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Why is BSEN 1276 not a fit for purpose accredditation for sanitising my dishes?

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  Why is BSEN 1276 not a fit for purpose accredditation for sanitising my dishes?  12th January 2024  | By Anna Armstrong   |  Cleaning Tips ,  Environmental Health ,  Hygiene ,  Sustainability ,  Coronovirus The Food Standards Agency has published a guidance documents for all food handlers to prevent the risk of cross-contamination of E-Coli. As Astral Hygiene are so well versed in food hygiene regulations we can now offer advice and support regarding the safe and most effective use of our products including Cleaner Sanitiser (BSEN 1276) for use on Hard Surfaces, and Bactericidal Detergent (BSEN 1040) for use in water to ensure safe food preparation. What exactly is BS EN 1276? BS EN 1276 is a European Standard which ensures that the bactericidal activity of chemical disinfectants are effective against controlling harmful micro-organisms. All   BS EN 1276   chemicals have been tested to ensure they are killing 99.999% of bacteria within 5 minutes. Many of our products here at Astral H

Eco friendly cleaning myths debunked......

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  Eco friendly cleaning myths debunked......  18th July 2022  | By Anna Armstrong   |  Cleaning Tips ,  Environmental Health ,  Hygiene ,  Sustainability ,  Coronovirus As a company that put the environment at the heart of every thing we do, we take quality control very seriously. We sample every product, test it thoroughly, but importantly with the eco friendly range we ensure that this product has been tested by the relevant organisations to confirm the ingredients in these chemicals are not toxic. We do this by making sure that our  Eco Friendly Range  is approved by the EU Ecolabel Council, and this certifies that this product which carries this label has a guaranteed, independently verified low environmental impact.  As a family friendly, and environmentally conscious business we choose to stock  Eco Friendly Products , because they benefit both the earth and our families.  What does “Eco-Friendly” Mean? This term simply describes a product that is not harmful to the environment.

Lets talk dirty.....

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  Lets talk dirty.....  4th July 2022  | By Anna Armstrong   |  Cleaning Tips ,  Environmental Health ,  Hygiene ,  Sustainability ,  Coronovirus We often forget who we clean our homes for. For me it's not for the visitors who come across my door, it is for my family; and of course for myself. I'm easily annoyed by mess, and I find it harder to have clear and ordered thoughts in a very messy environment.  I find in an uncluttered environment, my thoughts flow more easily, and inspiration comes more readily than in an unordered environment. I find too much stimuli just clouds my ability to think and to compose my thoughts.  So which are the most dirty areas of your home....Lets talk dirty!  1. Dirt on the top of the cupboards........ This may sound like the last place you would look... but have you had a look on the top of your cupboards? How much dust is up there, and are there any insect corpses or anything undesirable up there?  If you have your windows open, you do know that

What does porn have to do with cleanliness??

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  What does porn have to do with cleanliness??  29th June 2022  | By Anna Armstrong   |  Cleaning Tips ,  Environmental Health ,  Hygiene ,  Sustainability ,  Coronovirus Food porn is carefully arranged and well lit photographs of food laid out in an aesthetically pleasing manner to make the person looking at the picture feel a certain way; at ease with the lack of chaos in the picture. The lighting and arrangement make the food look sumptuous and delicious.   Organised porn vlogs and blogs work in the same way, rows of coloured pens, laid out in size order can make some people feel relaxed in the same way that a caramel brownie drizzled with chocolate sauce makes some people feel ravenous. What is it about neatly laid out belongings that make people feel so satisfied? What is it about these organisational porn blogs or Pinterest blogs that make people scroll through the pictures to help them to organise their drawers or certain areas of the house. Why do these sites help to satisfy yo

Monkeypox Virus

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  Monkeypox Virus  2nd June 2022  | By Anna Armstrong   |  Cleaning Tips ,  Environmental Health ,  Hygiene ,  Sustainability ,  Coronovirus Transmission Transmission Spread of Monkeypox may occur when a person comes into close contact with an infected human or animal, or materials contaminated with the virus. Monkeypox has not been detected in animals in the UK. The virus can enter the body through broken skin, the respiratory tract, or the mucous membranes (eyes, nose, or mouth). Person-to-person spread is uncommon, but may occur through: direct contact with Monkeypox skin lesions or scabs coughing or sneezing of an individual with a Monkeypox rash contact with clothing or linens (such as bedding or towels) used by an infected person The risk of transmission can be substantially reduced by cleaning and disinfection, or by washing clothes or domestic equipment with standard detergents and cleaning products. In the home transmission can be reduced by the person with Monkeypox performin

The forgotten areas.....

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  The forgotten areas.....  1st June 2022  | By Anna Armstrong   |  Cleaning Tips ,  Environmental Health ,  Hygiene ,  Sustainability ,  Coronovirus In a small office environment, it is often the case that everyone has to muck in to get the office to a clean and hygienic standard before the weekend. This might mean, one of you cleaning the loos, and filling up the paper towels, one putting the hoover around, one giving the kitchen the once over, and one emptying the bins.  However, as these duties aren't really what any of your team signed up to do, and are covered in the 'or any other duties we sit fit' piece of the employment contract, this 'cleaning rota system' will be performed in a fairly lacklustre manner and many places will be missed. So where are these places?  Buttons and Lightswitches - with these areas being really high touch, and especially with the recent pandemics, these switches need to be cleaned and sanitised more regularly. When you have your te

Supply Chain - Why are investors moving away from China?

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  Supply Chain - Why are investors moving away from China?  31st May 2022  | By Anna Armstrong   |  Cleaning Tips ,  Environmental Health ,  Hygiene ,  Sustainability ,  Coronovirus Bloomberg, The Sunday Times and websites like Investment Monitor have recently reported that large investment firms are strategically re-evaluating their investment portfolio, with a decisive focus on China.  Both the European Chamber of Commerce and the US Chamber of Commerce have reported a dramatic impact on business operations in these countries retrospectively. Importantly though the British Chamber of Commerce in China have reported 74% of businesses in the UK have reported decreased revenue projects by up to 58% and 51% of shipments have been disrupted. There has been a reduction of 49% in new investment according to the report published in (1) April 2022 by the British Chamber of Commerce in China. This is all as a result of the numerous outbreaks of COVID 19, and right now China is in the grip of t