Are You Looking Kinda Green?

Green Cleaning?! Seems like everyone "claims" they have a green cleaning program. Hear me out for a second. Sometimes doing something is better than doing nothing at all. The purpose of this post is to share my past experiences both as a commercial cleaner and as a coach, and I'll share some tips and resources to help you get further ahead of your competition. 

That all said, "green cleaning" is subjective. What goals are you trying to accomplish?

Objective: To avoid an allergic reaction to cleaning products

This is a great reason. Just in the past week of this post, I talked with two fellow commercial cleaners who HAD to make the switch to a greener cleaning product because they were facing allergic reactions. One started her company on that reason alone: there had to be a better way. 

I consider myself a healthy individual and never faced a reaction to any cleaning product but this is a real problem for many. I recall a private school where one of the students was so allergic to most cleaning products that it would land him into the hospital even after touching residue left on a surface. We helped this school and that student by crafting a cleaning program that involved a 2-step process by involving a rinse on every surface. Time consuming? Heck yea. But one misstep could land that kid in the hospital.

Objective: To avoid long-term health risks

There are so many different compounds used in cleaning but it hasn't been until recently that we're finally understanding the long-term effects.

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), for example, are found in multiple cleaning products like bleach, oven cleaner, carpet cleaner and more. But these have been positively identified as irritants to skin, eyes, your nose, and can even induce asthma and are linked as cancer-causers through the disruption of the endocrine system. 

TCE or trichloroethylene isn't short for "Total Clean Environment" unfortunately. It's positively linked to Parkinson's Disease. On a personal note, I'm dealing with this now for my father-in-law. He has Parkinson's and that impacted his motor and speech skills. He was also a cleaner and actively had his hand in different cleaning products for well over a decade. I can't help but to think there could have been a link.

Objective: For immediate safety

We cleaned a school and annually did our strip and wax in this K-8 school. Safety was important and thankfully we only had a couple of claims in about 2 decades, but we almost had another. A young lady was working with us in this school and we were stripping the floors. Our floor scrubber was corded and she was in charge of securing the cord to make the one operating the machine a little more efficient. Well, for the first time ever, we had a worker who was overcome by the chemicals, and that was her. She passed out and landed on the hard floor. Thankfully someone broke her fall and after some fresh air, she was ok. But we immediately changed our processes, required respirators, and switched up to more safe product. 

Objective: To help your client achieve a certification

Ok, maybe the above reasons didn't compel you but do you realize there are buildings all around you that could use your services, but can't, because you're not certified as a green cleaning company? There are different green and sustainable standards including LEED, Fitwel, and WELL properties. These certified properties need certified cleaners to serve them. Just in LEED alone, there are over 500,000,000 square feet in the United States. These certification programs require certified cleaning companies (e.g. GS-42 certification) in order to win their points and win that certification for their property. Even if your client isn't certified, maybe they want a green cleaning program. You can be armed with the knowledge that helps them achieve their goals.

Objective: You just want to be a better steward of the environment

Hey, I'm not a tree hugger. I think trees make great baseball bats and toothpicks. But if we could make a fundamental shift in our cleaning products to a safer and cleaner product, then why not? In my experience, they weren't any different in a price, or at least in recent years. There are so many to choose from too. If pursuing a property that wants a certification, the gold standard is Green Seal certified products. There are tons of well-known brands that hold this certification like 3M, Betco, Bioesque, and more. Look for the logo on the product. Another option is EPA's Safer Choice program. They offer an alternative, and like Green Seal, it's vetted by science. 

It only takes a little bit to go a long way. Just a few tweaks in your products won't cost you any extra and could potentially make your processes safer while helping the environment. 

Next on Deck: Points of Contact within a Niche (coming 9-18-24)