Environmental Health
Clean Green - Go the Extra Mile
Keith Giles, Lead Custodian at Unity College, believes that
implementing a comprehensive long term strategy for cleaning green
can be cheaper than traditional cleaning approaches. He recommends
the following components as part of a long-term strategy and all of
these components can turn into money savers…
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Prevent the build-up of dirt & trash in the first place. It
may sound simple, but something as basic as preventing more dirt and
organic matter from entering buildings can save a lot of time,
energy, and cleaning products. One of the best ways you can do this
is by updating your floor mat strategy. Unity College used to rent
“finish mats” from a nearby company. But, the standard “finish mats”
are only a one-dimensional system. Giles switched to
Andersen Matting because
they offered a mat system instead of just standard mats. The system
consists of three very different kinds of mats: the first called a
“scraper” is placed outside doorways covered by overhangs and
functions to loosen the dirt on students’ shoes. The second is
called a “waterhog” and is situated just inside the entrances at a
place where students might stand for a moment to linger at a help
desk or get checked-in at a cafeteria, and while they stand, the
already-loosened dirt falls into the deep ridges along with water or
melting snow. Then the students proceed into the building and walk
across a “finish mat” which is flat and absorbent to pick off the
finer, lingering pieces of dirt or mud and dry the bottoms of the
shoes. Not only has this system made Giles’ job easier, but for the
price they used to rent the “finish mats,” they were able to buy the
whole three-mat system. For more preventative strategies for keeping
schools cleaner, check out page 3 of the Healthy Schools Network,
Inc.’s Guide to Green Cleaning.
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Replace old mops and paper towels with Microfiber
Technology. Traditional mop heads are notorious for ensuring germs
are spread over a floor, while paper towels used on tables and
counters create needless waste.
Microfiber is a material that can solve both these problems. It
is composed of fibers a tenth of the size of a human hair and can
pick up 94% of germs. As a paper towel substitute for furniture
surfaces, one microfiber cloth saves approximately 19 cases of paper
towels because it can be washed 2,000 times before a new one is
needed and it retains the same effectiveness. To further conserve,
Giles recommends that at the end of its cleaning life, you should
mark each cloth with an X and then give it to someone who you can
extend its use, such as the maintenance staff for use on vehicles
and lawn equipment. The microfiber that comes in the form of a mop
can also be washed up to 2,000 times and presents a more effective
way of preventing the spread of germs. It is used with a two-sided
mop bucket, where one side is used for hot water to rinse off the
germs that collect and the other side is then used for a neutral
disinfectant that sanitizes and adds cleaning solution to the
material. Before switching to microfiber technology, Giles used to
pay $200 a month for a professional service to wash their mop heads.
Microfiber can just be washed in a regular washer and drier, so
Giles used the money he saved for the washing service to just buy a
washer and dryer. Even after that, there’s still savings!
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Sign-on with an all inclusive distributor of green cleaning
products or at least buy certified green cleaning products in bulk.
Check first with your current distributor because they may offer
green cleaning solutions and microfiber technology, but remember to
make sure they are green-certified by one of the three respected
certification organizations:
Green Seal, Scientific
Certification Systems, or Eco
Logo. If not, there are a number of respected distribution
companies that offer green-cleaning products such as
Sustainable Earth by Corporate Express. By purchasing most of your cleaning solutions from
one distributor, it will reduce the number of trucks that deliver
products to your school, therefore reducing carbon dioxide
emissions. It will also allow you to save money by buying bulk items
in concentrated form. Many companies offer three simple cleaning
solutions that cover all your cleaning needs and come in
concentrated form along with a free mixing machine that will dilute
the solutions with just the right amount of water so that your
custodial staff doesn’t produce needless waste. Some of these
multi-purpose cleaning products such as
Sustainable Earth 65 General Purpose Cleaner, used as a cleaner and degreaser, become
custodian favorites because of their surprising effectiveness and
versatility. Finally, a distributor will often send representatives
to your school for free in order to train the custodial staff on the
proper way to use their products and on how to clean more
efficiently overall. By buying green cleaning products, and training
the staff to be more efficient, Giles has estimated an annual
savings of $3,000 over the traditional cleaning products. However,
he cautions you to keep an open mind when considering different
vendors and remember that they are all good at marketing and their
goal is to sell you products. Only sign on with one after you feel
like you’ve researched the other possibilities thoroughly, and only
purchase what you actually need.
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Clean as a team. Giles emphasizes that to begin cleaning
green, you can’t just switch your styles and methods. You have to
also get everyone on the custodial staff to buy into it. This
requires a team approach and dedicated leadership. Giles’ staff used
to clean buildings one custodian at a time. Now, five or six
custodians tackle the building as a team with each person having a
different task. The approach not only allows staff to feel the sense
of teamwork, but they also look over each other’s work and can alert
each other if something is missed. Furthermore, they can also make
sure everyone is using the green cleaning products appropriately.
Therefore, the teamwork approach saves time during future cleans,
saves cleaning solution, and ultimately saves money. Perhaps the
best benefit is that good cleaning habits will be formed and
everyone can take pride in the fact that they are part of a positive
change.
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Keep brainstorming improvements. Giles is always thinking of
ways cleaning tactics can be adjusted to be more effective, cost
efficient, or green. For example, in order to cut down on carbon
dioxide emissions from extra deliveries and help support the local
economy, Giles decided to buy school trash bags from the local
hardware store. However, the local hardware store was more
expensive. In order to have the best of both worlds (save money and
support the local hardware store), Giles wondered if there was a
more efficient way to use trash bags. Then he realized that he could
use a cheaper and thinner bag in the bathrooms because they collect
less abrasive waste, and by doing that he could have enough savings
to buy the heavy-duty trash bags used outside the bathrooms from the
local hardware store. It also didn’t create any extra carbon dioxide
emissions because the bags would be shipped to the hardware store on
their weekly delivery truck that comes each week regardless of Giles
order.
Challenge your school to initiate these components of a long-term
solution. Besides making your school healthier for occupants and the
environment, you will also save money and be able to set a positive
example for the community.
UT Knoxville set an example by earning Green Seal Certification
for their efforts to clean green. Their website on green cleaning in
their buildings provides valuable information on the exact
procedures they follow that earned them certification. Learn more
about challenging your school to earn
Green Seal Certification. In
order to apply for the same certification as
UT Knoxville and
figure out what the next step would be in order for your school to
achieve it, go to the
preliminary application, and begin by typing in your school name
under “Product/Service” and selecting “GS-42 Cleaning Services” from
the drop-down menu of standards. If you’re interested in earning
certification for other green standards, browse the list of
available options.