Clean Source, The Official Journal of the Cleaning Lady and the Rocket Scientist

Volume XXII, Issue 3 - July 2025

Unexpected process problems? Give us a call; we can help.

"Love the look of your newsletter. You two still rock the world of clean. No one else has the expertise like you do!!!”

Catherine McGoohan Landsberg

Feature Article

The Great Unknown and Critical Cleaning

Barbara Kanegsberg and Ed Kanegsberg, BFK Solutions

Change is inevitable. Frequently change is good. It’s progress. But changes, even good changes, don’t always get communicated down the supply chain. Unknown, unexpected changes can cause problems for critical cleaning and surface prep. Here are some practical ideas to recognize change, to avoid detrimental changes, to troubleshoot quickly, and to respond to unforeseen change.

Cleaning problems seem to occur at the most inopportune moment. Consider the case of the gooey pie crust. When Barbara was about 4 years old, her Aunt Vera taught her to make pie crust. It was simple – flour, a little water, and an iconic veggie shortening introduced in the early 1900s. If you followed the recipe –the ingredients and process, you ended up with pie dough that was easy to roll out, baked to a golden brown, and tasted great. It was sort of like play dough that turned into dessert.

Until that fateful, very large dinner party, half a century later.

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KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

Residue on Medical Devices – an Essential ASTM Workshop

Speaking of the unknown, unacceptable residue on medical devices can mean product failure, and failure is not an option for medical devices. Learn the latest developments in assuring the reliability of cleaning processes. There are 14 excellent presentations covering cleaning agents, cleaning techniques, analytical approaches, and tools to determine when trouble might be brewing. Co-chairs Alpa Patel and Kaumudi Kulkarni, and Barb Kanegsberg urge you to attend this crucial one-day, in person workshop. ASTM “Workshop on Assessing Characteristics of Cleaning Agents Intended to Clean Medical Devices” is on November Atlanta GA.

Access the technical program

BFK Solutions at AAC

The Cleaning Lady and Rocket Scientist are proud to announce that they will present “Fundamentals of Cleaning Aluminum Extrusions for Anodizing” at the Aluminum Anodizers Council's 34th International Anodizing Conference & Expo Sept. 16-18, 2025 in Atlanta. Barb and Ed Kanegsberg will discuss aqueous and non-aqueous methods for removing residue from complex aluminum surfaces. If you are an anodizer or provide parts to anodizers or have a job shop, come to AAC. Let’s talk! We’ll discuss how to achieve effective cleaning processes that effectively access and dislodge soils, are economical, do not harm people or the environment and do not damage the product itself.

Details and registration

Switching Solvents: A real-world PQCW webinar

The Product Quality Cleaning Workshops (PQCW) webinar July 22, featuring John Clark of E&J Parts Cleaning, was a success story presented by an actual manufacturer (gasp!)! John moved from TCE to a hydrocarbon/modified alcohol blend. This was no sales talk. John gave a candid description of the problems he overcame. The bottom line: he’d do it again. In fact, he’s converting a second facility to use the new process. There were dozens of great questions – and useful answers. Thanks to SAFECHEM for sponsoring this non-commercial workshop and to Michael Onken for his clear summary of the technique. Improve your cleaning process!

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BFK Solutions. – independent consultants and practical educators

Our decades of experience help you make productive decisions about your cleaning processes, your manufacturing processes, your business. Contact Ed and Barbara Kanegsberg with concerns about cleaning, surface quality, regulatory issues - we’ll get back to you and discuss your cleaning issue, whether or not we do a project together! Suggest a topic – we may write about it!