Green cleaning has become increasingly more important in recent years. Organizations ranging from facility management companies to commercial cleaning services are stressing the idea of taking cleaning programs green. But what does that actually mean? More importantly, what does green cleaning entail?
Perhaps you are reading this post because you have your own questions about green cleaning. The unfortunate truth is that you will not always get the same answers. We don’t want you to be confused, so we have put together a short list of five things about green cleaning you might not know. If you would like more information about how we approach green cleaning, do not hesitate to ask.
Table of Contents
1. There Is No Official Standard
Official standards exist in so many areas of business. Even many of the things we do in our own personal lives are governed by official standards. If you are looking for the same types of standards in green cleaning, you won’t find them. It’s not black-and-white.
Generically speaking, green cleaning is the practice of relying on cleaning solutions and strategies designed with human health and environmental safety in mind. For example, green cleaning solutions are less harmful to the environment than traditional chemicals.
2. Reducing Waste Is Part of It
In a business or commercial cleaning environment, reducing waste is part of the green cleaning paradigm. We don’t want to generate waste unnecessarily as we clean offices, medical buildings, government buildings, etc. So we use things like reusable cleaning cloths that we can wash and reuse rather than throwing them away after a single use.
3. Products Are Made with Natural Ingredients
Although there are exceptions to the rule, green cleaning products are usually made with natural ingredients. Sticking with natural ingredients minimizes the impact of those products on the environment. Natural products also tend to be better for human health.
This is not to say that we don’t have to be careful with green cleaning products. Nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is that all cleaning products pose some kind of threat, even if the threat is minor. To be truly safe for both health and environment requires diligence.
4. Green Cleaning Impacts Air Quality
Environmental air quality is something that people don’t tend to think much about in terms of cleaning. But with decades of experience under our belts, we can tell you that transitioning to a green cleaning strategy can positively impact air quality.
Green cleaning products don’t tend to leech volatile chemicals into the air. That means cleaner air for our workers as they go about their jobs. It means cleaner air for clients, as well. Better indoor air quality is just better all the way around.
5. Green Cleaning Doesn’t Have To Break the Bank
Green cleaning strategies can require more time. They can require an investment in more expensive cleaning products. At the same time, green cleaning does not have to break the bank. There are ways to transition to a green strategy and still stay within the established budget.
The key is to gain a thorough understanding of what needs to be cleaned, why it needs to be cleaned, and how it can be cleaned effectively with green solutions and strategies. Once you know the details, green cleaning becomes more effective.
If your company or organization has been thinking about adopting a green cleaning program, we would appreciate the opportunity to sit down with you and talk about it. Green cleaning is becoming increasingly more popular among companies that want to safeguard human health and protect the environment at the same time.