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 International Janitorial Cleaning Services Association

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IJCSA Updates & Industry News

  • 26 Jan 2016 8:30 AM | IJCSA - (Administrator)


    Girsch's top five tips are:

    1. Maximize your hanging space with slim-line hangers
    2. Don't stack clothes, file them
    3. Color-code using ROY-G-BIV
    4. Display accessories like a boutique
    5. Bin other accessories or loose items

    About NEAT Method (from website)

    NEAT Method is a lifestyle service committed to providing a more luxurious and smartly appointed living space. We recognize that life gets hectic and that maintaining an organized home can become a challenge. NEAT Method will design a customized solution that is not only effective but sustainable.

    More at source: Fox News 6 

    Find A Cleaning & Organizing Service Here


  • 25 Jan 2016 7:44 AM | IJCSA - (Administrator)

    Tony Carnes uses the new green cleaning floor waxing system at Carpenters Middle School

    Walk into any of Blount County Schools’ 23 buildings, and you won’t smell the strong ammonia, lemon or pine odors people often associate with cleaning products. Instead, Blount County has replaced harsh chemicals with safer and more environmentally friendly products and practices over the past five years.

    “Many people went through the years thinking that clean has a smell,” said Gary Farmer, the schools’ facilities director. “Clean does not have a smell.”

    More at source: Daily Times

    Find A Green Cleaning Service Here. 


  • 22 Jan 2016 9:27 AM | IJCSA - (Administrator)
    An Austin-based businessman who owns a commercial janitorial service operating in three Texas cities has been indicted for tax fraud.


    An Austin businessman who owns a commercial janitorial service operating in three Texas cities has been indicted for tax fraud.

    Victor Antolik is charged with five counts of filing false tax returns and one count of corruptly endeavoring to obstruct and impede tax laws, the U.S. Department of Justice said Wednesday. If convicted, he faces up to 18 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, plus restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.

    More at source: Biz Journals

    Find A Janitorial Service Service Here



  • 19 Jan 2016 11:06 AM | IJCSA - (Administrator)

    You’re probably used to reading the ingredient list on all your food by now.  It’s pretty much a habit.  And you know exactly what words to look for so you know whether to avoid that particular product. But what about the ingredients in your household cleaners?

    If you don’t pay attention to the back of your multipurpose cleaner, you might be using chemicals that are dangerous to you, your family, and even your pet’s health.  Not exactly what you want when you are just trying to clean your kitchen.  If you do read the labels on your cleaners, it might feel like you need a degree in chemistry to understand what’s really in there.

    Don’t worry, we’ll cover some of the most dangerous toxins that are lurking in your cabinets, so you know to avoid them as well as give you some simple and natural alternatives.  You won’t have to go out and buy new expensive products because you probably already have the ingredients for a clean kitchen in your house!


    1. Chlorine

    We’ll start with a relatively easy one, chlorine.  This is the chemical that is usually found in pools, but you can also find it in toilet bowl cleaners, stain removers, and household tap water. We are exposed to chlorine pretty much every day and we don’t even know it.  City water generally uses chlorine to help get rid of bacteria, which is a good reason to use a filter on your tap. But because it’s in our water, we run the risk of overexposure when it’s in our cleaners.  It can cause respiratory problems and even disrupt thyroid function.

    What to use instead: Two big natural products for all home cleaning are going to be vinegar and baking soda.  You can use vinegar to clean your toilet and as a whitener for your laundry.  You could also use borax in your laundry or find a cleaner that is chlorine free.  Install a filter on both your tap and your showers so you can reduce your exposure to chlorine even more.


    More at source: Green Planet


  • 15 Jan 2016 1:00 PM | IJCSA - (Administrator)

    Image result for slip on ice

    BEVERLY — Icy sidewalks proved to be a launching pad for parents upset about the janitorial services at Sutherland Elementary School.

