Green Cleaning

What is GREEN CLEANING?

Cleaning is one of our most important daily activities. And, it’s one of America’s largest industries. Billions of pounds of cleaning products, plastic and paper disposables are used to clean commercial buildings. Almost four million people work as custodians in those buildings and tens of millions work in or visit commercial buildings every day.

Yet, despite the billions of dollars we spend on cleaning, some problems persist: indoor air pollution can be much higher than outdoor air pollution; about 10% of workers file an injury claim every year; allergies and chemical sensitivities are on the rise. Green cleaning is one element of a comprehensive approach to addressing these and other building operations and maintenance issues.

Green cleaning seeks to provide additional protection for the health of custodians, building occupants, and visitors, as well as reduce the overall impact on the environment.
A green building operations and maintenance program follows an integrated approach. It goes beyond the “appearance” of a building and into the realm of health and environmental impacts. And, not surprisingly, it can result in a more productive – not just healthier – workplace.

To achieve all the benefits that can accrue to a green cleaning program – worker productivity, reduced absenteeism and injury claims, and a better overall workplace morale – building owners and managers are integrating several key elements:*

1. Use high-performing, yet less toxic products.
2. Use equipment that reduces airborne contaminants.
3. Modify cleaning and maintenance procedures (see reference below).
4. Provide comprehensive and ongoing worker training.

* A comprehensive description of a fully integrated green cleaning program can be found in
The Pennsylvania Green Building Operations and Maintenance Manual. View it at http://www.dgs.state.pa.us/dgs/lib/dgs/green_bldg/greenbuildingbook.pdf

Today, green cleaning is no longer being driven by environmental groups. It is being driven by industry along the whole supply chain: from suppliers of raw ingredients to manufacturers to distributors to end users. All have found that it's not only good for the environment, it’s good for business as well!

Who is GREEN CLEANING?

FOCUS on these potential new customers

Governments are going green.
Many governments require that government buildings be "green-cleaned."

School districts are going green.
A growing number of school districts in the nations are going green.

Building owners are going green.
Industry predictions suggest that more than 25% of new building construction will be "green" certified in the next 10 to 15 years.

Hospitals are going green.
Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) now represents more than 7,000 facilities including 1,400 hospitals, 4,100 clinics, 1,000 nursing homes and 1,000 other types of facilities. More than 40 states have promotion and recruiting initiatives to spur the growth of H2E.

Hotels are going green.
Virtually all hotel chains, large and small, have purchased educational and informational materials from the Green Hotel Association (GHA) to promote environmental responsibility in their facilities.

Restaurants are going green.
Did you know there are more than 1,000 members of the Chefs Collaborative whose mission includes conservation practices that lessen … impact on the environment.