them.


First know how and at what concentrations the containers of chemicals you are using come in. Many times contractors forget to properly label or mark the containers cleaners are in that can cause serious safety concerns. For instance a customer that always carried premixed products on his rig for his hired help to use right out of the container, but then one day he got busy and poured a non diluted amount of product in the same container that usually held the diluted product. Once out on the job his employees not knowing the product was not the same strength they were use to, applied it directly on a surface causing damage that the business owner ended up having to pay for. Luckily the employees wore proper safety gear and none of them were injured. But what if that had not been the case?

Our products are sold highly concentrated to save you money but they must be properly labeled to be used safely. This also can be a big loss of income as well if you are wasting product by not using the proper dilution rate. The old adage more is better is not the case with chemical products for cleaning.

All cleaning products, not just Hazardous ones, should be labeled following OSHA guidelines. You can easily purchase the correct NFPA Diamond or HIMS warning labels to place on any and every container as needed. Here are a few places to find them:

Compliance Signs: http://www.compliancesigns.com/nfpadiamonds.shtml
Label Master: http://www.labelmaster.com/shop/labels
Safety Sign: http://www.safetysign.com/

To learn more about them here is a web site to check out: http://www.ilpi.com/msds/ref/nfpa.html
To get a free guide to using NFPA labels you can get here: http://www.graphicproducts.com/guides.html

Always follow the label directions on how to mix products that come in kit form. There is a reason they are labeled A, B, C. Do not think you should mix all the powders in first (A and C) because you think it is easier. There can be a safety concern if you mix some product components out of order or with out the proper amount of water in the mixing tank or drum.

Care should also be used when transferring mixed product to secondary containers so not to spill or splash contents. Use siphon pumps, funnels and other approved items to help with this. Be sure to label these as well so not to use one pump with another chemical which might cause a reaction. It is much safer to have each pump or other type of transfer item marked to know which chemical it is to be used with. Even using measured pump dispensers can make the job safer for large or small amounts. Here are some links: http://www.championjanitorialsupply.com/products/dispensers/288
http://www.championjanitorialsupply.com/products/dispensers/266
http://www.refrigeratorparts.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Category_Code=chemb&Product_Code=MAN-01273&Screen=PROD&Store_Code=refrigeratorparts
http://www.jiffysupply.com/servlet/the-552/Hand-Transfer-Pump/Detail
http://www.toolhawker.com/Fluid-Lubricant-Transfer-Pump_item_41084.html

Next item to cover is how to store chemical products. Read the label and MSDS that will tell you proper storage temps as well as other considerations. You should not leave an open bag of caustic in a laundry wash room that could allow moisture or water to get to it. It also might be mistaken for laundry detergent and cause sever skin irritation or burns not to mention damage to the washer if accidently used. Keep chemicals away from other normal household products, kids and pets. Store in a cool (not cold or hot), dry area in as air tight as possible. Products should also always be kept in the containers they where shipped in until mixed or transferred and properly relabeled. No old (deteriorating) or empty chemical container should be reused for another purpose due to cross contamination of incompatible ingredients. Always properly dispose of empties as soon as possible. Plastic containers that did not contain hazardous products can even be rinsed and recycled according to the plastic code marked on the container.

See you tomorrow.

Do you have a safety plan?

Most small businesses, including pressure washing, do not follow the same rules or guidelines like large corporations because they are not as closely watched by local, state and federal agencies, but they should. OSHA and ANSI safety guidelines should be known and followed. Here are their sites, please go find and read the sections that cover your business. OSHA http://www.osha.gov/, ANSI http://www.ansi.org/

As we have touched on in earlier posts, you should still follow best work practices and procedures no matter what the size of your operation, or number of employees (1-100+). Since labor is usually your number one expense, keeping this expense safe should be a number one consideration. We will assume that you already know and have the insurance you should have to safely operate your business, this being a topic to cover at another time. This being the case we can move on to more specific things for safety.

First know the chemicals you will be using for the jobs you will be doing. The first way to know what you are working with is to read and understand the MSDS that came with the product. If for some reason you do not have an MSDS for a product, get one immediately, and place a copy in every MSDS book it needs to be in. Please reference and read our earlier post on MSDS procedures at some point during this series. Date posted 9/17/09.

Second be sure you have are using the safety equipment suggested in the MSDS including, masks, gloves, aprons, boots etc. Here are a few sites to find these items.

Lab Safety http://www.labsafety.com/
Approved Gas Masks http://www.approvedgasmasks.com/index.htm
Masks N More http://www.masksnmore.com/index.html

Next be sure any first aid measures that are called for in the MSDS of product you are using can be met. This includes having eye wash bottles, hydrofluoric acid cream (Calcium Gluconate gel 2.5%) as well as a stocked first aid kit available with you on every job, on every rig or in every vehicle.

