Green Procedures
Green Cleaning >> Green Procedures
The goal of a cleaning program is to reduce occupants' exposure to irritants and pollutants
Entryway
Increasing the effectiveness of the matting system and entryway cleaning captures and eliminates dirt and dust before it can penetrate deeper into the building.
Vacuum First: effective vacuuming removes many of the contaminants that affect health. Traditionally custodians clean the entryway at the end of their shift possible resulting in a less than adequate result. By starting in the entry it will have the added benefit of ensuring occupants' first impression is positive when they enter the building in the morning.
Don't Forget The Outside: The outside of entrances is as important as the inside. Sweep, hose down or power wash the area leading into the building as needed. Reducing the amount of dirt hanging around immediately outside the building keeps it outside. This reduces the labor needed to clean inside.
Dust Mopping
Traditional dust mopping procedures tend to move the dust from place to place rather than capturing and removing contaminants. Additionaly, many of the dust mop treatments are oil-based and leave a film on the floor. That film can lead to slips and falls, and it attracts more dirt and dust, which in turn requires more frequent floor-care procedures.
Consider using microfiber dust mops instead of the traditional cotton or nylon loop mop head. Microfiber cloths are designed to attract and retain the dust particles, preventing them from being redeposited elesewhere or kicked into the air. These tools are very lightweight and easy to use, which helps reduce fatigue and injury for the custodians.
Floor Care
A sustainable floor care program is one that delivers the desired level of appearance and is slip resistant with minimal maintenance. The goal is to reduce or eliminate the need for:
- Spray buffing or burnishing: Both processes are labor and equipment intensive, generate additional dust or spray product into the air, and increase maintenance costs
- Deep scrubbing and recoating: This is a labor and chemical intensive process that increases exposure to potential irritants and opportunities for slip-fall accidents
- Stripping and refinishing: THe most labor intensive part of a floor care program, stripping and finishing often require potentially dangerous products (stripping solution). This is a high cost operation that increases the opportunity for injury.
A daily maintenance program will help you acheive a successful floor care system. Dry mopping, spot mopping, or vacuuming the floors at least once a day (entryways and other high-traffic areas may require more frequent dry mopping or spot mopping) is the keystone to extending time between more intensive projects.
Trash
New technology has provide some new solutions to the trash liner part of our industry. Biodegradable and compost liners have changed the approach of purchasing and using liners. Both of these types of liners are better for the environment but may not be better for your budget. Here are two suggestion that will help you reduce your budget. Try to standardize the sizes of trash receptacles in the building. Settling on a few sizes cuts down on the number and variety of liners that you need to purchase and inventory. Too-large bags mean a waste of plastic, too-small bags lead to broken bags and having to double or triple bag the contents. Also by providing separate receptacles for wet and dry trash you can limit the use of liners altogether. Dry trash - nonrecyclable paper, staples, clips and so on - doesn't require a liner and can be emptied less frequently.
Restrooms
The one place you can be certain that your green cleaning program will be judged is in the restroom. Any missteps in this area can become major setbacks for your entire program. You have heard this a hundred time and that's because it is true - a clean restroom doesn't have an odor, pleasant or unpleasant. Most fragrances added to restrooms are added to cover unpleasant odors. The result, a mix of the good and bad is usually worse than the original offensive odor. If strong fragranced products are the norm in a building's restroom, you need to re-educate the occupants. Managing their expectations may become an important part of your overall communication plan. If the restroom is cleaned properly, and we mean thoroughly, but still had an odor, you have a different problem. Involve building operations or the maintenance contractor and look at the drains, traps and other places where moisture can be trapped and allow the growth of biological organisms. When the time comes to renovate the restroom or reconstructing a new one, give serious consideration to installing touch-free fixtures and dispensers. They offer the obvious benefit of reducing the potional for transmitting germs and illnesses.
