Free Postage on Moss Buster throughout Autumn!

Autumn is upon us and with all this dark, damp weather on the horizon we're expecting a major moss outbreak any week now. Treating your surfaces now is the best way to stop it taking hold during the rainy season; hopefully keeping your surfaces moss free all the way to next summer.

That's why Artemis are offering free postage on all orders of Moss Buster: Moss & Algae Remover and inhibitor products over 10 litres. That includes all volume combinations i.e. 2 x 5 litres is eligible for free postage!

This offer is applies to UK mainland postage only; Shipping to Ireland and UK Islands still costs extra I'm afraid. The offer is only open until November 1st 2013 so stock up today!

Moss buster can be found at www.artemisproducts.co.uk/mossbuster.html 

Caustic Soda (Sodium Hydroxide) Uses and Precautions

Over the last week we've seen a fantastic spike in the popularity of our caustic soda pearl. Also know as sodium hydroxide or lye, this product is one of the most versatile cleaning products available and is a common weapon in many commercial cleaners arsenal. It is however very dangerous and should be handled with care. In this blog entry I'll get some of the safety concerns out of the way then proceed to tell you some of the ways caustic soda, when used with care, can offer a solution to all kinds of cleaning tasks.

The dangers of caustic soda

Before we go any further it's best to stress the dangers of sodium hydroxide. The product is a powerful alkali which is extremely corrosive. Contact with eyes, skin, dust inhalation or ingestion will cause severe burns (ever seen Fight Club?), deep ulceration and subsequent scarring. Always use sufficient protective clothing when handling and using the product. 

Caustic soda also reacts badly with aluminium and zinc and can react violently with acids and chlorinated hydrocarbons. Do not mix with bleach! 

For more information make sure to download a copy of our safety data sheet 

The uses and Benefits of Caustic soda

Now we've got the safety concerns out of the way we can concentrate on what makes this product so useful. 

As a caustic cleaner: Caustic soda is commonly added to water to create a caustic solution. This is extremely effective for cleaning process equipment. This is especially true in the food and drink manufacturing and catering industries where ensuring 100% clean and infection free equipment is essential for health and safety reasons. 

As a De-greaser: Lye is a powerful de-greaser making it ideal for cleaning stainless steal and glass bake ware. It's also a fantastic cleaner for greasy storage tanks. Sodium hydroxide is also the primary ingredient in our oven cleaner gel. 

Drain Cleaner: One of caustic soda's most common and traditional domestic uses is as a powerful drain cleaner. The sodium hydroxide converts the grease clogging the drain into soap (again, a la Fight Club). Soap is water soluble so the clog should flush straight out in a matter of minutes. The chemical also quickly decomposes complex molecules such as the proteins found in hair another common cause of clogged drains! 

    

So there you have it. Caustic soda is a very versatile cleaning agent with a range of uses. It is very powerful making it appropriate for even the toughest tasks list heavy duty de-greasing and oven cleaning. With that comes the danger however so consult the safety datasheet and make sure you've taken the appropriate precautions.   

If you would like to place an order for caustic soda you can click here or give us a call on 0800 074 1031.

Common household germs and how to avoid them.

How safe is your home from common household germs?

Here at Artemis we carry a whole range of powerful disinfectants to eliminate germs. We use germs as a general term for any nasty virus, fungus or bacteria that can cause us to become ill. Some are worse than others but almost all are preventable by keeping a strict cleaning and hygiene regime. Below we’ll be listing some of the worst culprits as listed by the NHS. We’ll also help you keep your family safe by showing which of our products can be used to tackle the spread of these germs.

MRSA

Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (or MRSA for short) is an antibiotic resistant bacterium which can be very difficult to treat and causes a whole host of painful symptoms. It can spread from person to person through body fluids or by touch and can eventually make you susceptible to serious conditions such as pneumonia. Prevent it spreading in your home with regular hand washing. When it comes to killing germs on the skin you can’t beat an Alcohol hand sanitizer. For something more pleasant for topping up you bathroom or kitchen pump bottle you can also try our antibacterial pearlised hand soap.  

