FAQ: How Long Does a Disinfectant Need to Stay on a Surface to Kill Viruses?

It’s a critical question, and the answer is often misunderstood. For an EPA-registered disinfectant to kill 100% of the germs and bacteria on a hard surface, the product must remain wet on the surface for at least 10 minutes. This is known as its “dwell time” or “kill time.”

Spraying and immediately wiping a disinfectant is considered sanitizing, which kills 99.9% of germs. While this may seem effective, in the world of germs, that remaining 0.1% can be significant. Germs double approximately every 7 minutes, so that small percentage can quickly multiply.

The Importance of Proper Disinfecting

For a disinfectant to be effective, it’s also essential to clean the surface first. Disinfecting a dirty surface is pointless, as the product won’t be able to reach and kill the germs hiding beneath the soil.

At Clean Green Solutions, our plant-based products are designed to be both powerful cleaners and effective disinfectants. They simplify the process by cleaning the surface first, allowing you to then properly disinfect and ensure a truly safe environment.

For a comprehensive guide to proper disinfecting, please find a link to the EPA’s guidelines on our website.

Backpack Vacs vs. Pet Hair: Are You Vacuuming or Just Wasting Time?

If you’re in property management or the hotel industry, there’s a strong chance your cleaning staff is still using backpack vacuums to tackle hallway carpets. And if you think that’s an effective way to remove pet hair, it’s time to think again.

We recently conducted a shocking side-by-side demonstration on a hallway carpet that had been vacuumed with a backpack vac just an hour before our arrival. The results were frankly, gross. The backpack vac had done almost nothing to remove the pet hair and “stuff” lurking deep in the carpet fibers.

The Inefficiency Problem of the Backpack Vac

Backpack vacuums are loud, and their cords create a constant trip hazard for both staff and tenants. In our demo, the backpack vac took 25 minutes to vacuum the hallway—and still left behind all the pet hair. This isn’t just about cleanliness; it’s about safety, labor costs, and a truly effective clean.

The Smart Vac: The Clear Solution

The solution? The Smart Vac. In the same demonstration, our Smart Vac vacuumed the entire hallway in just two minutes, leaving the carpet noticeably cleaner and smelling better. Our advanced technology and powerful suction are designed to remove pet hair and embedded dirt, ensuring a professional, deep clean every time.

Smart Vac benefits include:

  • Superior Cleaning: It actually removes pet hair and embedded dirt.
  • Faster and More Efficient: It gets the job done in a fraction of the time.
  • Cordless and Quiet: It eliminates trip hazards and minimizes noise disruption.

See for Yourself with a Free On-Site Demonstration

We’re so confident in the Smart Vac’s results that we’re offering a free, on-site demonstration. We’ll come to your property and vacuum a section of your hallway carpet in under 10 minutes, no matter the size. When you see how quickly and effectively the Smart Vac removes pet hair and dirt, we’re sure you’ll want one for your property.

Contact Clean Green Solutions today to schedule your free demonstration.

The Boston Seaport Odor Problem: How We Solved a $4,000-a-Month Mystery

Years ago, we got a call from the superintendent of a luxury high-rise in Boston’s Seaport District. It was a beautiful building in a prime location, with one major, glaring problem: a pervasive and foul odor. On a hot, humid day, the smell was obvious and terrible. It was a nightmare for residents paying thousands for their apartments, and even worse for the restaurant guests dining right next door. The superintendent had tried everything—bleach, Fabuloso, even hot pepper mixed with vinegar—but nothing worked.

The Root of the Problem

The cause was clear: dozens of dogs, walked daily by owners and professional walkers, were consistently urinating in the same few spots right by the building’s entrance. The urine had seeped deep into the cracks at the base of posts and corners, creating a source of odor that traditional cleaners simply couldn’t reach. The superintendent was at a loss.

Clean Green Solutions to the Rescue with Enviro Care Liqui-bac

This wasn’t a job for a harsh chemical; it was a job for science. We brought in Enviro Care Liqui-bac, a revolutionary product that is biological, not chemical. We mixed it with water in a one-gallon pump sprayer and saturated the problem areas.

Enviro Care Liqui-bac is a living solution, made up of enzymes and a light fragrance. The liquid acts as a carrier, delivering these enzymes deep into the source of the smell. The enzymes literally eat the bacteria that cause urine to smell, and just like that, the odor disappears permanently.

This same powerful product is a versatile solution for a variety of odor problems, including those in carpets, turnover apartments, drains, trash chutes, and dumpsters.

Are you dealing with a persistent odor problem that traditional cleaning can’t fix?

