Technical Updates

True Tales of Technical Support
Noteworthy stories of P&R account reps & technical staff responding to customers' needs with unique & timely solutions.


School Districts Catch Up With Technology

Southern region sales manager Mike Walker and Technical Director Roger McFadden recently completed two-hour
training programs to the entire custodial staffs of Roseburg and Sutherlin School Districts. "This was the most informative
training we've ever had in my 20 years at this job," says one participant. Adds another, "It's time our schools catch up with
technology."

Medical Center Gets Help to Standardize Hard Floor Care Program

Mike Noyer (Portland sales), Tom Schraeder (Northern region sales manager), Brian May (environmental chemist),
Grant Watkinson (P&R president), and Roger McFadden teamed up to help a prime account standardize their hard floor
care program across four hospitals.

P&R Brings Problem-Solving to OIT

Jim Meeds (Klamath Falls, sales) and Roger McFadden recently held a two-hour problem-solving session at Oregon
Institute of Technology. Window cleaning, floor stripping and finishing, carpet care, and ESD in the computer labs were among the areas of concern.

Powerhouse Shooter Dissolves Pool Problems

One customer's staff was inside an empty swimming pool trying to remove stubborn mineral deposit stains with a 15%
hydrochloric acid solution. Ryan Baker (Albany, sales) brought over some Powerhouse Shooter (by Dynamic Research) and
made short work of making mineral deposit stains go away.

Product Redundancy Eliminated at SW Washington Medical Center

Tim Bridges (Portland, sales) and Roger McFadden recently completed a product review for the hospital's housekeeping
staff. Not only has product redundancy been reduced, but staff members have received valuable information on how they can
all be part of helping the hospital save money.

Solving the Brown Globules Mystery

Joe Tursi (Portland, sales) brought samples of Butcher's Phenex NS from a customer into the lab. Brown globules were
forming in the customer's secondary containers. Butcher's technical staff responded to the problem right away, saying that this
globule formation, common to phenolics, can be avoided by changing the phenolic solution daily.

Sticky Problem With School District Carpet

A school district supervisor needed help removing glue from a new carpet. P&R's environmental chemist Brian May
recommended an application of our Orange Waterless. The glue was successfully removed, the carpet saved, and the
supervisor much relieved.

Hospital Odor Gets Vented: Problem Not In Carpet Cleaning

Nursing staff at a local hospital believed a vomit odor was coming from chemicals supplied by P&R to clean carpets. Roger
McFadden investigated on-site and found that the odor was coming not from the carpets but from the ventilation system into
patients' rooms. His recommended repairs have remedied the problem odors.

Triple Power Takes Out Floor Finish Puddles in California

Mike Walker (Southern region sales manager) reported that a customer in northern California encountered a strange problem
when applying floor finishes on their tile floor. The finish would collect into small puddles. Mike's investigation of the problem
revealed that a solvent-based dust mop treatment was transferring to the floor, creating a barrier. This barrier prevented the
floor finish from properly spreading and attaching to the floor surface. A good autoscrubbing of the floor with Triple Power
and a recoat solved the problem.


Technical Briefs
Up-to-the-minute information & helpful tips for today's cleaning professionals
Cleaning Science in the Health Care Environment

New Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE) Staph Infection Nearly Impossible to Treat

A bacterium that resists one of the most powerful antibiotics has appeared in the United States. The rare strain of
staphylococcus aureus was first identified earlier this year in Japan. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention announced
that a Michigan dialysis patient infected with the bacterium was not responding completely to the antibiotic vancomycin.
Physicians fear that no treatment will be available for those infected with the deadly bacteria.

How Resistance to Antibiotics Occurs

Evolution of resistance to antibiotics is inevitable, as bacteria grow and reproduce. The bacteria cell wall becomes much
thicker, and antibiotics are less able to penetrate the cell wall to kill the organism. Staph bacteria are the primary cause of
hospital infections, resulting in about 13% of hospital infections each year. Those most at risk are the elderly, those with weak
immune systems, hospital patients, newborns, and patients with chronic diseases. But Dr. William Jarvis, a medical
epidemiologist with the CDC, says the new strain is rare. "The majority of people aren't going to be in danger of getting this,"
he states.

Effect of Disinfectants on Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE)

We recently received a call from an infection control nurse from a southern Oregon hospital. She asked about the effectiveness
of our trademarked quaternary disinfectants (Power Q, Pine Q, High Q, 256-Q, Lemon & Pine DC, Virustat 128 Virustat
TBQ) against vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). We shared with her that for a chemical manufacturer to claim a
product's effectiveness against any microorganism, the product must be clinically tested according to strict protocols
established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA registers all disinfectants sold in the U.S. The VRE
microorganism is relatively new.

In the meantime, a recently published study, "Activity of Disinfectants Against Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecium,"
offers substantial data to support the claim that quaternary ammonium chlorides and phenolic disinfectants like Virustat DCJ
and Ultra PheneJ are effective against VRE when used according to label directions. The article was authored by Guillermo
Saurina, M.D., David Landman, M.D., and John M. Quale, M.D.

Virustat DCJ is functionally equivalent to the Quaternary #2 product referenced in the article, and Ultra PheneJ is functionally
equivalent to the Phenolic #1. The authors report that results of the quantitative suspension test method indicate that both the
phenolic and quaternary disinfectants, when used according to directions, rapidly eradicated eight out of eight clinical strains of
VRE.

Disinfectants and Clostridium Difficile Bacteria

A customer called to ask about the effectiveness of P&R's quaternary ammonium chloride disinfectants (such as Power Q,
Pine Q) on the stubborn bacteria clostridium difficile. Study of this organism suggests that current "quat" disinfectants are
ineffective against this spore-forming organism. Disinfecting requires a chlorine bleach solution.