An Example of Green Cleaning at Your Office

It is important that you understand what makes our company unique. A typical janitorial company will only clean for the appearance of the building. On the other hand, we follow the principles of Green Cleaning; our goal is to improve the environmental quality in your building. Simply put, we clean for your health rather than appearance alone.
An example can help illustrate Green Cleaning in action. A number of recent studies have found that the surfaces that workers touch most often (e.g. computers, phones, and computer mice) have four-hundred (400) times as many germs as restroom surfaces such as toilet seats. Gross! Most cleaning companies teach their employees not to touch the surface of a desk. Our Green Cleaning philosophy however, requires that we sanitize your mouse, desk, phone, keyboard, cords, knick-knacks, stapler, etc. It takes a bit longer to clean in this manner, but it is the only way to create a healthy working environment.

Focus vs. Technique

Green maintenance procedures are similar to traditional procedures. The difference is a matter of focus. The focus on improving, maintaining, safeguarding human health, and minimizing environmental impact through the use of environmentally preferred and reduce risk cleaning products assists in keeping this focus in perspective.

To maintain the focus of Green cleaning, the identification and removal of harmful contaminants must occur. The cleaning process will reduce exposure to these contaminants, however, the process of cleaning and cleaning products themselves can cause adverse health if not performed with a Green cleaning focus. The misuse of overly aggressive products, improper cleaning, and/or lack of a regular cleaning schedule all contribute to adverse health.

Instituting a Green cleaning focus is especially important for those who are very sensitive or may have a compromised immune system. Having knowledge of the building occupant’s sensitivities is essential for accommodating those individuals. On going product and procedure review is an essential facet of a Green cleaning program. In other instances, simply the time of day that cleaning is performed may need to be altered to accommodate some individuals and their sensitivities.

Training

When training our janitorial staff, they are addressed as “environmental managers” as opposed to just a cleaners. “Training in cleaning for health and safety empowers them to help produce cleaner, more healthful facilities at less cost, professionalizes the industry, and creates a powerful channel for solution rather than price-commodity drive sales…Training staff as environmental managers elevates the cleaning profession and value of related services and products.”

It is extremely important for our environmental managers to understand the reasons why we clean the way we do. For example,

• We use entrance mats because they keep dirt out of the building
  
• We vacuum entrance mats every day and change them weekly to keep them effective
  
• We use a disinfectant in restrooms because it kills germs
  
• We leave the disinfectant on for 10 minutes so it has enough time to kill germs
  
• We disinfect the areas that people touch most often to prevent the spread of germs

Green Cleaning Quick “Wins”:

• Switch to a Green Seal certified cleaner
  
• Clean hard floors with a high-quality backpack instead of dust mopping
  
• Add or upgrade entrance mats
  
• Switched to recycled paper
  
• Discontinue restroom deodorizers
  
• Switch to micro-fiber mops and dust cloths
  
• Implement effective methods of dilution control
  
• Add portable spot cleaners to facilities where spills on carpet are frequent (e.g. daycare)
  
• Change HVAC filters
  
• Implement a recycling program