Ashkin is considered the leading advo-cate for green cleaning in the professional cleaning industry. “What we see now is that most facilities, probably more than 80 percent at this stage, [are] selecting green cleaning tools and equipment and incorporating green clean-ing strategies,” Ashkin says. “As a matter of fact, it is actually becoming rare for at least a brand-new location not to have a green cleaning program in place.” Because green cleaning has had such a major impact on the professional cleaning industry as well as the building and manage-ment industries, it might serve us well to clear up confusion about certain cleaning myths. This article aims to answer frequent ques-tions and address common concerns when it comes to green cleaning. tion that is well-known and widely respect-ed, and then look for the products they have certified. Myth: Green cleaning products do not work as well as conventional cleaning products. Fact: Generally speaking, this is false. Manufacturers have struggled making green equivalents for some floorcare prod-ucts, but in recent years, some have been able to address these challenges. For most other cleaning products, green equivalents are proving as effective as, and in many cases better than, conventional cleaning products. Fact: This is false. Although many green cleaning products were met with reluctance years ago, that is no longer the case. One key reason for this is that many cleaning professionals had adverse reac-tions to traditional cleaning products that no longer materialize using green products. As a result, they now typically prefer using environmentally preferable products. Myth: If a product is green it means it is safer for the user and the environment. Fact: This is true, but with one caveat. While the product is safer, it still must be used properly. Users are always advised to dilute the product properly, use as instructed and fol-low manufacturer’s instructions. Myth: Green and sustainable are the same. Fact: The definitions of these terms are evolving in the professional cleaning industry because today most green cleaning products must be made from renewable resources. In the view of Green Seal and some other green certification organizations, green and sustainable are becoming increasingly in-terconnected. Myth: Green cleaning products cost more than conventional cleaning products. Fact: For the most part, this is still true. However, and this is what is very impor-tant to know, green cleaning products are often highly concentrated. This saves on packaging costs and re-duces transport needs. The products last longer so the additional cost is often made up by the higher concen-tration and reduced packaging and transport costs. Myth: All green products perform alike. Fact: Green cleaning products are not all the same. Like other cleaning products, some per-form better than others, some work better on certain surfaces than others and so on. It is best to try the products first and com-pare them with others before making a final selection. Myth: All green certifications are the same. Fact: While many of the certification orga-nizations use similar standards and criteria, they are not all the same and some products certified by one organization may not earn certification with another. It is best to select a certification organiza-Myth: There are times when a conven-tional cleaning product should be used. Fact: This is true. While it is not the case in Canada, in the U.S. at this time, no disinfectant may be la-beled green or green certified. This means a conventional disinfectant must be used. Additionally, there may be other situations, such as in floorcare as mentioned earlier, when a conventional product is necessary. However, green equivalents are now available for most professional cleaning products. Myth: Cleaning with green products usually takes more time. Fact: While this may have been true years ago, this is not true today. However, cleaning professionals are ad-vised to try different green products, just as they would conventional cleaning chemi-cals, and select those that perform most ef-fectively for them. Myth: Users prefer conventional clean-ing products. Myth: Green certification is not necessary because the federal and state governments have rules and regulations about the use of cleaning chemicals. Fact: There are literally thousands of chemicals on the market that have not been thoroughly tested by government entities as to their safety. Very often, the dangers related to using a product do not come to light until after the product has been introduced in the market-place. CM www.cmmonline.com 33
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