Steve Hanson

The green movement has not been slowing down, and manufacturers of green cleaning chemicals are putting more dollars into research and product development than ever before. Many of the products being developed are made from citrus, soy and hydrogen peroxide. These ingredients are all renewable resources, which is one of the reasons they're considered "green."

Renewable resources are less toxic to the environment, biodegradeable, contain fewer or no VOC's (volatile organic compounds), and have lower odor. Many of these products are also multi-use products, meaning you don't need to use so many different products for different applications. Instead, you mix the concentrated product into different dilutions depending on the surface being cleaned.

One of the problems manufacturers have had with hydrogen peroxide products is the short shelf life. But in recent months they have combined hydrogen peroxide (a surfactant) with d-Limonene (a bio-based solvent). This combination now makes for products that could last five years or so, rather than just a few months.

Another problem manufactures have had to deal with is being able to develop products that are powerful enough for the tough jobs like grease, oil and tar. This is where citrus products come in because they're solvents. The d-Limonene contained in citrus products are used in products like degreasers, glass cleaners, toilet bowl cleaners and furniture polishes.

Manufacturers have also looked to replace petroleum based products with other renewable oils like soybean oil, corn oil and eucalyptus oil. Each of these oils have properties that work well for certain types of products. For example, soybean oil is being used in graffiti remover and oven cleaner, while eucalyptus oil is being used for it's odor supressing properties.

Talk with your local janitorial distributor and read trade magazines to keep on top of new product innovations. Green products have come a long way in the past 5 years, but new, innovative products are being developed every day so it's important to keep educated and replace products as necessary with better, improved products.

Copyright © The Janitorial Store (TM)

Thoughts or comments? Please consider posting them to the discussion forum

Would you like to reprint this article in your newsletter, on your web site, or on your blog? You sure can! As long as the article is complete and unaltered (including the author information below). Send a copy of the reprint to us by filling out the contact form, including the URL of the published article. (Make sure all links are live if placed in an e-zine, on a web site or blog.)

You must include the following information at the end of each article you reprint:

Copyright © TheJanitorialStore.com. All Rights Reserved.
Steve Hanson helps owners of small cleaning companies build a more profitable and successful cleaning business through his 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.