Environmentally Friendly Cleaning Products: Why Make the Switch
Many cleaning business owners are well aware of the “green cleaning” movement due to health and safety concerns of residential property owners. You may have even noticed environmentally friendly cleaning products under the kitchen sinks of some of your clients. But some cleaning companies have still not made the switch.
Manufacturers have gotten better and better at producing effective products that reduce or eliminate the use of hazardous and toxic cleaning chemicals, yet still do a good job of cleaning. As a residential cleaning business owner, you can be a leader in your industry by exploring the many excellent environmentally preferable products available on the market today.
Environmentally Friendly Products Don't Contain These Chemicals
If the cleaning products you are using contain any of the following chemicals, you may be putting yourself, your cleaning technicians, your customers, and the environment at risk.
Nonylphenoxpolyethoxyethanol, Nonylphenols and NPE/APE surfactants:
These provide detergency to remove soil from a variety of surfaces. Although effective, they are petroleum-based products that may contain traces of ethylene oxide, which is a suspected carcinogen. NPE's have been shown to cause disruption to the endocrine system in aquatic species and are suspected of doing so in humans. The endocrine system is a series of glands, including the male and female reproductive glands, which secrete hormones. Endocrine disruption may be linked to birth defects. You may find the above chemicals in air fresheners, all-purpose cleaners, carpet spotters, disinfectant cleaners, floor strippers, and washroom fixture cleaners.
Glycol Butyl Ethers:
This product is very effective on water-soluble dirt as well as water-insoluble oils and greases. The drawbacks are that it is very irritating to the respiratory tract and eyes. It also reacts violently with strong mineral acids and is not biodegradable. You may find this product in air fresheners, carpet spotters, floor finish removers, food service cleaners, glass cleaners and heavy-duty cleaners.
Phosphates:
Phosphates are used in products to soften water, maintain alkalinity levels, suspend dirt and increase cleaning efficiency. It can become an environmental hazard if dumped into a closed body of water, which leads to the potential for excessive algae growth. Excessive algae growth can lead to the depletion of oxygen levels and can eventually kill aquatic life. This product may be found in all-purpose cleaners, carpet spotters, disinfectant cleaners and heavy-duty cleaners.
Choosing Environmentally Friendly Cleaning Products
As you can see, it's our cleaning chemicals that can be the biggest health threat to our customer's residences and the environment since they can contain dangerous toxins. But if you know what and what not to look for when choosing cleaning chemicals, you can move toward those that are naturally occurring, non-toxic, and eco-friendly.
If you are concerned about what's in the cleaning products you are using, consult your Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for more information. The SDS lists the ingredients and the potential health and flammability risks.
Agencies Setting the Green Cleaning Standard
Green Seal. An independent non-profit organization that uses science-based environmental certification standards on products. Green Seal conducts product evaluations using a life-cycle approach to make sure all significant environmental impacts of a particular product have been considered.
EcoLogo. North America's oldest environmental certification organization, launched in 1988 by the Canadian government. EcoLogo provides customers -- public, corporate and consumer -- with assurance that the products and services bearing the logo meet stringent environmental standards that have been verified by a third party auditor.
U.S. EPA Design for the Environment. The DFE logo on a product means that each ingredient has been screened for potential human health and environmental effects and that the product contains only those ingredients that pose the least concern among chemicals in their class.
The U.S. Green Building Council has a website, The Green Home Guide, with lots of information about "greening" all types of homes.
Conclusion
More and more people are becoming increasingly concerned about their health and the environment and are on the look-out for greener ways to clean using safer cleaning products.
Become a leader in the cleaning business by taking steps to implement safer cleaning products and provide a healthier atmosphere for yourself, your cleaning technicians, your customers, and the environment.
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EBOOK and WEBINAR DOWNLOAD - Green Cleaning for Residential Cleaning Companies Do you want to offer green cleaning services to your customers, but don't know where to begin? Green cleaning is more than using a few chemicals that are labeled "green" or "safe for the environment". Rather, it is a whole process that looks at how a home is cleaned, what equipment and supplies are used and how those products impact the environment, and providing the proper training to employees. |
