Jean Hanson

Are you telling your customers that you provide green cleaning services? Many janitorial cleaning services are telling their customers just that, but all they've really done is changed some of their cleaning chemicals.

We've said it before, but it's worth repeating. Green Cleaning is much more than just switching out your chemicals. Below are a few ways you can incorporate green cleaning into your janitorial cleaning service:

1. Pay more attention to entryways. People track most pollutants into buildings by simply walking through the entrance, so it's important to trap and remove dirt before it enters the building. As a cleaning business, you need to make sure the entrances and entry mats are being cleaned and vacuumed frequently. If your customers don't have entry mats or the mats aren't long enough, suggest they invest in a matting system that will effectively remove soil coming into the building.

2. Minimize airborne particles and chemicals. Avoid using dusters that make dust airborne (like feather dusters). Instead, use microfiber cleaning cloths, which trap the dust in the cloth. Use of microfiber cloths will also reduce the need for cleaning chemicals. When using cleaning chemicals, apply them to the cloth rather than spraying the cleaner onto the surface being cleaned. Reduce the amount of chemical being released into the air by changing the spray to a stream rather than a mist.

3. Use hepa vacuums to reduce airborne particles. Vacuums with filtration systems contain the dust rather than allowing it to spew out into the air again, like conventional cloth bags. Make sure vacuum bags are emptied frequently for more efficient operation.

4. Use environmentally friendly cleaning products. Visit www.GreenSeal.org or Eco Logo for lists of environmentally friendly chemicals.

5. Use chemical management systems for accurate dilution. This helps to eliminate waste. If chemical management systems aren't practical for the location, use super-concentrates. They take up less space, use less water, and they use less packaging than conventional chemicals.

6. Use microfiber flat mops to capture and remove soil rather than moving it around with conventional mops. Also use mop buckets specially designed for microfiber mopping systems. They have separate chambers to keep water from becoming contaminated.

7. Color code cleaning cloths and other tools to avoid cross contamination. Use red cloths for toilets and urinals, green cloths for dusting, and so on. Colorize mop buckets and mop handles to ensure chemicals do not get mixed and carried from one area to another.

8. Use recycled paper products in restrooms. Trash can liners made from recycled content are also available.

9. Incorporate a "Green Cleaning" employee training program. Make sure all employees understand the importance of following procedures.

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Jean Hanson helps owners of small cleaning companies build a more profitable and successful cleaning business through her online community at TheJanitorialStore.com. Read inspirational cleaning success stories at http://www.cleaning-success.com, and sign up for weekly cleaning tips at http://www.TheJanitorialStore.com.