    Students returned from winter break last Monday to find most of the sidewalks hadn't been shoveled or were cleared with only narrow paths, said Colleen Loehr, of Beverly.

    Loehr volunteers as a traffic moderator on Monday mornings and Tuesday afternoons at the school at 10015 S. Leavitt St. in Beverly. Her sons, Ryan, 9, and William, 7, are third- and first-graders.

    She's stationed at the kiss-and-go drop-off at the northwest corner of the school on Monday mornings. As she was unloading children and their backpacks last week, kids were slipping and falling. Concerned parents stopped, causing frustration by hurried parents waiting behind.

    More at source: DNAinfo.com

    Find a cleaning / ice removal service here.


  • 13 Jan 2016 10:44 AM | IJCSA - (Administrator)

    Image result for flu

    The severity of an influenza epidemic in the nation is escalating, as the total number of reported cases reached 37,175 last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, urging people to seek medical attention as soon as possible should they experience any symptoms.

    According to the centers’ statistics released yesterday, 18 cases of severe flu-related complications and four flu-related deaths were confirmed last week, bringing to 196 the number of cases of severe complications and deaths nationwide since July last year.

    CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said three of the four deaths last week were adults aged between 39 and 56 who had chronic diseases and had not been vaccinated, while the other case was a 22-month-old boy.

    The baby had cerebral palsy and, despite a vaccination, developed a fever on Dec. 25 last year and was taken to see a doctor, Lin said, adding that the child was later found unconscious with hyperspasmia.

    The baby was placed in intensive care after being diagnosed with influenza on Wednesday last week, but died of pneumonia and complications from sepsis on the same day, Lin said, adding that the baby was the youngest death caused by severe flu-related complications since last year.

    CDC Deputy Director-General Chou Jih-haw (周志浩) said the baby caught the virus from a family member, adding that people should tell doctors their contact history to avoid delays in diagnoses and treatment.

    “Vaccination is still the best way to prevent influenza, but it is more effective in adults than in babies under two years of age,” Lin said, adding that people with flu-like symptoms should seek medical attention as soon as possible and pay special attention to signs that complications are developing.

    Lin said symptoms of severe complications include: pneumonia; myocarditis (inflammation of heart muscle); encephalitis (inflammation of the brain); labored breathing and shortness of breath; bloody or thick phlegm; chest pain; altered states of consciousness; hypotension; and a high fever lasting longer than 72 hours.

    There were 79,953 government-funded influenza vaccines in stock as of yesterday, Chou said, adding that the government has extended the list of conditions for eligible recipients to people older than 50 with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, HIV or chronic liver, heart, kidney or lung diseases.

    Chou urged those eligible to receive a government-funded influenza vaccination as soon as possible.

    More at source: CDC

    Find A Cleaning Service Here
  • 04 Jan 2016 1:05 PM | IJCSA - (Administrator)


    Research shows that governments are major purchasers of janitorial, sanitation and cleaning products. This category includes power equipment, paper/plastics, chemicals, supplies and accessories. Distributor sales of these products to municipal, county, state and federal government agencies totaled about $2.02 billion in the most recent year that data was available. Government sales equal 8.4 percent of the total U.S. market. Sales to educational institutions, government health care, stadiums, airports and public transit are in separate categories and not included in the government sales figure. The estimate is from the “Report on 2012 Sanitary Supply Distributor Sales,” which is a research study from ISSA, a cleaning industry trade group and Sanitary Maintenance.

    A recent janitorial products market report from The Freedonia Group, likewise, shows sizable government purchases of janitorial products. The latest Freedonia research is“Janitorial Equipment & Supplies, Industry Study 3311,” which was issued August 2015. Freedonia is a Cleveland-based international industry market research firm.

