When done right, sustainability reduces waste, decreases energy and water use, improves human health and increases profits — especially for commercial cleaning companies. Using eco-friendly products is an excellent place to start if you're committed to sustainability.
“Some widely used cleaning products have serious adverse effects on the health of building occupants and janitors,” notes a University of Connecticut study on Green Cleaning. “Both long-term and short-term health effects are linked commonly to poor air quality as a result of cleaning product fumes.”
This alone is a good reason to switch to sustainable cleaning products.
Green or eco-friendly cleaning products are low in toxicity or volatile organic compounds and highly biodegradable. Avoid toxic chemicals when choosing sustainable cleaning products, and select products with organic ingredients.
Look for third-party seals of approval to find trusted, sustainable cleaning products. These include:
Small things can make a big difference in sustainability. Replacing cotton with microfiber removes more bacteria and microbes. Doing so also improves the cleaning process by eliminating the need to wring a heavy cotton mop.
Backpack vacuums with HEPA filtration and advanced suction are another sustainable cleaning solution.
HEPA air filters in vacuums remove at least 99.97% of dust, pollen, mold, bacteria and airborne particles. This improves Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) every time the area is vacuumed.
These vacuums can also clean up to five times faster than uprights increasing productivity and positively impacting sustainability. Ultimately, less noise pollution and more time to spend on other tasks.
“The difference between sustainability and ‘green cleaning’ is people,” CMM reported. “Sustainability involves social responsibility and specifically addresses issues like wages, benefits, training, non-discrimination and legal hiring and work practices.”
Sustainable cleaning considers worker safety and overall environmental impact. For example, there are typically fewer trips to the janitorial closet when we use less water and fewer toxic chemicals. Meaning this practice saves waterways from chemical exposure. And when we use microfiber mops instead of cotton, they’re far less heavy for workers to wring out and last longer.
Focus on sustainable cleaning directly benefits employees. They experience greater job satisfaction and companies have reduced turnover. This reduces the costs of hiring and training.
Sustainability means real money. ISSA’s Distributor, Efficiency, Analytics & Learning (DEAL) program has documented more than $1.5 million in savings. Even the smallest organizations reported tens of thousands of dollars in annual savings with minimal investments.
The first step toward sustainability is efficiency. Start by gradually phasing out less sustainable options and replace them with affordable processes and product replacements.
Learn how the ProTeam® line of backpack vacuums can help you reach your sustainability goals.