Contact Clean Green Solutions today to order Enviro Care Liqui-bac and solve the problem for good.

From Whiskey to Wellness: Clean Green Solutions Introduces New Hand Sanitizer!

We’re thrilled to showcase an addition to our lineup, with a truly unique backstory! Clean Green Solutions is now distributing RMC Enviro Care Hand Sanitizer, a product born from an innovative partnership between our long-time supplier, Rochester Midland Corporation (RMC), and a local whiskey maker, Iron Smoke Distillery.

Since 2008, we’ve trusted RMC’s pioneering spirit in green cleaning. Now, that same innovative drive has led them to create this advanced, alcohol-based hand sanitizer. It’s not just powerful—it’s formulated to moisturize while it kills germs, leaving hands feeling great.

For information and pricing, please email us!

FAQ: How Do I Remove Stubborn Cigarette and Cooking Odors?

A major challenge for property managers is removing stubborn odors left behind by former residents. At Clean Green Solutions, a large percentage of our customer base comes from apartment communities, and we are asked all the time about eliminating smells from cigarette smoke and strong cooking.

Traditional methods often fall short. A resident moves out after years of smoking, and despite shampooing carpets, cleaning the unit, painting, and changing HVAC filters, the smell of smoke persists. That’s because the odor has saturated the entire HVAC system and ductwork. No amount of traditional cleaning will get rid of it.

The Odorox Solution: Harnessing the Power of Hydroxyls


The real solution is to go beyond traditional cleaning and use a technology that purifies the air itself. The answer lies in hydroxyls. These are nature’s way of disinfecting and purifying the Earth. That fresh, clean smell you notice after a rainstorm? That’s the work of hydroxyls, which are created when sunlight interacts with moisture in the air.

Our Odorox technology replicates this natural process indoors. It generates powerful hydroxyls that seek out and destroy odor-causing molecules. The result is a truly clean, fresh, and disinfected space without the use of harsh chemicals or fragrances.

We’ve successfully helped our customers resolve odors in a wide variety of high-turnover spaces, including:

  • Apartment units with cigarette and cooking odors.
  • College dorm rooms with mold and mildew smells.
  • University locker rooms with persistent odors.
  • Hair salons with lingering chemical smells.

Contact us today to rent or purchase an Odorox unit and eliminate odors for good.

How to Banish Trash Room Odors for Good

A foul-smelling trash room is a common and persistent problem for any building with high trash volume. The odors can be a major issue for residents, employees, and clients. But simply masking the smell isn’t enough—you need to tackle the source. Here’s a professional, step-by-step guide to keeping your trash room, compactor, and chutes consistently clean and odor-free.

Step 1: Deep Clean with a Powerful Degreaser
First, you have to get rid of the built-up grime. Once the trash room is empty, use a heavy-duty degreaser like Alpha 3 to thoroughly clean the chutes, compactor, floor, and dumpster. This step is critical because it removes the “crud” where odor-causing bacteria can hide.

Step 2: Implement Enzyme-Based Preventative Maintenance
After a deep clean, it’s time for preventative maintenance. This is where the magic happens! Use an enzyme product like our Enviro Care Liqui-Bac. This product contains beneficial bacteria that actively eat the organic waste and bacteria causing the bad odors.

How It Works: As trash accumulates, the enzymes activate and continuously digest the bacteria, preventing odors from ever starting.

How to Apply: Every time the dumpsters are emptied, spray the enzyme product over the entire area—the floor, compactor, and chutes. Do not rinse it off.

Step 3: Don’t Forget the Drain
At least half of a trash room’s bad smell comes from the drain. Simply pour the Enviro Care Liqui-Bac directly into the drain. The enzymes will quickly get to work, and within minutes, the foul smell from the drain will disappear. Consistent application will keep the drain clean and clear.

A Smart, Two-Part System for Chutes
For trash chutes, alternate your cleaning approach for maximum results. Apply the degreaser to the sides of the chute, and the friction from trash bags sliding down will help to clean it. Two weeks later, apply the enzyme product. As trash slides down, the enzymes will be distributed, creating a continuous defense against odor-causing bacteria.

You can also add an air freshening system, like our Oxygen Air Freshener, to help manage any odors while the room is in use.

With this simple, effective system, you can keep your entire trash area clean and odor-free!

Contact us today to learn more or to purchase these products.

A Shocking Truth: Is Your Cleaning Routine as Harmful as a Pack of Cigarettes?

A study recently highlighted in Newsweek revealed a shocking and sobering truth: the lung damage from regular use of traditional cleaning products can be as severe as that from smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. This finding is a powerful wake-up call for businesses and facility managers, particularly concerning the health of their employees and building occupants. The cleaners used every day in hotels, restaurants, offices, and residential properties can release toxic chemicals that compromise indoor air quality and pose significant long-term health risks.

