Green cleaning and sustainable practices towards environmental management and maintenance is a movement to be accepted among reputable cleaning companies who wish to provide a quality cleaning service, while maintaining respect for the protection of the health and wellbeing of their clients and staff. Moreover, green cleaning also makes efforts to protect and respect the natural environment.
While the most direct benefits – the health of both people and the environment – are easy to spot, there are some less-obvious, indirect benefits from green cleaning for health, which are just as attractive. These include the fact that green cleaning makes cleaning professionals much more attractive to many different businesses, organizations, and individuals, who may be seeking a greener alternative to the traditional, more “toxic” cleaning solution. No other cleaning program within the industry is as healthy and environmentally responsible as green cleaning for health.
However, green cleaning is not what you may think it is, as all products contain or use compounds and chemicals. If anyone tells you differently, they are not being honest with you. Green cleaning does carry some responsibility with the name. It isn’t just a matter of saying that you respect the environment. Such a cleaning program involves an entire system, based upon – but certainly not limited to – the use of green cleaning products.
"No other cleaning program within the industry is as healthy and environmentally responsible as green cleaning for health."
In addition to environmentally friendly cleaning products, other actions that are taken by green cleaning for health providers include:
Using an environmentally friendly cleaning system that considers how frequently the floors are vacuumed, swept, mopped, buffed, and refinished. It also takes into consideration the chemicals and the equipment used for such processes. Furthermore, it looks at the frequency of carpet extraction.
Utilizing a matting system – as much as 90% of all of the dust and dirt that gets into any given building is a result of what is tracked in through the door. Therefore, to reduce the amount “large scale” cleaning to be done, a system of mats in the entryways, which are cleaned and vacuumed regularly, presents a much greener alternative.
Green product use – use products only evaluated by the Green Seal or Canada’s comparable Environmental Choice Program”.
Utilize cleaning equipment that is technologically advanced – this includes true-HEPA vacuum cleaners, and other such devices, so that impurities are not capable of being sucked into the cleaning device, and then blown out, becoming airborne. Any extractors should be certain to heat the cleaning solution to a minimum of 200ºF, in order to improved the drying time and the efficacy of the cleaning. Any cleaning equipment for hard floors should involve a dust control, or a vacuum system which provides “passive” suction in order to capture any airborne particles that may be swirled up as the machine operates.
Involvement and education – a truly effective green cleaning for health program shouldn’t just involve the cleaning staff, but should include everyone using the building. This means that everyone using the facility should know why green cleaning products are being used, and the importance of the green cleaning practices that are being utilized in order to protect their health.