Posts Tagged ‘eco cleaning’

How to Choose Green Cleaning Products

Tuesday, December 15th, 2009

Green cleaning stands for cleaning that promotes a healthy environment for people while being eco-friendly.  Green cleaning involves a lot of considerations, like reviewing the cleaning procedures and equipment the cleaning company uses, as well as the cleaning products they employ.

It’s easy to assess if a cleaning business is using the right vacuums and dusters for green cleaning, however, it is not so simple to know if the products they are using are truly green.

Here we give you some tips to help you identify if your office cleaning service is truly working green:

1.    The products they use should be certified by Green Seal, which provides environmental certification standards for green cleaning products based on scientific examination.

2.    The products should not be toxic for humans or animals, and especially marine life.

3.    The products should be biodegradable, meaning they may be disintegrated by microbes.  The longer it takes to disappear, the more harmful it is. The products should have a label stating that they are biodegradable.

4.    Check if the product is concentrated or ready to use.  Ready to use products contain 90% water, meaning more energy and packaging were used to produce them, and extra packaging means extra solid waste.  Concentrated cleaning products use much less water, less packaging, and weigh less, diminishing the cost of fuel needed to transport the product to the stores.

5.    Green cleaning products work perfectly well with cold water.  This saves energy, contrary to products needing hot water, which require much more energy to work well.

6.    Products shouldn’t contain chlorine bleach.  Residue water containing this chemical can cause a toxic reaction when in contact with other chemicals.

7.    Green products are not made with petroleum.  Petroleum is a non-renewable resource, it is flammable, and can be toxic if it is inhaled.  Green cleaning uses products made from pine oil or citrus, which are renewable resources.

8.    Green products do not come in aerosol.  Aerosol bottles are dangerous if they are perforated, because the spray is out of control and can put people at risk of over exposure.

9.    Products should be pH neutral (7.0), which is safer for both the environment and people.  Alkaline or acidic products may burn your skin.

10.    Green cleaning products come in recycled containers.  In many cases, post-consumer materials are used to manufacture the containers and cardboard boxes.

There are many ways to do things, but there is only ONE right way.  If you are truly committed to green living, you should go all the way and ensure you are making the right choices, to the last detail.  Ensure that the office cleaning company you hire is in line with your life philosophy and doing its part to contribute to the health of the planet and its preservation.

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Go For Green Cleaning At the Office and Save Yourself

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

People today, and the generations to come, have to live with the sad and threatening reality of Global Warming over their heads.  Global warming is the result of glaciers melting, sea levels rising and rain forests and wildlife dying, and we, human beings, are to blame.  Yes, read it again:  It is our fault, we have been reckless!

It’s been ages of releasing harmful gases and toxic chemicals into the atmosphere while performing our daily life activities what has taken the planet to the sad point where it is today, worse then ever before in history.

The problem with global warming resides on the changes it causes on the Earth’s climate patterns.  As the globe spins, new heat goes along, collecting moisture from all over the oceans, rising somewhere and settling somewhere else.  Global warming is changing the weather configuration that is vital for living organisms of all kinds, and only we, as its cause, can work on the solution.

An important change we should make is in the way we clean big and small spaces.  The average person uses around 40 pounds of toxic cleaning products per year!  These products contain neurotoxins, carcinogens, allergens, central nervous system depressants and heavy metals, among other substances, that can produce cancer, respiratory problems, reproductive abnormalities, allergies, behavior problems, and many other serious illnesses.  Toxic products reach the environment when flushed down the toilet, when poured down sinks, when sprayed in the air, when thrown in the garbage and when dumped on the ground.  When we think about this, one can’t but wonder: What on earth are we thinking???

So, whether you do it yourself or hire a professional commercial cleaning service, change the cleaning products you use to natural ones, green products.  By selecting products that are made out of natural substances and that are environment-friendly, you are saving people, animals and the planet.  The best office cleaning companies are the ones that use natural products to perform their service, showing care and respect for their industry, profession, clients, and the world.  One thing is clear and crucial for survival at this critical point, everyone must start taking responsibility and doing his or her share.

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Office Cleaning the Way Grandma Used to Clean

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

Who doesn’t believe that every past time was better?  We hear that all the time and there is a reason for it.  In the past, when our grandparents were growing up, no one wasted money, every penny was sacred.  And this was also true when cleaning.  Grandmas cleaned the old-fashioned way, and their houses were always shiny and smelling fresh.  They learned the secret from their parents: to use natural cleaning products that were superb at getting the job done.

Back then people were smart.  They did not let others fool them to spend a fortune on toxic products that could only bring harm.  In contrast, today, we are so busy taking care of our families and earning money that we have no time to learn what is actually good for us and our kids.  The wisest thing we can do in this case is to put ourselves in the hands of professionals who do know how to clean well and safely.

A professional office cleaning service will teach you and your staff about green cleaning and how to keep your office and the environment safe.  Is your business suffering from constant leaves due to asthma, respiratory conditions, allergies, and maybe even some other life threatening illnesses in employees?  Sure it is!  And toxic cleaning products are probably to blame.  It is that serious and these are that dangerous, but the companies that produce these products will never tell you what you and everyone else are exposed to, they just care about the money they make.  It is up to you to check the ingredients they contain and their long-term effects on the body, and if you don’t have the time, which most certainly you don’t, hire a commercial cleaning service that does and cares.

Office cleaning services that choose natural products containing ingredients like baking soda, borax, cornstarch, lemon juice, mineral oil and vinegar, just like what grandma used and even made herself, know about the healthy way to clean and care for their clients enough to use products that will not harm them.  These companies go beyond cleaning, as they have a more important mission, to teach you and most importantly, show you, how much better it is to clean green.

So, go back in time, and hire a cleaning company with the principles your grandma lived by, you will never regret it and will surely live longer to enjoy a healthy planet!

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.maintenance-one.com as the original source).

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