What is green cleaning?

Hi Manuel,

A green cleaning program is a comprehensive cleaning and maintenance program that addresses interiors, exterior hardscape and landscape maintenance, integrated pest management (IPM), and waste management in buildings.

Many janitorial cleaning products have been shown to degrade indoor air quality, pollute the
water, and negatively impact the health of building occupants who are sensitive to chemicals and/or who suffer from asthma, allergies or other respiratory ailments.

"Conventional" cleaning service providers and facility managers often use harsh solutions that, while highly effective at cleaning and disinfecting a building, may contaminate the indoor air. It is the desire of a green cleaning program to maintain both clean facilities and healthy environments for client building occupants.

A green cleaning program is not only beneficial for tenants and/or residents, it can also contribute significantly toward Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Existing Buildings Operations and Maintenance (EBOM) green building certification at a relatively low cost. You can look at USGBC's LEED EBOM guidance for achieving the green cleaning credit and you can also look at appropriate products and use only EcoLogo and GreenSeal approved products which have been tested for use indoors by UL Environment. UL Environment is not affiliated with any manufacturer or product that it certifies/validates.

Green cleaning and maintenance programs provide a high-return on investment in regard to LEED-EBOM certification. LEED certification works through a points system that rewards points achieved based on their environmental impact and LEED-EBOM rewards more thorough cleaning activities by providing greater number of points toward certification for facilities that invest more in high performance cleaning operations that protect the health of occupants.

The value of a green cleaning program to LEED-EBOM certification provides a roadmap that can help cleaning professionals expand their business and, at the same time, help reduce the overall impact on the environment.

While the framework provided by LEED-EBOM is not required for implementing a green cleaning program, LEED does a good job of organizing the strategies for green cleaning that can be put in place in any building, whether or not it is LEED certified or is seeking certification.

Companies like yours that encourage green cleaning programs can help improve the indoor environment in buildings which contributes to greater productivity of employees and their overall health and well-being.

Rob