10 Tips for a Clean & Green Office
Recent government reports and non-profit studies have revealed that exposure to chemicals and toxins found in common cleaning products can cause reproductive problems, lung issues, and multiple forms of cancer. In fact, a recent EPA study concluded that toxic chemicals in common cleaners are three times more likely to cause cancer than outdoor air. Additionally, in 2013, the American Association of Poison Control Centers listed cleaning substances as one of the top three most common reasons for exposure to poison in adults.
One of the most prolific places for exposure to concerning cleaning chemicals is the workplace. Are you longing for a clean and green office? Check out 10 green office cleaning tips below—offered up by OpenWorks, a leading commercial cleaning and integrated facility services company—and share them with your office’s manager. These tips can help all employers and cleaning professionals avoid dangerous cleaning products and create healthier work environments.
“Too few American workers realize the health risks they face at their office due to dangerous cleaning products and uninformed cleaning crews,” says OpenWorks founder Eric Roudi. “At OpenWorks, we are dedicated to improving all workplaces we serve by using 100% green and environmentally sound cleaning strategies, including using the safest cleaning products on the market. We are sharing these ten tips to make sure all Americans have an opportunity to execute similarly healthy and green strategies at home and at work.”
10 Tips for a Clean & Green Office
1. Quick-Fix Means Danger: Avoid air fresheners and fabric protection sprays as they contain chemicals linked to endocrine system issues, like reproductive problems.
2. Treating Carpet is a No-No: Stay away from carpet floors if you are opening a new facility. However, if you do have carpet, avoid carpet cleaners and stain-resistant treatments that expose your office to chemicals. Rely on a steam cleaner instead.
3. Beware of Old Furniture: In recent years, laws have been created to rid the furniture market of PBDE’s, which are fire retardants that break down into dangerous metabolites linked to cancer. Old furniture may be putting your office (and its workers) at risk.
4. Replace Cleaners with Clever DIY Tricks: For DIY projects, there are many standard household items that can be used to clean surfaces and handle tough odors. These include, but are not limited to, lemon, cooking oil, vinegar and baking soda.
5. Carefully Inspect Cleaning Product Labels: Even though only 7% of cleaning products adequately disclose their list of ingredients, some do reveal dangerous chemicals on the bottle. Make sure to avoid cleaning products that contain dangerous chemicals like phthalates, formaldehyde, and “chemical surfacants.”
6. Make Air Quality a High Priority: A recent EPA study concluded that toxic chemicals in household cleaners are three times more likely to cause cancer than outdoor air. Additionally, consistent exposure to other dangerous elements (like asbestos) has been linked to cancer and mesothelioma. Make sure your internal and/or external cleaning team has the resources to check HVAC/ventilation systems and control air quality.
7. Go Green with LEED-Certified Cleaners: It’s important to make sure that the cleaning crew who maintains your building is LEED certified. The US Green Building Council ensures LEED certified facility management teams are up to speed on best practices regarding green cleaning. Help the environment while keeping your staff healthy.
8. Don’t Skimp on Cleaning Technology: Commercial cleaning experts are investing considerable time, money, and resources to improve health and quality. Technological advancements, like sprayer nozzles that reduce chemical releases, are making a big difference. Invest in modernized cleaning equipment to take advantage.
9. Establish a Cleaning Policy with Employees: All of the changes you make as an employer will be compromised if your staff neglects to follow suit. Educate your employees on the damaging effects of cleaning products and create a policy that restricts and/or bans their use.
10. Hire a Proven Cleaning Company that Values Health and Open Relationships: Trust a commercial cleaning and facility maintenance company who uses only safe, environmentally sound products and understands green cleaning techniques. Make sure they work with you to understand the your specific needs.
Numbers You Need to Know: Common Cleaning Products
• Indoor air quality is a top five environmental risk to public health. *
• Toxic chemicals in household cleaners are three times more likely to cause cancer than outdoor air. *
• 30% of cleaning products contain ingredients known to cause human health or environmental problems. **
• Cleaners are the third most common reason for exposure to poison in adults. ***
• 53% of cleaning products contain lung harming ingredients. ****
• Only 7% of cleaning products adequately disclose their list of ingredients. ****
• 22% of cleaning products contain chemicals known to cause asthma in otherwise healthy people. ****
SOURCES:
* Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
** Green Schools Initiative
*** National Capital Poison Center
**** The Environmental Working Group
Loading ...
