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Linda Chambers

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NBAA coming to Atlanta

Posted by Linda Chambers on Tue, Oct 12, 2010 @ 04:33 PM

The National Business Aviation Association's Convention is coming to Atlanta next week, October 19th-21st. NBAA2010 will feature Exhibits at the Georgia World Congress Center, along with a Static Display of Aircraft at DeKalb Peachtree Airport. Over 100 Education Sessions, Maintenance and Operations Sessions (M&Os), and nearly 25,000 business aviation professionals who are interested in seeing and learning about all that is new in the world of business aviation will attend.

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   Convention Floor,      Static Displays,       Corporate Angel Network,        Top Gun

Soap Warehouse will be attending as a guest and for the second year in a row we are a donator for the 2010 NBAA/CAN Charity Benefit that will be holding Live and Silent Auctions. The sole beneficiary of this year's Charity Benefit is Corporate Angel Network (CAN), a charitable organization that eases the burden of travel for cancer patients by arranging free flights to treatment centers using empty seats on business aircraft. Soap Warehouse will be donating certificates for two 5 gallon tight drums of our Top Gun aircraft cleaner valued at $70 each plus free shipping.

I plan to visit a few customers and many more potentially new ones during the three day convention. If you see me there be sure to stop and say hello.

For information on Top Gun visit our web site.

 

 

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Tags: Top Gun, NBAA, National Business Aviation Association, CAN, Corporate Angel Network

Charleston, SC Soap Warehouse Winners

Posted by Linda Chambers on Mon, Oct 04, 2010 @ 09:13 AM

As a sponsor of events, Soap Warehouse also doantes product prizes to attendees as a thank you for coming and participating in these events.

Back in August down in Tampa we gave away one $250 product prize ceritificate but this time in Charleston we gave way two certificates; one for $100 on the 29th and the other for $250 on Oct. 30th. Here are the winners:

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Shielagh Clark from Greenville, SC and Mr. Kim Little of Candor, NC

Shielagh and her husband Pat own Precision Pro Wash and won the $100 prize while Kim owns Clear Carlolina Window Washing and won the $250 prize.

Congratulations to them both.

Soap Warehouse also donated prizes to be given away at some coil cleaning classes that were being taught by Tony Shelton of Sonitx Inc all the way from Las Vegas, NV. Here are some of those lucky winners:

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Trey Mathias from Columbia, SC and Rudolph Palmer from Philadelphia.

Not pictured but who also received product was David Vicars from Myrtle Beach, SC and Kyle Casey from Tallahassee, FL.

Learn more about our Non-Acid Aluinum Coil Cleaner.

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Tags: non acid coil cleaner, National Cleaning Expo

National Cleaning Expo in Charleston

Posted by Linda Chambers on Fri, Oct 01, 2010 @ 09:48 AM

Soap Warehouse was again a sponsor for a National Cleaning Expo event held Oct 29th and 30th in Charleston, SC at the Embasy Suite Hotel and Convention Center

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There were over 20 different companies exhibiting in booths or out side doing demos of their products.

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Pressure washing organizations such as the PWNA, RCIA, PWNC and UAMCC where also there signing up new members and holding classes to furthur attendees education in thier specific industries as well as in general.

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Next post will be about our event product winners.

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Tags: National Cleaning Expo

Leave more than just your good name behind after a service job.

Posted by Linda Chambers on Wed, Aug 11, 2010 @ 09:30 AM

I hear about or see almost everyday where satisfied customers can not find the contractor that provided a great job or service for them.

Take this posted last year in a forum at http://www.thegrimescene.com/ as an example:

“Mildewed in Morton Grove, IL

About 5 years ago I signed on to this forum as my mom needed her cedar deck and fence washed and sealed. I found some great people who thankfully advised me to stay away from sealmax and others and hooked me up with a great contractor. The guy did a wonderful job but moved to Florida--he gave me another name and we rolled on. Now, Mom needs her deck and fence done again in a big bad way and I can find no one. I am just looking for an honest worker who will do a superior job. I know workmanship should not come too cheap and I put attention to detail above all. Anyone out there that could steer me in the right direction? Chris”

Here is a customer that would love to find the same person he last used and was recommended but can not locate the information since it has been so long ago.

