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​With so many cleaning products on the market and more and more launched every week it's difficult to know what to choose. Do you go for value for money? Or is it familiarity, the great salesperson or a reliable manufacturer/supplier? Andrew McCafferty Facilities & Soft Services Recruitment Consultant ​Whatever the reasons for purchase they are essential to the job and your company. As a cleaning and soft services specialist recruiter, I'm always speaking to people in the industry and here are some of the products that people, like you, are talking about. UBIK 2000 Universal Cleaner Concentrate This powerful, versatile cleaner and degreaser from Clover Chemicalsquickly dissolves grease and grime to leave a spotless finish. It's been highly recommended for cleaning in the food industry especially as it is great with body fats but it is as good within communal shower areas.  FreshnIT Sanitary Cleaner This is top for washrooms as it neutralises odours at the source and has a long-lasting fragrance. An adding bonus to this product is that Freshnit is safe to clean and freshen all washroom surfaces, including; sinks, taps, baths, walls, doors, floors, fittings and fixtures, toilets, bidets and urinals. If that isn't good enough it's also pH neutral. Transgel Graffiti Remover This product is highly recommended by the Transport industry. Although it is an expensive product it's fantastic at removing graffiti - designed to remove old, thick and sun-baked graffiti from porous surfaces, tarmac, galvanised shuttering and other galvanised surfaces, murals from wooden fences, road marker paint and thicker paints such as gloss paint. It can also be used for paint spillages. Vacuums Vacuums are essential for cleaning companies. Key needs are power, capacity and durability to save time and money in a margin critical industry. Not many people look passed the Numatic range especially Henry. A British Icon with over 36 years of service and still a great performer. It's one of the best value and reliable vacuums on the market and has been since Bonnie Tyler had a Total Eclipse of the Heart. Cloths Another staple of the cleaning armoury is cloths. This was a tough one to pin a favourite as many different cloths have been mentioned. One of the better cloths that is absorbent and can be used on multiple surfaces was Norwex which is also very easy to clean in just water. Other products include Zwipes and Vibrawipe. Of course, we're all different and people like different things so I accept the products listed might not be your preference. This is why there are so many products on the market. What do you think? It would be great to know what you would recommend and why. 

The FMJ reported earlier this month about how Cleaners at the Ministry of Justice and Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea were planning to strike for the first time over low pay and unfair working conditions. The strikes affected Kensington and Chelsea Town Halls, which took place on Tuesday 7th, Wednesday 8th and Thursday 9th of August and at several Health Care America locations at the end of August. Have you prepared for potential strikes in your business? The workers, who are mostly Portuguese and Spanish speaking Latin Americans and Africans from Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Guinea Bissau and Sao Tome & Principe are members of the United Voices of the World (UVW) trade union. Currently, workers involved in all three disputes share three common grievances and have three common demands: An occupational sick pay scheme as currently workers rely on Statutory Sick Pay. SSP is unpaid for the first three days of illness. Thereafter workers will receive just £18 per day from the fourth day of sickness onwards. This means workers are being forced to come to work when sick in order to meet their living costs. Parity of terms and conditions with directly employed staff in terms of holiday entitlements, hours and overtime pay. A two-tier workforce leads to undercutting, a race to the bottom and exploitation say UVW. Payment of the London Living Wage with guaranteed annual increments. The London Living Wage is currently £10.20p/h  – compared to the National Minimum Wage, which is £7.83p/h. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) cleaners work under the OCS contract at three MoJ sites including the Headquarters at Petit France. The strike ballot and vote there saw a 100% turn out and a 100% vote in favour of industrial action. UVW members employed by Compass for Health Care America (HCA) clean eight hospitals and care centres including The Shard, Guy’s Cancer Centre and Harley Street Clinic. HCA is the biggest private healthcare company in the world. Dave Wilson IFMA Fellow and a Director at Morphose commented; “When contractors are prepared to pay minimum wage and clients are prepared to let them, it’s no surprise we have had a race to the bottom on staff wages from outsourcing. This has to stop if we want good service and staff retention.” He added: “Since RICS launched its FM procurement guidance with an emphatic on ethical buying, I firmly believe that fair pay for staff is a critical issue for our industry. It is, in my view, as much of an issue as making sure that contractors don’t routinely underbid and then go bust.” Read the full article from The FMJ here ​Want the latest news, jobs and updates from our team? Subscribe here