Here are a few links to places you can go to find these items:

Mask N More http://www.masksnmore.com/sweykit.html
Lab Safety http://www.labsafety.com/Plum-Saline-Eye-Wash-Solution-500mL-Bottle_s_156646/Personal-Eye-Washes_24545268/

For Calcium Gluconate gel:  ATT Minerals: http://attminerals.com/other_items.htm
                         Lab Safety: http://www.labsafety.com/Calcium-Gluconate-Gel_24544074/?CID=9PP001
The First Aid Kits: http://www.thefirstaidkits.com/products/41780.html

Not all medical facilities understand or know how to deal with chemical emergencies so you must have the information ready for them including the emergency phone number listed on the MSDS for the product you are using. For us that is Infotrac at 800-535-5053. If you get your most of your products from the same supplier you should put the number they supply in your automatic dialer in your cell phone or at least in the address book under 'MSDS Emergency'. If you use any hydrofluoric product from us you will also receive a special hazard sheet along with the MSDS every time you purchase product that contains any amount of hydrofluoric acid, because of how hazardous it is. Keep this with the MSDS to have available for medical staff.

Tomorrow we will discuss safety procedures for mixing, storage, and handling of chemicals while you use them.

Safety, what Pressure washing businesses need to know.

This will be a series on safety that will discuss some areas we have touched on before, but is always good to review, as well as new topics. And as always, please feel free to add to, and comment on, these blog postings. This is how we all learn is by sharing with one another.

In these next few days and blogs we will go over; the MSDS, why you should have them and use them. Chemical safety; how to mix, store and use products. Equipment safety; such as with your pressure washer, and ladder. And also safety equipment; goggles, gloves, hats, harnesses, etc. while we discuss these other points.

I will try to include links to other sites and materials that you can review on your own to future educate or to back up the material we cover in this series. If you know of others I did not find or get a chance to cover please bring them up and add them to the blog information that it has the closest relationship with.

I hope you will find these blogs a useful reference that you can refer back to in our archive by doing a word or phrase search.

See you tomorrow.

Kitchen Cleaners, not just for hood cleaning.

Here at Soap Warehouse we have over 80 individual products in over 7 categories.

Many times business that buy from us get caught up in the one or two products they have used in the past, and do not look or know what many other items we have to offer.

In kitchen cleaning for example; we have the main stays for hood cleaning, our “Hood Cleaner” and “Smoke House” but we have so much more to offer.

We have “Oven and Grill” a cleaner for flat cooking grills and for vertical surfaces inside ovens and standing ovens like chicken rotisseries. This product has a high viscosity, there fore it will cling to the upright surfaces longer, without added foamer, to allow for proper contact and better cleaning.

“Mighty-Green” is a user friendly degreaser that is not friendly to grease. Since this product is Non Abrasive, non-flammable, non corrosive, bio degradable and non toxic it is great to use in a kitchen setting. It can be diluted for light jobs like cleaning glass or mirrors up to full strength for really tough grease cleaning on tile and stainless steel, weather it is used on floors, walls or appliances.

“Natures Green” All Purpose Cleaner, is similar to Mighty-Green for cleaning, but it is also all natural for those wanting a true ‘Green’ approach to their cleaning. This degreaser can similarly be used from full strength to a dilution of 1:10 for almost any kitchen surface cleaning need.

“Ceramic Tile and Grout” is what you need to clean those ugly grease stained grout lines from black or dark brown to an almost like new lightness. Once used to get the area back to a fresh clean, maintenance is much easier using 8 oz per gallon of hot water to keep the floors grease free and squeaky clean. It will also clean stainless steel, chrome, and plastics found in most kitchen and bathroom applications.

Another place grease can be a big problem in a kitchen, is in the floor drains. Our “Drain Opener” is designed to dissolve and liquefy grease, hair and even paper that can be found in commercial kitchen and bathroom floor drains. This is not a 'use at home' product, but made only for commercial applications. All aluminum covers or strainers must be removed before application, so not to damage them, yet this is a non-acid product. If this product is too strong for your use our next product should work for you.

“Qwic Zyme” is a product that contains biological components that will break down food wastes, grease, hair and other organic matter found in kitchen and bathroom drains. Its biological action deprives odor causing bacteria of their food source, thus inhibiting their growth and ability to product obnoxious odors normally found in sinks and around floor drains. “Qwic Zyme” is safe to use in food disposals, septic tank systems and can be used inside and outdoors. The main things to remember when using this product is follow label directions and to use warm water to activate the enzymes first in order to work properly.

We also have quite a few USDS approved butyl degreasers that can be used around food processing equipment and storage areas to clean, coolers, floors, equipment housing, walls and counter tops: “Mighty-O”, Mighty Max” as well as “Mighty Max Plus”.

For current pricing information go to www.soapwarehouse.biz and click on the 'Kitchen/Exhaust' tab or call us at 800-762-7911.