So how can you improve the chance that you will be contacted for follow up business, one, three even five or more years down the line?

1. Leave a card or collateral print pieces behind when you leave. This can be a nice flyer with a tear off business info card area to be placed in a Rolodex or passed on to a friend. Least effective unless person is a neat freak or a pack rat.

2. Leave a useful promotional item like a magnet, note holder clip, jar opener, or any thing that has the potential of staying around for a long time to keep your name in mind and in front of your customer. I have a jar opener that is over 20 years old from a local hardware store.

3. Leave a business card, sticker, magnet or laminated info card near or attached to the work that was done. And be sure to tell the customer that you have done this. Great way to be used again.

4. Follow up contact with the customer by e-mail or mail. Number one way to get repeat and referral business, have a referral program in place and use it.

I know that the third suggestion sounds strange but here is where I have seen it work.

Take a deck builder that staples laminated business cards to the underside of the decks he builds in a number of places, including top stair risers and the anchor board against the house etc. and tells the owner he did this. He knows later, if any repair or extra work needs to be done, that owner or even the following home owner has a good chance using it or finding out who built the deck, gazebo, fence etc. Plus leaving your name lets the home owner know you stand behind your work.

I know our electrician puts his magnet on the inside of our electric fuse panel door. Or the AC furnace man that leaves his sticker on the back of the AC unit or side of the furnace for an easy return call for service.

The fourth item is the reason that yearly or quarterly informational post cards and seasonal e-mails to former customers help retain these customers as future income or as part of a great referral business. You need to keep your name and business fresh in past customers minds with out irritating them by contacting too frequently.

Don't underestimate the impact of the great work you have already done in bringing you new and repeat business.

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Tags: business cards, customer service, referral

Industrial equipment cleaning products

Posted by Linda Chambers on Tue, Jul 06, 2010 @ 09:00 AM

This month our product focus is on a small group of our products that does not get a lot of attention except from the few customers that use them on a daily basis, so for the rest of you, this maybe a totally first look at these items. They are Industrial Equipment Cleaners.

First we have our “Parts Cleaner”. If you have a machine shop or pressure washer repair side of your business you most likely use a parts cleaner of some kind to remove oil, dirt and the like from motors parts and such. Actually we sell the most of this cleaner to mechanics that have nothing to do with pressure washing but have cycle and small engine shops like lawn motor repair.

This product comes as a powder, sold in 25 or 100 lb increments and is used at one lb per 5 gallons of water. This mixture for use in hot dip tanks usually set at 110 to 180 degrees. This heavy duty alkaline cleaner cleans ferrous and non-ferrous metal parts of oils, grease, soils and other debris.

Our next product “Phos-tize HD” is also used primarily in motor cycle or machine shops. This liquid is a heavy duty hot degreasing and de-rusting compound that is also used in hot water, high pressure washers, steam cleaners and in hot dip tanks. Dilution can be a little as 2% and up, and will leave metals rain bowed, blued and prepared for re-assembly and painting.

This next product is one used by commercial building maintenance companies and the like. Our “Non Acid Aluminum Coil Cleaner” is a great new “Green” solution to the old acid versions that are being phased out of use. This liquid product is used in the cleaning of air conditioner, evaporator and condenser coils at a rate of 1:4 cleaner to water, but it can be diluted up to, but no more than, 1:40 in some applications. Coil cleaning is a necessary service that should be done at least once if not twice a year or quarterly depending on the equipment, environmental factors and time of use the equipment is in operation. The more the use, the more frequent the cleaning needs to be. With this being a non acid “Green” product, operator safety and client concerns to maintain new “Green” building initiatives can be fulfilled.

Another non acid product is our “Drain Opener” that is also for commercial building use. This liquid product will dissolve and liquefy hair, paper and grease found in commercial floor and sink drains in bathrooms, kitchens, and restaurants that empty in to sewer drains. Not for use in out side water drains that flow into storm drain systems. Do not use on aluminum, or pore through aluminum drain covers or catch strainer baskets. Remove cover and/or strainer before using product and replace after cleaning is done. Not for home use.

