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U.S. House, 14 States, City of Chicago Proclaim Official Week of Cleaning

The U.S. House of Representatives, 14 states, and the City of Chicago all recently proclaimed an official “Cleaning Week” in conjunction with National Cleaning Week, March 27-April 2, 2022.

U.S. Representative Darin LaHood (R-IL-18) is introducing the National Cleaning Week resolution in the House today. “National Cleaning Week is an important opportunity to highlight the hard work of many essential workers over the past two years, who worked tirelessly to keep people safe,” said Representative LaHood. “As the business community adapted to challenges presented by the pandemic, we must continue to promote clean and safe environments at work, in schools, and at home. In Congress, I will continue to champion legislation that incentivizes a healthy workplace and strengthens small businesses.”

A total of 14 states—Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, and Virginia—all officially designated a week dedicated to the industry. On March 19, Governor Brad Little signed the Cleaning Week proclamation at the Museum of Clean in Pocatello, Idaho.

The Illinois proclamation notes that “The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stresses the importance of routine cleaning and disinfection to protect public health.”

In the Georgia proclamation, Governor Brian Kemp recognizes that “Manufactures and distributors have worked 24/7 to produce and deliver critical cleaning and hygiene products throughout the COVID-19 pandemic; and essential frontline cleaning professional have worked tirelessly to combat the spread of COVID-19 since the onset of this pandemic.”

According to the Kansas proclamation, “ISSA, the world’s leading trade association for the cleaning industry, found that routine cleaning and disinfection reduce the number of surfaces contaminated by viruses by 62% and thereby significantly reduce the rate of transmission of infectious diseases.”

Left to right: Museum of Clean Founder Don Aslett, Idaho Governor Brad Little, and ISSA Director of Government Affairs John Nothdurft at the Cleaning Week proclamation signing at the Museum of Clean in Pocatello, Idaho.

And the City of Chicago proclamation states, in part, that “During National Cleaning Week…industry professionals, officials, and residents will come together to foster and promote the importance of maintaining clean and sanitary conditions at work, in schools, and around the home.”

“ISSA thanks Representative Darin LaHood; Governors Greg Abbott, Mike DeWine, Larry Hogan, Kay Ivey, Laura Kelly, Brian Kemp, Brad Little, Henry McMaster, J.B. Pritzker, Tate Reeves, Phil Scott, Tim Walz, Tom Wolf, and Glenn Youngkin; as well as Mayor Lori Lightfoot for recognizing the value of clean with these Cleaning Week proclamations,” said ISSA Director of Government Affairs John Nothdurft. “As the height of the pandemic hopefully recedes, it’s important to recognize our frontline cleaning professionals, who’ve worked continuously to combat the spread of COVID-19. The pandemic has highlighted the importance of their work in keeping us healthy and safe moving forward.”

ISSA also thanks these eight individuals who assisted the association in successfully securing state Cleaning Week proclamations: Mike Anaya of Environmental Services & Laundry (Kansas proclamation), Heidi Avedician of ServiceMaster Commercial Cleaning by Legacy (Texas), Autumn Boos of Midwest Floating Island (Minnesota), Vicki Brown of Harmony Clean (Pennsylvania), Belinda Dawkins of Dawkins Office Supplies & Equipment (Mississippi), Jarelle Flibotte of Jolly Maids – Cleaning by JMF, Pete Glavas of Maid Brigade (Virginia), and Connor Waldron of JAN-PRO (Georgia and South Carolina). “Our advocates’ efforts helping ISSA successfully secure state proclamations were critical to the success of this campaign and ISSA’s National Cleaning Week celebration,” Nothdurft continued.

National Cleaning Week celebrates the value of clean and the important, positive impact that cleaning has on public health, the environment, and our economy. This designated week represents a unique opportunity to raise public awareness about the value of clean and show appreciation for cleaning professionals.

For more information about National Cleaning Week, please contact ISSA Government Affairs Manager Stacy Seiden.