What is Green Cleaning?
Green cleaning is defined as cleaning to protect health without harming the environment. Green cleaning is an accepted movement that uses procedures and products to make cleaning for the health of building occupants, the cleaning personnel, and the environment a primary concern.
Cleaning Chemicals and Health Problems
It has been found that some widely used cleaning products have adverse effects on the health of building occupants and the cleaners. The average person spends about 90% of their day indoors, where air pollution from diverse sources such as cleaners, upholstery, and carpeting can be up to 100 times greater than outdoor air. Some of the health problems caused by exposure to hazardous cleaning products range from eye irritation and coughing to chest pain, vomiting, cramps, and diarrhea. It is estimated that more than 10% of work-related asthma is derived from cleaning products.
Cleaning products can also harm the natural environment. There are over 70,000 chemicals being used today, and fewer than 2% have been thoroughly tested for their effects on human and aquatic life. Cleaning products are responsible for approximately 8% of non-vehicular emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds.
Green Products
Green Seal - Green Seal is an independent, nonprofit organization that develops environmental standards for a number of products. Green Seal evaluations are based upon state-of-the-art science and internationally recognized methods. Green Seal developed the first product certifications in 1992 and has developed and released over 40 certificate programs. The Green Seal category for cleaning products is GS-37 Industrial and Institutional Cleaners.” Green Seal certified products meet the GS-37 standard for reduced human and aquatic toxicity and reduced smog production potential.
J.Racenstein offers two Green Seal certified cleaners:
Hydroxi Pro Concentrated Cleaner - Designed for Windows and Hard surfaces
Hydroxi Pro Grout Smart - Designed for Grout and Natural Stone cleaning
U.S. EPA - Designed for the Environment U.S. EPA
The Design for the Environment (DfE) program is one of the EPA’s premier programs, working with companies to compare and improve the performance and human health and environment risks and costs of products. The products displaying the EPA DfE logo have been formulated in partnership with the EPA Design for the Environment Formulator Initiative. These products are designed to reduce risk to people and the environment by preventing pollution.
DfE’s Formulator Program encourages partners to reformulate products to be environmentally safer, cost competitive, and effective. By providing chemical and toxicological information and suggesting safer substitutes, the Formulator Program reduced an estimated 40 million pounds of chemicals of concern in 2005.
J.Racenstein offers two DfE Partneship products:
Green Logic Glass and Surface Cleaner - An environmentaly sound formula for glass and hard surfaces
Green Logic All Surface Degreaser - An environmentally preferred degreaser for oils, tar, fats and soil
There are several methods of identifying Green Cleaning. Some are applied to improving the products while others involve the products and their use in a system of cleaning, how the service and the products interact when used to clean.
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USGBC and LEED certification programs for the systems and methods have been around since the early 1990's and have registered over 1,100 construction sites, building and projects as Energy and Environmentally Green. Green Seal is an independent organization that develop evaluation methods and certificate programs for products.
The EPA has a Designed for the Environment program that covers products and services.
Dozens of mainstream companies manufacture and distribute quality green cleaning products for businesses and institutions, and many of the largest cleaning firms now offer green cleaning services that use these products, often at costs comparable to their conventional counterparts.
One big influence is the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED rating system. Its LEED-EB standard, which certifies existing buildings, gives as many as 14 points for the use of green cleaning processes and materials and since it takes only 32 points to receive the basic level of LEED-EB certification, cleaning and maintenance loom large.
USGBC stands for the United States Green Building Council. It’s a coalition of building industry leaders who came together in 1993 to promote environmentally responsible and profitable buildings that are also healthy places to live and work. The Council then developed the LEED certification program to provide guidelines and recognition for green buildings. LEED means Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Green means good business.
Green Cleaning and LEED Certification
When it comes to greening your cleaning operations, LEED certification requires much more than just switching from traditional to green cleaning chemicals. According to the USGBC, LEED-EB focuses on seven major areas, each with their own certification standards and best practices.
- Facility Cleaning & Maintenance, including Chemicals
- Indoor Air Quality
- Energy Efficiency
- Water Efficiency
- Recycling Programs
- Exterior Maintenance Programs
- Systems Upgrades
Green products are formulated to be safer, effective, environmentally preferable solutions to professional cleaning challenges and work.
J.Racenstein is committed to leading the window cleaning industry into the future with Green products and technologies. Check out our website for new products, and check out page 62 of this catalog for Green Cleaning products. |
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