Also for cleaning drains as a maintenance type product is our “QwicZyme”. This has biological action to break down food wastes, grease and other organic matter in drains and pipe systems that cause clogs. QwicZyme deprives odor causing bacteria of their food source, thus inhibiting their growth and ability to produce obnoxious odors. This can be used indoors or out in any free flowing drain and is safe for disposals and septic tanks. Warm water must first be added to the drain and pipes to increase the temperature before using to activate the QwicZyme to work. Once added to the drain and pipes QwicZyme should be left to stand over night in the trap and pipes before flushing with fresh water. Treatment is 1 quart per 25 cubic foot of pipe and it is suggested to be used weekly for optimum free drain flow performance.

Information on these and the rest of our regular Industrial Degreasers link here to our web site.
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Tags: industrial cleaner, coil cleaner, parts cleaner, QwicZyme, non acid drain cleaner, chemical for hot vat cleaning, non acid coil cleaner

Car wash chemicals from Soap Warehouse

Posted by Linda Chambers on Fri, Jun 18, 2010 @ 10:23 AM

This month our product group focus will be on our Car Wash line.
Many of our products can be used with automated equipment, with pressure washers and with simple hand washing, bucket and sponge applications. Be sure to read the description of the product and know the proper dilutions for your specific equipment.

Proper dilution is the best way to get the results you want at the lowest cost possible.

Let us first look at the soaps that where made to be used in automated systems:

High Foam Cherry – As the name says, this is high foaming car wash with a fresh cherry scent. It was designed to be used in a drive thru system or self serve wash bay but can be used with a pressure washer or by hand washing as well. It rinses well and is pH balanced. It has a wide metering range of 1:150 to 1:8000 depending on your equipment. For example for a self serve system you pre mix 1 gallon of soap to 10 gallons of water and then place that 10 gallons in the system set to meter the mix at 1:35 yielding you 350 gallons of product from that single gallon.

Foamy Brush – This product is extremely high foaming and was made to use in self serve brush bays. It has an even stronger cherry scent then HFC. Metering dilutions are 1:150 to 1:800. It can also be use in a touch less drive thru and is pH balanced too. It can also be ordered in three colors; red, blue and yellow for businesses that need tri color soap washing and is sold in a kit of three 5 gallon tight drums.

We still sell a touch less pre soak but it is not listed on our web site due to its not as big of a seller like our soaps are. If you need this product please call.

If you need only a moderate foaming wash for your self serve bay wands or drive thru then our High Pressure Car Wash is what you would want to try. It has a nice lemon scent and is also pH balanced safe for painted finishes.

We also have specific products like the Foamy Tire, Spray Wax and Rinse Aid for those consumer added product selections for the automatic, self serve and no touch washes. Foamy Tire’s high foam clings well to tire walls and rims to dissolve the brake dust, grease and road grime. Spray Wax is a lemon scented highly concentrated product, 1 oz per 5 gallons of water. It enhances sheeting, discourages spotting and speeds drying time. But for even more of these benefits use our Quick Dry Rinse Aid, when applied in the rinse cycle in automated systems you get even more sheeting of excess water which results in less or shorter blower time needed which can decrease your line time per vehicle.

Now on to a few of our other products;

Wash and Wax is our number one seller for hand wash car detailers. This highly concentrated high foaming product has acrylic polymers that leave a great shine. The wash quickly penetrates, emulsifies and removes heavy dirt leaving a high gloss shine that will not spot chrome.

Bay Wash is just that a chemical to wash and clean your wash bays. This is a highly acid product and all safety measures must be followed but this will take years off a neglected property or will keep your nice one looking great for years to come. This will clean and brighten painted block, brick, tile, vinyl and masonry without damage when used as directed. It will remove the soap scum from walls, grease and oils from the track lines and concrete floors that came from the passing vehicles through your system. Nothing turns a wash customer off more than seeing a dirty looking facility. How can you clean their car when you can’t even keep your own property clean? This is a very hazardous cleaner and although it is listed in the non automated offerings it is in no way to be applied with bare hands. Please read the MSDS and follow all safety measures with this acid product.