At Clean Green Solutions, this is exactly the problem we were founded to solve. Our mission has always been to provide TRUE green cleaning products that are effective, affordable, and, most importantly, safe for everyone. We believe a clean space should never come at the expense of someone’s health.

The Clean Green Solutions Difference: A Health-First Approach

We provide a turn-key solution that allows businesses across Boston and New England to make a seamless transition to a healthier cleaning program. Our plant-based cleaners contain zero fragrance, ammonia, or petroleum, ensuring that after we clean, your space is left with nothing but fresh, pure air. Our Green Housekeeping Program not only meets a LEED standard but also provides a 100% positive impact on the health of the people who use our products.

It’s a clear win-win for your people, your business, and your budget. Ready to protect your employees and residents from the hidden dangers of traditional cleaning products?

Contact Clean Green Solutions today for a free consultation and discover how a healthier clean can transform your facility.

The Dirty Secret in Your Cleaning Cabinet: Why Transparency Matters

A groundbreaking report titled “Dirty Secrets: What’s Hiding in Your Cleaning Products?” by Women’s Voices for the Earth (WVE) revealed a disturbing truth: the cleaning products we use every day may contain undisclosed toxic chemicals. This independent study of 20 popular cleaners found a cocktail of hidden ingredients linked to cancer, birth defects, infertility, and hormone disruption—chemicals that are not required to be listed on the product label.

For a business that prides itself on being an “All-Green” commercial cleaning company, this lack of transparency is unacceptable. At Clean Green Solutions, we believe that you have the right to know exactly what is in the products you use in your workplace. Our mission is to provide genuinely healthy alternatives, so you can have peace of mind knowing the products we use are safe for your employees, your customers, and the environment.

The Clean Green Solutions Difference: A Commitment to Transparency


This is why our commitment to providing a turn-key solution for New England businesses goes beyond just effective cleaning—it’s rooted in full transparency. Our plant-based cleaners are formulated without hidden toxins and are often EPA Safer Choice certified, a badge of honor that assures you they meet stringent standards for both human health and environmental impact.

By partnering with Clean Green Solutions, you’re not just adopting a new cleaning program; you’re joining a movement for cleaner, healthier, and more accountable practices. We’re here to help you navigate the world of green cleaning with confidence, so you never have to worry about the “dirty secrets” hiding in your products again.

The Coronavirus – Health & Business

The Coronavirus is affecting more than just our personal health. Our economic health is at stake as well. Business’ all around the world are being tested. Some struggle with keeping the doors open while others struggle with keeping up with the demand. Restaurants, hotels and bars are on one end of the spectrum while manufacturers of masks, ventilators and disinfectants are on the other.

For those manufacturers that are seeing gains during this difficult time, many are challenged with getting the raw materials they need. A certain plastic for the ventilators or a particular type of elastic for the masks. Of course everyone involved in the supply chain wants to conduct business…move their raw material to the manufacturer, the manufacturer wants to ship the product to the distributor and the distributor wants to get that product to the customer.

As a distributor of green cleaning products and more importantly a distributor of an EPA registered disinfectant, we are swamped with orders. A building superintendent is calling to order disinfectant after receiving a call from his regional superintendent who just received a call from the facilities VP who just left a meeting with the owners.

Both the suppliers and the buyers are working from the top down or from the bottom up. From raw materials to the end user and from the owners of the company to the cleaning people. Suppliers are asking themselves “How much can we manufacture and how quickly?” Buyers are asking themselves, “How much can we buy and how quickly can we get it?

Here’s a suggestion to buyers…buy it when you can get it and get on a back order list for more. This pandemic will start to wind down and eventually we will start to feel safe again, but…our way of life may be changed forever. People will disinfect more than ever. Some people will continue to wear masks and some may continue to social distance but for now and following, be nice to your suppliers and if you have it and your neighbor doesn’t, share it. Karma will reward you for it

New Product – Hand Sanatizer

Clean Green Solutions has a new product (with a cool story)… Hand Sanitizer!

Clean Green Solutions has distributed Rochester Midland Corporation (RMC) green cleaning products since our inception in 2008. Rochester Midland pioneered green cleaning products back in 1986 through innovation and being ahead of their time.

Recently, RMC headquartered in Rochester, NY let their innovation juices flow by partnering with a local whiskey maker, Iron Smoke Distillery to manufacture alcohol based hand sanitizer. Read about the partnership here.

Clean Green Solutions is expecting several pallets of RMC Enviro Care Hand Sanitizer late next week.

