How Safe Is Your Floor Cleaner?

Southlake, TX, Aug. 26--Many household cleaning products leave floors more slippery than they were before cleaning, the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI) reported this week. NFSI released results of a study that showed ten out of 19 of the best selling household floor cleaners on the market tested made floors more slippery. "What we found was shocking. Many of the household floor cleaners actually contribute to the floor's slippery condition. Over half of the products left a slippery residue after only one application," said Russell Kendzior, founder and executive director of NFSI. The average product reduced the floor's slip-resistance (amount of traction) by 10%. After a month's worth of applications, 13 out of 19 products left a slippery residue, with an average decrease in slip-resistance of 18%. Change in Slip Resistance Household Floor Cleaner Single 1-Month Application Application Armstrong Floor Cleaner -1% 1% Brite(R) 1-Step Floor Shine Cleaner 1% -4% Clorox Clean-Up(R) -14% -4% Clorox(R) Ready Mop 1% -5% Clorox(R) Wet Pre-Moistened Floor Wipes 0% 0% Lysol(R) All Purpose Cleaner -43% -44% Lysol(R) One Step(TM) Floor Cleaner -36% -38% Lysol(R) Wet Floor Cloths -25% -9% Mop & Glo(R) Triple Action Floor Shine Cleaner 1% 0% Mr. Clean(R) Ultimate Orange Multi-Purpose Cleaner -27% -33% Murphy(R) Oil Soap Just Squirt & Mop 0% -59% Murphy(R) Oil Soap Wood Floor Cleaner 0% -54% Parsons'(R) Lemon Ammonia All Purpose Cleaner -2% 0% Pine Sol(R) Cleaner 1% 0% Pledge(R) Grab It(TM) Wet Floor Wipes 1% 0% Pledge(R) Orange Wood Floor Cleaner 1% -11% Spic and Span(R) -12% -35% Swiffer Wet(TM) Disposable Cloths -25% -20% Xtra-Pine(R) -5% -20% "Most of the products tested contained a strong fragrance. It was like putting perfume on the floor. Although they made the room smell good, such fragrances are most likely the culprit behind the slippery film," Kendzior added. According to industry data, each year, more than one million people seek emergency room treatment for an accidental slip-and-fall. Most of these take place in the home. Slips-and-falls are the leading cause of accidental death for people over the age of 75 and is estimated to cost society more than $60 billion annually. For more information on NFSI, please visit www.nfsi.org. NFSI is a not-for-profit education and research firm based in Southlake, TX.