I hope this makes you aware of what we have to offer and if you need something we did not write about, please call, we may have it or will be able to have it made for you.

Have a great day.
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Tags: car wash soap, car wash detergent, chemicals for automated car wash, High Foam Cherry, Spray Wax

Products for House Washing

Posted by Linda Chambers on Fri, Apr 09, 2010 @ 09:00 PM

To continue with our exterior maintenance product discussion, today we will discuss house wash soap.

We have quite a few products that can be used for this job as well as those we recommend for this use.

Our most economical product is our "Citrus X-terior" house wash. This product was specifically designed for those who were use to doing house washing with a bleach only solution. With "Citrus X-terior" you can add bleach to it, to get the mold killing and color removing properties that bleach provides, while having the added benefits of a product that contains the actual cleaning ability of surfactants and the added benefit of a clean citrus scent to help cover or reduce the smell of bleach, if you are using it with the product. "Citrus X-terior" is a great all on its own for cleaning vinyl siding, hardiplank, wood or brick facades.

For surfaces that need a stronger approach or that have known greasy dirt concerns you can use our “Mighty Max”, the 6% butyl, non caustic product we discussed earlier. We found it made no sense to add other names to or re-label the same product for every type of job it can do. There fore many of our products can multi task even if the job description is not in the product name like “house wash”. “Mighty Max” is great to use in a pump up sprayer to pre treat problem areas as well as being used as a general house wash. “Mighty Max Plus” since it has a higher amount of butyl 10% plus an added amount of sodium hydroxide it is great on removing those stubborn black streaks from gutters without brushing. But care must be made to not let the product sit to long or allowed to dry on painted surfaces or glass that it can etch, since it does contain sodium hydroxide.

Just about any of our other general all purpose cleaners like “Mighty-Green”, “Natures Green”, and “Rite Stuff” can also be used as a house wash and are recommended when customers or regulatory agencies require that a “Greener” product or method be used to clean.

There is a final product some of our customers do use for house washing but that we do not have label directions nor can recommend proper dilution rates for and that is “Brown Derby”. Even when greatly diluted the amount of sodium hydroxide can be a deterrent for using on painted wood surfaces and around glass. If you use it we can not offer advice or make any recommendation in regards to house washing. For this reason “Brown Derby” is not listed in our catalog section of house washing products.

With that said, sodium hydroxide is still a widely used method for roof cleaning and “Brown Derby” has and can be used for that. Care still must be made in keeping the rest of the house rinsed well with water including any glass during the roof cleaning process not to cause damage to other surfaces. But the Asphalt Shingle Manufactures of America recommends in their own technical bulletin that only professional bleach solutions should be used on their shingle products in which our “Citrus X-terior” can be used as recommended with bleach to clean roof shingles of black mold streaks caused by the algae Gloeocapsa Magma.

Lastly the product “Bio Barrier” that we have discussed at length in the past, was designed to be used after house and roof washing to retard the re-growth of mold. This product will add months if not years of continued good looks after a cleaning has been done. But it does require repeated treatments to extend the life of its benefits.

We hope these monthly posts are helpful and we look forward to next month and our next product group.
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Exterior Maintenance Cleaning Products for Concrete, Wood & Fabric

Posted by Linda Chambers on Thu, Apr 08, 2010 @ 11:38 AM

Each month we are featuring a group of our products to help our current and future customers learn what products we carry that they might not be aware of. Plus this gives information regarding the differences between some items as well. This month we will discuss products used for exterior maintenance cleaning.


