Green cleaning uses environmentally friendly products that use ingredients that are less toxic to your health. Not only are these green cleaning products and methods more environmentally friendly, but they are safer for you and the health of your customers.
Custodians have a vital job that contributes to the health of the public. Many traditional cleaning products that may be used in cleaning buildings can contain harmful chemicals that can cause headaches, asthma, respiratory irritation and even cancer. In fact, custodians have some of the highest rates of asthma.
The goal of green cleaning is to make workplace safer, protect the health of everyone who uses the facility, and clean effectively while using safer products and practices in your everyday maintenance routine. You might even save some money.
Here are some tips for when using green cleaning products:
- Green cleaners work just as effectively as traditional cleaners, however, for tougher stains the product needs to sit on the dirty area for a couple of minutes to work effectively.
- Many green cleaning products that are free of color and fragrance don’t fizz or bubble when you apply it. Many added fragrances can lead to throat irritation as well as respiratory harm. It is important to choose products that are color and fragrance free.
- Some green cleaning products work better with cold water, so always read product labels and follow instructions carefully.
- Many cleaning products create tremendous amounts of waste. Switching to concentrates and closed loop dispensers, reduces waste and water usage, lowers your exposure to chemicals, reduces the chance you may inaccurately mix chemicals and even prevents accidents.
- Although green cleaning products are safer than traditional cleaning products, you still need to wear the correct personal protection gear. These include:
- Rubber gloves
- Long sleeves
- Dust masks
- Closed toed rubber soled shoes
- Eye goggles
With the benefits provided by these new, safer, environmentally friendly methods of cleaning, it should be easy to make a choice of cleaning methods.