    The report explains that U.S. demand for janitorial equipment and supplies is forecast to increase 2.2 percent per year through 2019 to $7.1 billion, continuing the recovery that began in the latter part of the 2009-2014 period. The report notes that sizable pent-up demand for automated floor cleaning equipment will drive market advances. According to Freedonia analysts, “Automated floor cleaning equipment is forecast to post the fastest and largest gains as the segment continues to recover from its extended downturn. Sales of specialty items and those used on hard surface floors will particularly benefit as janitorial budgets expand.”

    Freedonia’s study includes government facilities in the institutional category. Some government facilities included in the institutional category are: medical/health care establishments, educational institutions, libraries, museums and prisons. Government-sponsored labs are classed in the “Other” category in the Freedonia report.

    The institutional market, according to Freedonia’s study, was the second largest market for janitorial equipment and supplies in 2014. It only slightly trailed the office market, with $1.9 billion, accounting for 30 percent of overall demand. Institutional demand for these products is projected to match gains in the office building market through 2019, rising 2.3 percent annually to $2.2 billion.

    The Freedonia report has market data on a variety of other janitorial products, including:
    --Manual Cleaning Products     
    --Automated Floor Cleaning Equipment       
    --Bags & Containers       
    --Other Products & Accessories

    The report offers demand data by market (e.g., office buildings, institutional buildings, commercial buildings, industrial buildings, residential buildings) and purchaser (in-house cleaners, contract cleaners).

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  • 30 Dec 2015 12:56 PM | IJCSA - (Administrator)

    Karla Elvir photo

    A trio of housekeepers who sheriff’s deputies say made stealing from elderly clients the real family business will all be spending the holidays behind bars or on probation.

    Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Glenn Kelley sentenced 27-year-old Honduran native Karla Elvir to a year in jail and two years of probation last week for stealing more than $6,000 in jewelry from elderly clients whose houses she was cleaning.

    More at source: MyPalmBeach

    Find A Professional Cleaning Company Here
  • 28 Dec 2015 12:03 PM | IJCSA - (Administrator)

    Hyok "Steven Kwon and his wife, Woo "Stephanie'' Kwon -- the owners of Good Neighbor Services. (San Diego District Attorney's Office)

    SAN DIEGO — The co-owner of a Southern California janitorial company accused of using straw owners to conceal the existence of hundreds of workers to avoid paying millions of dollars in taxes and insurance premiums pleaded not guilty Wednesday to multiple felony charges.

    Woo “Stephanie”  Kwon, 59, was ordered held on $1 million bail pending a review hearing Jan. 4.

    She and her husband, 62-year-old Hyok “Steven” Kwon — the owners of Good Neighbor Services — were indicted on charges of workers’ compensation fraud, payroll tax evasion and extortion. Each faces 31 years in prison if convicted, according to authorities.

    More at source: Fox News

    Find A Janitorial Service Here


  • 23 Dec 2015 11:57 AM | IJCSA - (Administrator)



    The owners of a Southern California janitorial company that provides cleaning staff to major hotels in San Diego, Los Angeles and Riverside counties were indicted on charges of workers’ compensation fraud, payroll tax evasion and extortion, authorities announced Monday.

    Hyok “Steven Kwon and his wife, Woo “Stephanie” Kwon — the owners of Good Neighbor Services — each face up to 31 years in prison if convicted.

    Good Neighbor Services provides cleaning staff to major hotels such as the Hotel Del Coronado, Loews Coronado, La Costa Resort and Spa, the Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons and the Hilton and Hyatt hotel chains.

    The investigation — which began 2 1/2 to three years ago — allegedly uncovered a methodical and systematic shell game involving six straw owners. Those straw owners were used to conceal the existence of hundreds of hotel workers to avoid paying millions of dollars in insurance premiums and payroll taxes, the government alleges.

    “These defendants lied on the backs of their employees, who were cleaning rooms in some of the most prestigious hotels in California,” said San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis. “If employees got hurt on the job, they were threatened with being fired.”

    More at source: San Diego Times

    Find A Janitorial Service Here


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