Products Impacting the Cleaning Industry 

Manufacturers in the cleaning industry are constantly evaluating products and equipment, looking for ways to improve, grow, and evolve with the changing times. Facility demands, staffing struggles and safety regulations are forcing innovation at a rapid pace and products and equipment are advancing as industry needs evolve.  

For example, new chemicals are being created to streamline cleaning/disinfecting processes and combat emerging viruses. Equipment is evolving and embracing new technologies to improve efficiency. There’s also a growing focus on green and sustainable initiatives to reduce cleaning’s impact on the environment. 

It's a lot for building service contractors to keep on top of, which is why many lean on their distribution partners for product suggestions. To help streamline these recommendations, Sanitary Maintenance magazine (sister publication to Contracting Profits) reached out to distributors across the country for insight into those products that are making the biggest impact on the cleaning industry. For the 11th consecutive year, those readers voted through an online ballot, whittling down the best products before winners of the 2024 Distributor Choice Award were finally identified.  

Again this year, products were divided into four main product categories: Chemicals; Cleaning Tools; Equipment and Accessories; and Restroom Dispensers, Fixtures and Consumables. Two additional categories — Health and Wellness, and Technology and Innovation — were also featured to identify products that promote healthy environments, and products that showcase the future of the industry. 

For each of the six categories, distributors ranked their choices for whatever reason they decided: bestselling, most preferred, most recommended, most innovative, etc. Voting was at an all-time high, making for a tight competition, but the three highest vote getters were deemed the winners in each category. Because of the resounding feedback from the industry, it also made sense to recognize two honorable mentions in each category this time around.  

Click here for the winners and honorable mentions of the 2024 Distributor Choice Award program.