For concrete flat work we have a basic “Concrete Cleaner” as well as degreasers like “Mighty-O” “Mighty-Max” and “Mighty Max Plus” these all contain butyl, a great grease cutter. The differences between these three mainly are the amount of butyl they contain, 3%, 6% or 10% respectively. We have a product called “Pro BRC” or Building Restoration Cleaner for brick and masonry to remove years of neglect, mold, mildew and dirt. It will restore mortar lines back to original or near original color with out using damaging high pressure that can loosen mortar joints. To remove rust stains from concrete, sometimes caused by certain mineral waters or irrigation thru metal water lines, we have “Concrete Rust Remover”. This is a powder that is mixed 4 lbs per 5 gallons of water for best results. We also carry some more environmentally friendly products when other products can not be used due to Home Owners Associations or other factors, like our “Natures Green APC” all purpose cleaner or “Mighty Green” which is in the same family as the well known Simple Green®. We also have a bio degradable Economy degreaser called “Rite Stuff” that contains an organic solvent if butyls are not allowed to be used.

For wood cleaning for decks and other wood structures we have the following:

“Deck Wash” for regular cleaning of most wood surfaces it can clean anything from cedar to pressure treated wood. Now if a softer approach is needed to clean, and in no way can contain any acid or harsh ingredients, then our “So Safe” can be used. This percolating product comes in a powder that is mixed just prior to use and only in the amount that is expected to be used, since it will loose its cleaning ability if left to sit. This is perfect when you just need to lift off a layer of dirt with out touching the stain, finish or the woods own character like with teak or a newly stained deck. Now if you are in need to remove an existing finish or stain then you will need one of our strippers. We have two; the first is just called “Deck Stripper” and can handle most normal single layer or worn stain jobs. But if multiple or thick layers of stain, sealer or varnish need to be removed then we have the product “Super Stripper” that will do the job. With either of these you will need to follow them up with a neutralizer to stop the chemical action and for that we have our “Wood Brightener”. This comes in a powder and is mixed 4 lbs to 5 gallons of water and can also be used alone to brighten a previously untreated wood surface. The last product we have in our exterior wood section is our Bio Barrier mold inhibitor product. This should be applied to a surface after it has been cleaned and is completely dry. This will prevent the re-growth of mold on wood in areas having known pre-existing problems. Bio Barrier does not kill mold, that is why the surface must first be clean and old mold removed, but once applied to a surface it should stay mold free for at least 6 months if not for a year or more. Length of time will depends on factors like amount of time area is in the shade, how much water or moisture it comes in contact with, how much air circulation is available to the area and if the surface is horizontal or vertical.

Next is a product for outdoor cloth or plastic fiber fabrics found on lawn furniture pads, umbrellas, awnings and fabric gazebos called “Carpet & Fabric Cleaner” this is a great multi use product. It is formulated with optical brighteners to give colored fibers deeper tone and better contrast. It will help restore color to fabrics that are faded by dirt and grime. It contains no harsh chemicals that will damage fibers and will help to extend the life of the outdoor fabrics use. Companies such as Sunbrella® suggest to only use mild detergents for heavy soiling or to remove molds and mildew by adding a small amount of bleach to the cleaning solution, hot water should NEVER be used on Sunbrella® fabric and may require some brushing to remove stubborn stains from between fibers. “Carpet & Fabric Cleaner” can be used in this recommended manner.

Tomorrow we will cover our products for house washing.
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Tags: exterior maintenance, exterior cleaners, Deck wash, building restoration cleaner, Carpet and Fabric Cleaner, Deck Stripper, Super Stripper, Concrete Cleaner

Commercial Kitchen Cleaners, not just for Hood Cleaning

Posted by Linda Chambers on Mon, Feb 15, 2010 @ 12:52 PM

Here at Soap Warehouse we have over 80 individual products in over 7 categories.

Many times business that buy from us get caught up in the one or two products they have used in the past, and do not look or know what many other items we have to offer.

In kitchen cleaners for example; we have the main stays for hood cleaning, with our “Hood Cleaner” and “Smoke House” but we have so much more to offer.

We have “Oven and Grill” a cleaner for flat cooking grills and for vertical surfaces inside ovens and standing ovens like chicken rotisseries. This product has a high viscosity, there fore it will cling to the upright surfaces longer, without added foamer, to allow for proper contact and better cleaning.