E. Coli 0157

Common E. Coli can normally be found in the gut of all healthy human beings. This strain however is far more dangerous causing severe intestinal illness. It can be avoided by making sure you toilets, eating and food preparation areas are kept thoroughly clean and germ free. Treat them regularly with a powerful surface disinfectant such as our Pine QAP 30 disinfectant.

Norovirus

The winter vomiting bug, as it’s more commonly known, is the most common cause of infectious gastroenteritis in England. It’s a highly contagious virus which can affect people of all ages causing vomiting and diarrhea. Much like the common cold it lacks any specific cure so it’s best to avoid it all together. Once again regular hand washing with either an alcohol sanitiser or bactericidal soap should greatly reduce the risk of infection.

Clostridium Difficile

C. Diff is a bacterium which exists in the guts of less than 5% of healthy adults. Most of those affected are not under threat due to the balance of good bacteria in the gut. For those that do experience symptoms these can range from mild diarrhea, bloating and abdominal pain to very severe inflammation of the colon. In rare cases it can be life threatening. This is another infection which should be avoided and this can be down easily enough with regular hand washing especially after going to the bathroom. Make sure you have either our alcohol sanitiser or bactericidal soap to hand.

So there you have it: some of the most common causes of severe illness in the household. All are bad, infectious and entirely preventable with the right application of surface cleaning, food area hygiene and regular hand washing. See our website for solutions to all three!

Moss Buster: Moss & Algae Remover

Featuring our Best Selling Moss Removal Solution!

Starting off our new blog with a feature for our best selling product: Moss Buster: Moss & Algae Remover.

Moss is a common problem for gardeners world over but this is especially true in the United Kingdom where long the wet autumn season can encourage rapid growth. Moss loves dark and damp weather which seems to be our specialty here in the UK. Our customers come to us for a reliable removal solution which can prevent moss regrowth in these conditions.

Moss gets just about everywhere. 

Moss can grow on practically any surface. Moss spores can easily latch on to stone, brick, slabs, roof tiles and wooden decking and garden furniture. It can also play havoc on sports fields such as tennis courts where it creates a dangerous slippy surface. This creates an unsightly green/brown layer can leave tough to remove stains and even cause damage under the right (read "wrong"!) conditions.

Another problem area which our customers often comment on is tarmac. Tarmac presents a particular challenge because many moss killing products on the market can cause it to lose colour (usually due to large amounts of bleach in the formula) Moss Buster: Moss & Algae Remover from Artemis contains no bleach or acid so this eliminates the problem. 

So what is Moss Buster?

Our moss buster is a powerful blend of fungicides specifically designed to destroy moss leaves, roots and spores. It removes the moss and leaves the surface inhospitable to future growth for anything up to 12 months. 

The formula is safe for use on any and all hard surfaces including tarmac, tennis courts, all types of roof, brick, concrete and wood (decking garden furniture etc). It is strong enough for use on moss and algae of all thicknesses and safe enough than it can be used in areas where children and pets play. 

Moss buster gets to work fast. Within 24 - 48 hours of application moss and algae on the treated area will brown, die and become brittle allowing it to be easily removed by weather and the passage of time or more directly with a stiff brush. 

Moss buster is a concentrate which can be diluted with water at a rate of 1:4. each 5 litre container covers roughly 87.5m² at these rates you can treat a standard sized private tennis court for roughly 30 Litres of Moss Buster.

How to I apply it?

Application is simple. The formula mixes with water at a rate of 1:4 for heavy to regular growth and up to 1:9 for lighter growth. You then apply this to the effected area using a watering can, nap sack sprayer etc. Job done! within 48 hours the moss will be dead and you can either leave it to biodegrade or scrub it off with a brush. 

Sounds good! how do I buy?  

Moss buster is available from www.artemisproducts.co.uk  or for order over the phone by calling us on 0800 074 1031. We supply next day to anywhere in the UK and within 2-3 days to Northern Ireland, Channel Islands, Northern Isles etc. Moss buster is available as a 5 litre, 10 litre or 20 litre. Have more questions? check out our Moss Buster FAQ page.

Moss may cause an unsightly mess. With just a little work and the right formula it can be completely removed with no mess or fuss. Contact us today for more information.