This advanced hand sanitizer is an alcohol-based liquid spray hand antiseptic sanitizer handrub that moisturizes while killing germs. A case contains a dozen 32 oz. bottles. Email us for info and pricing.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION

FAQ: How long does a disinfectant need to stay on surface to kill Coronavirus? 

The EPA states that for an EPA registered disinfectant to kill 100% of the germs and bacteria on a hard surface, the disinfectant must be on the surface “wet” for at least 10 minutes. To spray and immediately wipe a disinfectant from a hard surface is called sanitizing. Sanitizing kills 99.9% of the germs and bacteria on the surface.

EPA registered disinfectants all have a “efficacy” or “kill” claim. This is a list of the bacteria and virus’ that the disinfectant will kill. Many will and can be killed within the spray and immediately wipe process but…in the germ world the .01% that is not killed by sanitizing can be astronomical. In general terms, germs double every 7 minutes, so by the end of the day there is a lot happening on that surface.

It’s important to clean the surface prior to disinfecting. Be sure to remove soils from thesurface before spraying on the disinfectant. Think about it…spraying the disinfectant on top of dirt will not get to the germs on the surface. Please find a link to proper disinfecting here.

This Kills the Coronavirus!

Coronavirus – If you have…

Enviro Care Neutral Disinfectant, you can stay protected during this pandemic. This product is plant-based, yet hospital grade and KILLS the Coronavirus. 

Most of you have implemented The Green Housekeeping Program by Clean Green Solutions. Included in the portfolio of products is the SNAP Enviro Care Neutral Disinfectant.

Enviro Care Neutral Disinfectant “How to Use” to kill the virus.

Killing It With Value!

The Enviro Care Neutral Disinfectant is mixed via the SNAP Dispensing System into a color coded labeled bottle for just $0.09 per quart!

Property Management & The Green Housekeeping Program

A national property management company recently implemented CGS’ Green Housekeeping Program across their entire portfolio, to 25 locations! Ranging from MA, all the way to SC and TN. Each site received a chemical mixing station, color coded bottles, triggers, and a portfolio of LEED certified clean green products to clean their entire building. What makes them stand out is they also have a car wash station in place. We’re supplying them with a green car wash detergent to make sure they’re staying green across the board.

New Product Alert & Monthly Special

New Catalog & Products

Again? Yes!! This time with two new pages filled with amazing products for you to choose from. This includes items in the laundry and warewash program, as well as your everyday building needs like hand soap.

Download Here

Get Your Rental

You’ve tried everything and still can’t remove that awful stench? Then the Odorox is for you. It removes even the strongest of odors like cigarette smoke or mildew smells.

Service Spotlight

Do you have new employees that are unfamiliar with their products? When was the last time your cleaning crew got a training of the products they’re using? If you have the Green Housekeeping Program, you can get them all green certified for free. Schedule a training with us today!

FAQ: How Do I Remove Cigarette and Strong Cooking Odors?

A large percentage of Clean Green Solutions customer base is from apartment communities. We are asked all the time about removing cigarette smoke smell or odors from ethnic cooking from apartment units when the resident moves out.

Cigarette Smoke – Most apartment units HVAC systems are fairly simple. They have an air intake that sucks air from inside the apartment in, heats or cools that air and then ejects that same air back into the unit.

Imagine if someone has been smoking cigarettes in a unit for 3 years. They move out and empty the unit of their things and forfeit their security deposit. The problem is, it still stinks like cigarette smoke!

Most property management professionals will go through the same series of tasks; shampoo or remove the carpet, clean the unit, paint the walls with Kilz and then paint and change the filter in the HVAC. Often times after doing all of this, it still smells like smoke!

ALL of the cigarette smoke from years of smoking was sucked into and through the HVAC system and the smell is in the unit. You can clean the ducts and do the best you can cleaning the unit itself, but the smoke smell often persists.

The solution is hydroxyls. Hydroxyls are mother natures way of disinfecting and purifying the earth. Have you ever noticed the smell after a rainstorm? Those are hydroxyls you are smelling. They’re made from the moisture in the air after a rainstorm combined with a single ray from the spectrum of light from the sun.

Odorox technology replicates this naturally occurring event and allows the process to be brought inside to remove odors associated with cigarettes, ethnic cooking, pets, mold/mildew, etc.
We are happy to say we’ve helped our customers resolve odors in turnover units, in a educational hair salon with chemical odors, mold/mildew in college dorm rooms and odors in university locker rooms.

Contact us to rent or purchase an Odorox today. We have a special on the Odorox through March. Rent for one day and get a second day free!