Our planet has been through a lot, with climate change and pollution being major concerns over the past few decades. This is why people are making eco-friendly changes. The U.S. government is investing in clean, renewable energy in hopes of reaching net zero emissions by 2050. Residential homes are using more energy efficient appliances and installing solar panels.
But how can businesses help? Well, among other things, they can use a green cleaning program. By hiring commercial cleaning services that offer eco-friendly programs, your office can reduce its carbon footprint and contribute to the efforts to make the Earth cleaner and greener.
What is Green Cleaning?
Green cleaning is the process of using eco-friendly products to conduct a cleaning service instead of traditionally used chemicals. This means that a cleaning service uses products that are environmentally sensitive and prevent cross contamination as a result of janitorial procedures.
Why Use Green Cleaning Programs?
Green cleaning programs are extremely beneficial to both the environment and your office’s health and happiness. An office building generally uses a large supply of cleaning products every month. When those products aren’t eco-friendly, they can cause long-term damage to the planet and even the health of employees. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “Using green cleaning products can help to reduce the human health and environmental concerns that comes along with cleaning.”
Good for the Environment
Harsh chemical cleaners might get the job done, but at what cost? The environment is what pays the price, unfortunately. Chemicals, such as chlorine, phosphates and nitrates, that are found in common cleaners can be extremely damaging to the environment. They contribute to air pollution when they evaporate and water pollution when they’re rinsed down the drain. Once these chemicals are in the air and water, they are difficult to remove and can build up over time, contaminating the ecosystem and impacting plant and animal life.
On top of that, the concentrated forms of some commercial cleaning products are classified as hazardous. This can create potential handling, storage, and disposal issues, especially once the products have expired.
In contrast, green cleaning products are primarily developed using materials that are non-toxic and biodegradable. This means they are safer for the environment when used as they don’t pollute the air and water. This, in turn, helps fight climate change.
Good for Office Health
Think about the air your employees breathe and the surfaces they touch. How many harsh chemicals are around them when your cleaning service uses traditional cleaning products? Cleaning products might be designed to give your employees clean and healthy conditions, but the chemicals they contain can also damage their health in the long term.
According to the EPA, “Volatile organic compounds (VOC) in cleaning products can affect indoor air quality and also contribute to smog formation in outdoor air.” One of the most common risks of inhaling toxic fumes over a long period of time is developing respiratory issues, such as asthma.
When your office implements a green cleaning program, eco-friendly, chemical-free products are used. This improves your facility’s air quality, which means that your employees won’t be inhaling toxic chemicals. This keeps them from getting sick as often and can even improve productivity!
Safer to Use
A lot of chemical cleaners can pose risks to the people using them. Many common cleaning products are toxic and can cause damage to someone’s eyes, skin, and lungs. No one faces these risks more than the people hired to clean your office and the employees who use the surfaces they clean.
Of course, professional cleaners like ours wear protective gear and are trained to minimize risks, but that doesn’t mean that they’re completely free of risk. There’s always the chance of residue burning skin, getting in the eyes, or being breathed in. This risk is mitigated substantially when they use eco-friendly, non-toxic cleaning products.
There’s also the fact that some chemical cleaning solutions can be dangerous when mixed. Bleach and ammonia are a great example. Ammonia is found in many traditional cleaning products meant for tile, glass, and other surfaces that might have oil and grease stuck to them. Meanwhile, bleach is considered one of the most powerful ways to get surfaces white and kill germs at the same time. But if these two substances come in contact with each other, they can create a deadly gas.
So when you’re implementing green cleaning programs, you aren’t just protecting your employees – you’re protecting ours.
What Cleaning Products Are Eco-Friendly?
Despite their importance and benefits, it can be tricky to find products that are genuinely eco-friendly. It is important to check labels and not just assume that because it claims to be “green” that it genuinely is. Some companies “greenwash” their labels to claim the product is more eco-friendly than it is.
That’s why it’s important to hire a commercial cleaning service that has done the research and uses actual green cleaning products. We use Green Seal Certified cleaning products, as we know we can trust their high standards.
Green Seal is a global nonprofit organization that has set the standards for health, sustainability, and product performance. They operate under the international guidelines for environmental labeling programs and follow the EPA’s requirements for third-party certification. Their product standards have also been recognized and used by the US Federal Government, many state governments, and other civic and environmental entities.
All of this means that any cleaning product that has their seal of approval is absolutely eco-friendly and not just pretending for marketing purposes. It is a universal symbol that a product meets the highest benchmark of health and environmental leadership. So you know when our teams roll in with these products, your office and the environment are in good hands.
How Can I Book a Green Cleaning Program?
Booking a green cleaning program with S.J. Services is easy. Just contact us and ask! We’ll discuss your facilities’ needs and what options are available to ensure you get the services that are right for you. You’ll be able to rest easy knowing that not only is your office in good hands, but you’re doing your part to help the environment, too.