The Importance of green cleaning. A new innovation in cleaning. Part One
More cleaning companies are focused on creating safer, environmentally-friendly solutions that are more efficient for facility managers.
As businesses continue to learn the extend of their impact of the environment, more have committed to implementing sustainable practices. Saving the planet is no longer limited to recycling, renewable energy, or even electric vehicles. Chemical companies have also jumped on the green bandwagon in recent years, offering a wealth of environmentally friendly and safer options for cleaning solutions in workplaces, commercial and residential buildings, and public facilities.
THEN VS. NOW – CLEANING GOES GREEN
Just a decade ago, there was a cleaning chemical for virtually everything. You had glass cleaners, solid surface and floor cleaning solutions, toilet cleaners, disinfectants, deodorants, etc. There were over a dozen cleaners used for any one facility.
Today, we’re seeing a consolidation of chemicals where one or two cleaners can be effectively used on multiple surfaces rather than eight or nine different products. This not only bodes well for facility managers on tighter budgets who are getting the highest level of clean with fewer chemicals, but it’s also a win for the environment.
It’s not only chemical products that have gotten a make-over in recent years. Flooring, for example, has also followed sustainable and environmentally friendly trends. Take Terrazzo flooring. A mix of cement and various aggregates, this versatile flooring looks like polished stone or marble and is often used in Class A office buildings, schools, and healthcare facilities. For years, chemical floor finishers were used on terrazzo to enhance its shine and durability. But more recently, building operators are forgoing these chemical finishes and leaving the terrazzo bare, adding only a thin layer of water-based sealer once or twice per year for protection.
Labor utilization is lower, and floors are easier to maintain as a result. In addition, other easy-to-maintain flooring options such as luxury vinyl tile and ceramic tile that looks like wood have come into fashion for their ease of cleaning and low maintenance, eliminating the need for expensive chemical strippers and finishes as well as the labor required to keep up such processes.
Next time we focus on the benefits of green cleaning.
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