Green cleaning at home

It is common practice to implement environmental stewardship principles when maintaining a commercial office. If you walk into an office it is not uncommon to find blue recycling bins under each desk, to have a janitorial crew that uses Green Seal certified chemicals, to have lights that turn on and off automatically when you enter a room, etc.

These principals of stewardship are taking at little bit longer to trickle down to our individual residences. Just recently I started to find healthy cleaning products in a traditional grocery store and most homes come with recycling containers; but that is just the tip of the iceberg compared to the what commercial buildings are executing.

Below you will find a list of 10 stewardship principles defined by Steven Ashkin. I put information below each of these principles with some suggestions on how each and every one of us can execute on these at our individual residences. You can find more information at our website at: http://www.commercialjanitorial.com/green_cleaning.php

The 10 Stewardship Principles, by Steve Ashkin

1. Commit to people, education, and communications. Buildings do not become dirty or become cleaned by themselves. These activities are dependent on people! A successful “Green” janitorial program should involve both the cleaning personnel and building occupants. Get people involved; keep them involved by celebrating and communicating successes. Let them know the values/benefits that are in it for them. Tell your friends and family what you are doing and why you are doing it. Get them excited and they will help you on your journey.
2. First, clean to protect health and the environment. Second, clean for appearance. It is not what is seen that is the real area of concern. Even clean appearing buildings can be extremely unhealthy. Thus, focus on cleaning for health and the environment, and in most cases, the appearance will be addressed at the same time. This is the easy one. Make the switch to Green Seal certified chemicals, a HEPA vacuum, and micro-fiber rags. The hardest thing for most people is getting over the smell that they associate with being clean. The smells of bleach, ammonia, Pine sol, and Windex are what most people associate with "clean", but the actually contain volatile organic compounds "VOCs" that are extremely harmful to your health.
3. Clean and maintain the building as a whole, not as separate components. Cleaning and maintenance, in one area of a building, can have a major impact on other areas. For example, the fumes from stripping and re-coating a floor in one area can contaminate adjacent areas or even the entire building via the HVAC system. Appropriate actions must take place to ensure the health and safety throughout the entire building. When meeting with contractors or doing your own repairs be sure to set expectations for the chemicals, equipment, and clean-up procedures that you would like use. Let it be known that you expect the work to be done in an environmentally friendly way. Don't be afraid to ask for specifics and check up on their work.
4. Scheduled routine maintenance. Scheduled maintenance that is frequent and thorough is the most efficient and effective method for building maintenance. Concise plans and records are a must! I am guilty about this one. I knew my roof was starting to have little leaks but, I was slow to schedule repairs. I know that these little leaks can lead to larger damages and major health problems like mold. If I was smart, I wold have had a roofer come out on a regular basis to inspect before it became a bigger issue. This is true for other things like chimneys, pest control, etc.
5. Plan for accidents. Specific procedures need to be developed to address accidents. Plans should address weather related problems, as well as common spills (e.g., coffee), water leaks, and/or smoke or air contamination by a noxious chemical reaction. What are you going to do if you have a large water leak? What happens if your pool chlorine spills on your back patio? If you don't have a plan for these type of situations you most likely will react to the problem in a way that could be harmful to you or the environment. If for example, you have a major water leak it would be great to have the phone number for a carpet extracting company that could clean the spill before it caused issues like mold.
6. Minimize human exposure to harmful contaminants and cleaning residues. Workers should always use the appropriate personal protective equipment. Areas where work is taking place should have adequate ventilation. Work schedules should be established to minimize exposure to building occupants, and the products used should be the most benign to accomplish the task. In my house, I make sure that my cleaning person uses Green Seal chemicals and cleans at a time when no one else will be home. Furthermore, I require that they clean with all the doors and windows open.
7. Minimize chemical, particle, and moisture residue when cleaning. The products that are used for building maintenance, due to their ability to quickly and efficiently remove oils, soils, living organisms, etc., can also contribute to a building's problem if used incorrectly. My mom used to always spray an air freshener in each room after she cleaned. This is how we knew it was clean. Unfortunately, these types of aerosols go against the principles of green cleaning.
8. Ensure worker and building occupant safety at all times. The good news is that to maintain a healthy home you are not required to walk around in body armor and hard hats. Instead, do simple things like put out non-slip mats in front of each entrance, make sure there are not any frayed extension cords, etc.
9. Minimize the amount of pollutants entering the building, while maximizing the amount of pollutants extracted. It is significantly more effective, in terms of both time and money, to keep contaminants out of the building, then to try to remove them once they have entered. If you are doing a remodel, make sure the that products used are environmentally friendly. If you are buying your daughter paints, make sure they are non-toxic. If you are burning a fire over the holidays, try to pick some logs that do not give off chemicals (I use ones from coffee beans).
10. Dispose of cleaning waste in environmentally safe ways. Please don't throw paint, oil, computer equipment, cell phones, etc. down your drain or in the trash. Take these type of products to authorized disposal companies.

In summary, the goal of Green Cleaning is to protect the health of building occupants, visitors, and cleaning personnel, as well as reducing polluting effects on our air and water. Dr. Berry defines cleaning as, “the process of locating, identifying, containing, and properly removing and disposing of unwanted substance from an environment”. We believe this to mean that Cleaning should be organized, scheduled, and focused on achieving specific objectives primarily those related to protecting health and valuable property.