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Green Cleaning:
Health First, Appearance Second
It is said that people spend more than 90 percent of their time indoors. Much of that time, for many of us, is spent in an office environment. The quality of that indoor office environment has a dramatic impact on our health and well-being. How buildings are cleaned and maintained has a dramatic impact on the environment as a whole. What can building-owners and facility managers do to make the office environment more productive and employees more healthy and happy and thereby retain and attract tenants?
Everybody throws around the term "green" these days, but no one seems to have a definition for it, especially as it relates to Green Cleaning. Certainly the concept of "green" has a broad meaning and the standards are changing. One thing is for sure, a business is green if it has adapted its practices for the use of renewable resources and holds itself accountable for the environmental impacts of its activities. Once the corporate culture has truly adopted this way of thinking, green cleaning can play an important role. The easy way to think about green is to remember the three "R"s:
Green cleaning is about cleaning for health first, appearance second. This is accomplished by improving indoor air quality and reducing exposure to harmful chemicals, allergens, and contaminants. Such chemicals frequently contain agents associated with cancer, respiratory ailments, eye or skin irritation, and other health conditions. It used to be that Green Cleaning meant cleaning with more expensive, less effective products. Not any more! Science and technology have caught up. Today, green products are cost AND performance effective. There are no good reasons NOT to use some of the latest green cleaning products, even if you don't have a specific green cleaning program. You are cleaning anyway; why not clean with safer, healthier products that are just as effective as the old stuff? In a Green environment cleaning products should have certain characteristics:
- Biodegradability
- Low or no Dyes and Fragrances
- Low or no VOC’s (volatile organic compounds)
Green cleaning, however, is more than switching a few products; it's about effective cleaning to create healthier buildings and at the same time reduce environmental impacts. A Green Cleaning program should at least include the following:
- Micro fiber dust cloths and mops. More effective at removing dust and allows the worker to use less chemical.
- Green Seal certified chemicals. Green Seal is an independent, non-profit organization that tests and promotes products and services that cause less toxic pollution and waste. Green Seal is the standard for green cleaning products and is recognized by the Federal Government for as such.
- Vacuums with HEPA filters. These vacuums actually clean the air while they clean the floor!
- Green Paper Products (recycled with post-consumer content). You can find many very good products with a large amount of recycled content.
- Entryway Matting. An important part of Green Cleaning is to stop dirt at the door!
The health of the building and its occupants is only the beginning. Some of the other benefits of going Green are:
- Occupant productivity increases
- Energy and water costs are reduced
- TENANT COMPLAINTS DROP (great news to the facility manager!)
- Turnover within the cleaning staff drops, saving recruiting and rehiring cost and helping maintain the consistency of the quality
- Paper consumption goes way down
- Damage to restroom fixtures is dramatically reduced as corrosive chemicals are eliminated
- The life cycle of surfaces such as carpet, tile, wall, and fixtures are extended
Whether you are a building owner concerned about attracting and retaining good tenants, a facility manager concerned with cleaning beyond just appearance, or a just trying to be an environmentally conscious citizen, Green Cleaning is something you SHOULD care about.
Written by
Ron J. Moore
Vice President, RBM Building Services, Inc.
801-373-2424
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