Green cleaning is all about the environment — it results in better indoor air quality and can positively impact the overall health of building occupants. And while plenty of natural cleaning products are out there, green cleaning goes well beyond what you put in a spray bottle. Authentic green cleaning means taking a holistic approach — it’s about your natural cleaning products and equipment.
Here are a few things to consider when transitioning to green cleaning.
The act of cleaning is about removing dirt, grime, waste and particulates from an environment. Often, we tackle messes with some eye-burning liquid in a spray bottle. It’s time to switch up our thinking.
Just like food, the fewer the ingredients, the better the cleaner is for the environment. Green cleaning products tend to have the following characteristics:
Toxic cleaners are easy to identify if you know what to look for. Avoid cleaning products that have the following ingredients:
Replace commercial solvents that contain toxins with eco-friendly cleaning products to fully embrace using green products. And if you’re a green cleaning company, consider the material you use to apply your cleaners.
Microfiber cloths are a game-changer because they effectively clean dust, dirt and grime. Microfiber is also bacteria-resistant because it dries fast and outlasts other materials. Studies show that microfiber mopping uses less water and chemicals and reduces bacteria by 99% compared to cotton mopping.
Cleaning hard surfaces like countertops or tile floors is only part of the green cleaning equation. It’s critical to use vacuums that capture and contain dust and debris.
Harvard Maintenance is one of the U.S.’s largest and fastest-growing facility maintenance and management providers in the U.S. They use products with ergonomic, durable designs that clean quickly, including ProTeam® backpack vacuums.
“Wellness is why we clean,” said Jason Lee, Director of Sustainability and Process Optimization at Harvard Maintenance. “We clean a building without harming the environment, our employees, or the building occupants. It’s more than product selection; it’s the processes, the technology, and the equipment.”
Harvard does a periodic indoor environmental quality test by an outside party to double-check their commitment to occupant wellness. Using ProTeam is one of many eco-friendly cleaning decisions they have made.
Even the smallest particles in a building’s indoor air can have a huge impact on the health and well-being of its occupants. Unless these particles are removed, they can trigger asthma and allergies. ProTeam’s unique method of suction-vacuuming cleans carpets, hard floors and other surfaces without stirring up dust. Combined with ProLevel Filtration®, microscopic dust passes through four levels of filtration, each level designed to sift out smaller and smaller particles.
As a leader in Cleaning for Health, ProTeam commercial-grade tools empower green cleaning to ensure a building provides a healthy environment. For more information on eco-friendly cleaning and the complete ProTeam lineup, visit https://proteam.emerson.com/en-us/products.
