Green Cleaning: Cleaning With Water

This article was originally published in American School & University.

The green cleaning movement has accomplished a lot over the past 20 years. This is especially true relative to the chemicals used for cleaning schools and universities. Today, third-party certifications from Green Seal, EcoLogo/UL and U.S. EPA’s Design for the Environment Program have made it easy to identify high-performing and cost-competitive “green” cleaning chemicals.

Schools and universities have significantly reduced the use of oldfashioned “butyl,” ammoniated and chlorinated cleaners. Gone are the petroleum distillate and chlorinated solvent-based degreasers. Gone are the detergents and antibacterial agents that mimic hormones or, like formaldehyde, are known to cause cancer. Reducing the use of cleaning products based on these ingredients have reduced the risk of harm to cleaning personnel, as well as students and staff.

In addition, schools and universities have replaced aerosols and ready-to-use products with concentrates that can be diluted accurately on site, which have reduced the number of plastic bottles, metal cans and cardboard shipping cartons, and the environmental impacts associated with the manufacture, disposal and recycling of these packaging components.

So what’s next?

Thanks to the success of the green cleaning movement and the maturation of demand for greener products, manufacturers have invested heavily into greener technologies. In addition to chemical manufacturers, equipment manufacturers also have entered the market, as well as manufacturers from other industries such as food processing, water and waste treatment.

Among the most interesting new technologies are devices that electrolyze, ionize, ozonate or super-heat (steam) water, creating an effective cleaning solution. Some have product solutions that are effective as sanitizers and disinfectants.

Although current technologies appear to be limited at this time for cleaning light and medium soils found in daily cleaning requirements, it is predicted that it won’t be long before the technologies can be used on an even greater number of soils. Plus, the rapid advancement of these technologies and the competition among manufacturers have resulted in the cost of these devices falling rapidly.

The major benefit of these devices appears to be less focused on reducing the risk of harm to worker and occupant health; rather, the main benefit appears to be the reduced impacts on the environment.

A large university or school district can eliminate hundreds, if not thousands of plastic bottles and metal cans. These packaging items are relatively easy to recycle, but new technologies significantly reduce the environmental impacts from extracting the petroleum or natural gas used to make the plastic bottles and mining used to make metal cans. The devices significantly reduce the energy, water and waste from the manufacturers who turn the raw materials into basic ingredients, along with those who turn the ingredients into a properly formulated cleaning product.

Collectively, schools and universities along with other institutional and commercial buildings could eliminate an estimated 25 to 50 million plastic bottles, pails and drums; metal cans and cardboard shipping cartons.

It appears clear that this is the future for cleaning chemicals. Both the Healthy Schools Campaign in its Quick & Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools and the U.S. Green Building Council in its LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (LEED-EBOM) recognize the benefits of these new devices.

Thus in 2014, schools and universities are encouraged to test these devices. Keep in mind that there are a number of technologies to explore, and it is important to find ones that work most efficiently with current cleaning procedures. In the end, they will help maintain a clean, safe and healthful building while reducing impacts on the environment and saving money.

Seeking Higher Green Cleaning Standards In The Professional Cleaning Industry

This article was originally published in Cleaning Maintenance & Management.

Those in the professional cleaning industry often hear from clients that their facilities “look even better” after making the switch to a green cleaning program. While customers may attribute this improvement to using green cleaning chemicals, janitorial service providers believe there’s something else going on. The detailed training protocol that is a part of a comprehensive green cleaning program often results in cleaning staff learning new and more effective ways to perform tasks, leading to a cleaner, healthier facility overall.

This outcome demonstrates an idea that green cleaning advocates have been promoting for years: green cleaning means much more than just the use of environmentally preferable products; it involves proper green cleaning equipment, processes and procedures, communication and training as well.

In keeping with this view, Green Seal, a leading not-for-profit certification organization, has developed an industry standard for commercial and institutional cleaning services. Green Seal designed this standard (GS-42) with the goal of protecting the health of janitorial workers, building occupants and the environment. Service providers certified to the standard, including private cleaning companies and in-house custodial workers, have met specific, rigorous and science-based criteria that ensure cleaning excellence. In addition, GS-42 calls for stringent oversight of cleaning operations after workers have completed the appropriate training.

The standard mandates follow-up visits by Green Seal, ensuring workers are continuing to perform the correct green cleaning procedures and processes as required by the standard. In many ways, this operations review is similar to the periodic audits Green Seal performs to confirm that, for example, manufacturers continue to produce their green cleaning chemicals adhering to the criteria that originally earned the products their certification. Along with detailing a very comprehensive training program, GS-42 also specifies that, to maintain compliance, certified professionals use only environmentally-preferable cleaning products.

Other requirements of the standard include, but are not limited to, the following.

Standard Operating Procedures: All cleaning service providers must develop and maintain a set of written guidelines that govern all cleaning processes, chemical handling and tracking requirements, equipment maintenance, operational procedures and reporting and recordkeeping practices.

Building-Specific Green Cleaning Plans: Cleaning service providers must create building-specific green cleaning plans that comprehensively describe the methods by which they will effectively clean a facility, while also protecting human health and the environment.

Floorcare Procedures: Cleaning service providers must develop and implement a floor maintenance plan consistent with manufacturers’ maintenance recommendations. This plan should extend the life of flooring through routine, periodic and restorative cleaning, with the goal of minimizing floor refinishing cycles, as refinishing is often the most environmentally harmful floorcare task.

Approved Equipment Selection: Vacuum cleaners and carpet extraction equipment must meet the minimum approval standards of the Carpet and Rug Institute’s Seal of Approval program.

Training Considerations: All cleaning workers must receive “best practices” training regarding the proper handling of chemicals, the proper use and maintenance of capital equipment and proper cleaning procedures.

Not only does this training help protect the health of the cleaning worker, but following green cleaning practices can also result in a significant reduction of indoor air pollutants when compared to using conventional cleaning processes. Because the professional cleaning industry tends to have high employee turnover, the standard recognizes the importance of and requires the training on proper cleaning procedures for all new workers.

This training should include teaching the proper sequencing of cleaning steps and the proper use of personal protective equipment. To comply with the standard, employers must provide this training before a new employee can begin work.

Read the full article here to learn more.

Green Flooring Initiatives On The Rise

This article was originally published in Plant Services.

A variety of health and safety standards, environmental regulations and federal programs are influencing development of new floor care products. Among the goals of the “green” flooring initiatives are minimizing toxic ingredients, chemical releases and frequency of stripping and recoating. Further benefits derive from conserving water and energy, preventing pollution and reducing waste.

Voluntary Guidelines
Green Seal is a non-profit organization that awards its seal of approval to manufacturers whose products meet specific rigorous standards, and encourages organizations to become environmentally sensitive purchasers. The Green Seal Environmental Standard for Floor Care Products addresses floor finish and stripper products. For example, Green Seal considers a floor finish stripper to be “green” only if the concentration of volatile organic compounds is 6% or less–significantly less than 15% to 30% found in traditional floor finish strippers.

Federal Initiatives
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is partnering with industry to improve human and environmental health through its Design for the Environment (DfE) program. Under the DfE Formulator Program, the EPA teaches formulators how their chemicals and byproducts affect the environment, and how to design safer, more environmentally friendly products that have comparable performance.

Products bearing the DfE logo contain only ingredients that pose the least concern among alternative chemicals in their class. For example, DfE-recognized products that contain a surfactant will readily biodegrade to non-polluting byproducts. DfE partnerships are formalized in a voluntary memorandum of understanding.