There They Go Again

The SC Johnson Company is at it again with its attempt to sell more products. Recently I was at Sam's Club and what did I see - Pledge Dust & Allergen Furniture Polish. SC Johnson has been making cleaning products for decades and to their credit they have provided us with some very good cleaning products for our homes. Does the Pledge Dust & Allergen Furniture Polish pass the test?

Pledge Dust & Allergen Polish is a furniture polish that leads you to believe that it will aid you in your personal battle with allergies. This product consists of (4) ingredients in different quantities. I will list the ingredients, translate what the ingredient is, and what is the weight percentage per aerosol can that you purchase. Most of this information is available at SC Johnson's website under Material Safety Data Sheet.

1). Silicones: also known as a plastic adhesive and also used in dry cleaning solvents. The percentage of weight is 5-10%.

2). Hydrocarbon propellant blend: Propellant should be the clue. It is what gives you the ability to spray it on the furniture. The percentage of weight is 7-13%.

3). Isoparrafinic hydrocarbon solvent: This too is a cleaning solvent used in dry cleaning. The percentage of weight is 5-10%.

4). Water. Percentage of weight is 65-80%. In other words, most of what you are buying is water.

One of the Health Hazards listed on the MSDS report is the following "Aspiration into the lungs may cause severe health effects". If this isn't a red flag then I don't know what is. No where on the product label, MSDS report, or the website does Pledge demonstrate how this benefits me and my allergy symptoms. They do talk about how household dust is a common problem for people with allergies and they are correct. And yes, removing household dust will remove the "triggers" that set off your allergy symptoms. Since the product is over 60% water why not spritzer on a little water on your dust rag next time and save yourself some money.

I would like to point out that neither Pledge nor its parent company, SC Johnson, make any claims that this product will solve your allergy problems. My personal opinion that this is more about marketing a product than it is about real allergy relief.

This is one product I will leave on the shelf. If you have questions about this article give me a call at (916) 525-2456.

Michael Hull

Why I Won't Use This Product

The SC Johnson & Son Company has been making house hold cleaning products for decades. In the past they have made some very good ones, but the Pledge Tile & Vinyl Floor Cleaner (Floor Polish/Cleaner) is not one of them. This product, in my opinion, has some serious flaws.

This product is composed of three ingredients: Deionized Water, Modified Acrylic Polymer, and Diethylene Glycol Monoethyl Ether. The ph level of this product is 9.7, this means that it is an alkaline cleaning product. According to the manufacture you should be able to clean and seal your tile. All cleaning chemicals, according to both state & federal law, are now water based products - hence the deionized water. Water represents about 80% of the product weight. Another word for Modified Acrylic Polymer is "Sticky Plastic". Acrylic is the sticky and polymer is the plastic. This is the sealer portion of the product. Finally Diethylene Glycol Monoethyl Ether is a common cleaning solvent also found in varnishes.

Most people in the Sacramento Area have either porcelain or ceramic tile in their homes. A smaller percentage will have a natural stone such as travertine, granite or marble. Porcelain and ceramic tile are already water tight and should never be sealed - YOU ONLY SEAL THE CEMENT GROUT LINES! With travertine you will seal the entire stone and the grout.

My fear regarding this product is that they are trying to duplicate car care products where you have the wash and wax all in one bottle. If you have ever used these all-in-one products you know that your vehicle never gets as clean or as shiny as the picture on the bottle. With Pledge Tile & Vinyl Floor Cleaner your going to leave behind a sticky residue, not only on the grout lines but on the tiles themselves, that will trap dirt, grime, and grease. Over time you are going to have a  serious "build up" of chemicals, dirt, grease, and grime. My fear with this product is that you are going to have a dirtier floor in a shorter period of time.

Initially you will probably have a shiny floor but over time you will probably regret using this product.

Hope this review was helpful - Until next time!

Michael Hull

Lawsuits & Cleaning

If you plan on hiring a cleaning company anytime soon let me make you aware of something very important. If the cleaning company you hire sends out Employee(s) to perform the work and they are injured at your place of residence or your place of business you could be held financially responsible if the employer does NOT have Workers Compensation Insurance. This is different from general liability insurance. Workers Compensation Insurance is an insurance policy, usually issued through the State of California, that provides disability benefits to an employee if they are injured while on the job. All California Employers are required to have this type of insurance but many do not. I would imagine that in the cleaning industry, where many companys are barely making ends meet, that the number of employers that do not have this type of insurance is growing monthly.

Before you hire your next cleaning company ask them to provide you a copy of the Workers Compensation Insurance Declaration Page. On this page you will find the name and address of the company, the policy number, who issued the policy, and the date it was issued. All policies are renewed on an ANNUAL BASIS. If they will not provide you a copy of their insurance don't walk away - RUN! They probably don't have a policy in force and you are 100% liable for any injuries to their employees.

A client once told me that California is no longer the "land of opportunity" but "opportunist". You have a better chance of winning a million dollars in a lawsuit than winning the lottery. This is a sad but true commentary for California. Please take the time to ask questions and protect yourself. If you don't no one else will.

Until Next Time

Michael Hull

4 Easy Steps To Remove Any Pet Accident:

1). Do it NOW. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to remove.

2). Use the right equipment. Use a wet vacuum or a small carpet spotting machine to extract the liquid portion of the accident BEFORE rinsing or adding a spot remover.

3). Use the proper cleansing agent AFTER the liquid has been removed.

4). Rinse the spot with plain water and extract the water with your wet vacuum.

Disclaimer: Use the techniques at your own risk. Be aware that pet accidents can damage fiber. Pre-test each solution in an inconspicuous are before using. If the stain or color persists, call a professional right away.

Do-It-Yourself Pet Stain Removal:

If you have pets then you need to get a wet vacuum (more commonly known as a Shop-Vac). They are available for about $40.00. If a pet has an accident on your carpet or upholstery and you find it still wet use a wet vacuum before doing anything else. Simply suck up any liquid. This will allow the urine to be sucked up out of the fiber. If nothing else is available then use paper towels and Blot, Blot, Blot. Do not rub! After you have removed all the liquid you possibly can, treat the area with a proper spot remover or enzyme. The biggest mistake most pet owners make is adding the wrong type of spot remover to a urine spot before they remove the urine. Doing this will give you a puddle of urine with some spot remover in it. This is hardly considered cleaning. Make sure you remove any liquid matter BEFORE adding a spot remover.

What Cleaning Agents To Use AFTER The Liquid Has Been Removed:

Enzymes are usually the best cleaning agent for urine, vomit, and feces. You must use an enzyme for any spot that isn't fresh. We like to recommend Nature's Miracle product. It is commonly found in your pet store, Target, Walmart, or grocery store. An enzyme is the only cleaning agent that actually eats up the bad bacteria in urine. It can be used on carpet, upholstery, and wood.

CAUTION: DO NOT USE THESE SPOTTERS ON URINE OR VOMIT:

Never use any high ph or high residue product. This would include ammonia and Resolve carpet spotter. I have seen many instances where the wrong product caused a urine stain to be permanent. The use of oxygen bleach or OxyClean is also risky on many carpets.

Finally, the longer the problem stays in the fiber, the worse the problem becomes. Professional cleaning is still necessary for overall maintenance every 6-12 months if a pet lives in the home. If you can not remove the pet stain or odor, call us immediately at (916) 525-2456 (Sacramento, California). We will bring in a urine probe device to determine exactly where the problems are and treat only the effected areas with the proper deodorizer. We have tools that even pull the urine from the carpet padding.

Until next time,

Michael Hull