Green Cleaning Your Way Safer Environment Green cleaning is a safer alternative to traditional means of cleaning. By: Emmanuel Edwards To A Y Emmanuel Edwards is co-founder and president of Sustainable Sanitation Services (S3). S3 is a lead distributor for safe and superior green cleaning products. The S3 mis-sion is to supply a cost effective and non-caustic green cleaning alternative at an unbeatable price. In short, Sustainable Sanitation Services products honor the environment and the personal health and wellness of every human being. For more information, please visit www.sustainablesanitation.com or call (504) 552-2100. for more info Visit www.cmmonline.com and type in search keyword: Cleaning . For more information on related products, visit www.cmmonline.com , select SUPPLIER SEARCH from the main navigation bar, and enter keyword: Green Cleaning . You can clean as, if not more, effectively with green cleaning programs that rely on the use of environmentally friendly chemicals and high-per-formance cleaning equipment. The chemicals in cleaning products are every-where: On dishes, countertops, furniture, clothes, floors, windows, etc. — they are even floating through the air we breathe. In our battle against dirt and germs, we may actually be making things worse. Even as they help us pick up dirt and dust, many modern cleaners irritate our skin, eyes and lungs. They can also leave toxic residues or pollutants in the water when rinsed down the drain. Chlorine bleach, for example, is a common dis-infectant frequently found in cleaning solutions. It is highly irritating to the skin and eyes, not to mention it can be fatal if swallowed. Many traditional cleaning products also have high percentages of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that may cause short-or long-term health problems. For people with health problems, it is important that we turn to more sustainable cleaning alterna-tives to avoid contributing to additional air pollution. Keeping the built environment clean and avoiding toxic cleaners doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive. A number of years ago, many green cleaning products were not as effective and cost more than traditional products; however, over time, green cleaning products have become as effective as traditional products and now cost about the same. Environmentally friendly cleaning products have many advantages over traditional products. When compared to traditional cleaning prod-ucts, green cleaning products can: Reduce health effects to building occupants and janitorial staff Reduce the amount of refuse Reduce overall environmental impacts Reduce costs to building management, ten-ants and janitorial services Increase occupant and worker satisfaction and safety Increase the likelihood of gaining Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for your business or building. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) created a system to define and measure “green building,” and indoor air quality (IAQ) is one of the environmental categories for achieving LEED certification. By utilizing tools, equipment and techniques that require little or no chemicals, you can reduce the amount of nox-ious fumes associated with traditional cleaning processes. 18 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • November 2010 Image courtesy of Tornado Industries Inc.
CMM – Archives Nov 2010: 18