“Mighty-Green” is a user friendly degreaser that is not friendly to grease. Since this product is Non Abrasive, non-flammable, non corrosive, bio degradable and non toxic it is great to use in a kitchen setting. It can be diluted for light jobs like cleaning glass or mirrors up to full strength for really tough grease cleaning on tile and stainless steel, weather it is used on floors, walls or appliances.

“Natures Green” All Purpose Cleaner, is similar to Mighty-Green for cleaning, but it is also all natural for those wanting a true ‘Green’ approach to their cleaning. This degreaser can similarly be used from full strength to a dilution of 1:10 for almost any kitchen surface cleaning need.

“Ceramic Tile and Grout” is what you need to clean those ugly grease stained grout lines from black or dark brown to an almost like new lightness. Once used to get the area back to a fresh clean, maintenance is much easier using 8 oz per gallon of hot water to keep the floors grease free and squeaky clean. It will also clean stainless steel, chrome, and plastics found in most kitchen and bathroom applications.

Another place grease can be a big problem in a kitchen, is in the floor drains. Our “Drain Opener” is designed to dissolve and liquefy grease, hair and even paper that can be found in commercial kitchen and bathroom floor drains. This is not a 'use at home' product, but made only for commercial applications. All aluminum covers or strainers must be removed before application, so not to damage them, yet this is a non-acid product. If this product is too strong for your use our next product should work for you.

“Qwic Zyme” is a product that contains biological components that will break down food wastes, grease, hair and other organic matter found in kitchen and bathroom drains. Its biological action deprives odor causing bacteria of their food source, thus inhibiting their growth and ability to product obnoxious odors normally found in sinks and around floor drains. “Qwic Zyme” is safe to use in food disposals, septic tank systems and can be used inside and outdoors. The main things to remember when using this product is follow label directions and to use warm water to activate the enzymes first in order to work properly.

We also have quite a few USDS approved butyl degreasers that can be used around food processing equipment and storage areas to clean, coolers, floors, equipment housing, walls and counter tops: “Mighty-O”, Mighty Max” as well as “Mighty Max Plus”.

For current pricing information follow an above link or call us at 800-762-7911.
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Tags: Hood cleaner, Kitchen cleaner, exhaust cleaner, smoke house, Mighty Green, tile and grout, oven and grill cleaner

Happy New Year

Posted by Linda Chambers on Fri, Jan 01, 2010 @ 09:00 AM

Welcome to 2010. With one decade almost behind us already we have a lot to improve upon to end this first ten years in the positive and not the negative.

By now if you have been following along with us since 2008 we have informed you to get or upgrade your web site, improve your SEO, have great business cards, know how and where to advertise, and have introduced you to some of our great products.

This year we would like to hear from you to know what more you would like to learn? We will also explore some of our products in more detail each month, as well, depending on the time of year and when they are most often used.

For example, although we still have outside exterior maintenance cleaning going on in the Southeast and out in the Southwest, most of our customers are in the deep freeze of winter and either not working or have moved inside to other work such as commercial kitchen exhaust cleaning. Now for some this is an all year business but not for everyone. So my next blog will cover our Hood Cleaning products.

Others move to things like increased home carpet, air duct and window cleaning or inside car detailing. So in February and March we will cover products for that.

Once the spring starts to get here and we get back from Louisville KY and the Mid America Truck Show we will move into truck fleet wash products and then exterior home products for April and May.

Come June & July we will be in full swing of the outdoor cleaning season and will explore our car wash and deck products.

I plan in August to cover our new large laundry product line since by then we sould have many of the older Orenda customers on board by then.

September will bring us to heavy duty equipment products for the commercial contruction industry. By October we will discuss our aircraft cleaner Top Gun as well as 'Green Products' that we have or products we are converting over to being 'Green'.

November we will discuss our degreasers and how they differ as much as they seem they are the same. By December we will be running out of product lines so it will be on what ever we have missed or what will be new for 2011.

I hope these product line blogs will help you understand and choose the product that will work best for your own business applications and you will enjoy them along with the other informational blogs we will be posting.

Talk with you soon.
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Tags: exterior cleaners, Kitchen cleaner, laundry detergent, Blog

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