October 10th, 2014 at 1:16 pm
The facts presented in this article are true and we all need to pay attention to how we effect the air we breathe. Please ask yourself if there is something you can be doing differently…then do it! 🙂
November 3rd, 2014 at 5:18 pm
hujllhj
December 17th, 2014 at 3:53 pm
[…] that contain chemicals such as phthalates or formaldehyde can make all the difference. According to Green Cleaning Magazine, “recent government reports and non-profit studies have revealed that exposure to chemicals and […]
May 29th, 2015 at 1:30 pm
It’s great to see this recent focus on being environmentally friendly in cleaning. It can be a difficult balance between being green and being clean, so I think your number 10 tip is very important. After all, a clean office can make such a difference in both employee morale and customer perception. Good commercial cleaning services can make all the difference. Let’s all commit to being both green and clean!
May 29th, 2015 at 6:48 pm
It’s true that in the past products weren’t always made with safe materials. As mentioned, old furniture can be a potential health risk. It can be hard to make time for cleaning as a business owner, which is why it can be so beneficial to hire a professional service to take care of it. Thanks for the great tips!
June 1st, 2015 at 5:13 pm
There’s a lot I don’t know about green cleaning, but this is a great article to help me get started. You made a good point to make sure there’s a policy employees follow, and it would be a good idea to have recycling bins around the office as well. Thanks for sharing 🙂
http://www.missionimpossiblecleaning.com.au
June 19th, 2015 at 4:42 pm
I had no idea that there were so many things to be careful with when looking at office cleaning. It seems like you can’t be too cautious. We’ll be sure to look into having a professional company come out and clean it, like you suggest, to make sure we take care of everything.
July 14th, 2015 at 1:28 pm
Thanks for the cleaning tips. I can’t believe your figure about 22% of cleaning products can cause asthma. That makes your suggestion about making air quality a priority seem even more important. Thanks for the info!
July 24th, 2015 at 7:28 am
nice tips for keeping place clean.
September 10th, 2015 at 9:51 am
I’m surprised that air fresheners or fabric protection sprays could cause health problems like reproductive problems. This article presents to me some facts that I haven’t thought of before. In our days green cleaning must be promoted much more, because it concerns everyone. Thanks for the article!
September 10th, 2015 at 1:31 pm
Really nice and neat containing! Thank you for these useful tips!My colleagues and I like very much natural cleaning products. Thanks to our employer, we are introduced to environment-friendly cleaning. It helped us in our own houses as well.
September 14th, 2015 at 1:41 pm
It was really shocking to know that the cleaning material that we use, are more hazardous and are less likely to make out offices and homes clean. We should inspect the cleaning products carefully before using it. If you have a list of hazardous chemicals that are used in cleaning material like phthalates, formaldehyde, avoid such products.
October 5th, 2015 at 3:00 pm
What frightens me so much in my findings is how our cleaners are linked to increased risks of cancer in adults and children.
November 4th, 2015 at 11:35 pm
Wow, thanks so much for writing! I always caution against using “quick fixes” when it comes to cleaning an office. It’s never a good idea to put work like that off for later, you should just knuckle-down and get it done as soon as possible. Hiring a cleaning company is always an options, and a pretty good one at that.
November 6th, 2015 at 11:27 am
Extremely helpful tips, and not just for the office, but for the home as well. Sometimes the people don’t realize how danger the dust can be for their health. I also like the idea to be more green cleaners!
November 9th, 2015 at 4:16 am
Great read!Your 10 tips of cleaning office is very important. As a business owner can’t give time to clean office,so why it can be so beneficial to hire a professional cleaning service provider to take care of it.Clean environment is important for all of a office.
Thanks for the great tips!
November 12th, 2015 at 7:01 am
Thank for the tips i agree with you you need to Establish a Cleaning Policy with Employees, if everyone helps out it will be a lot better and save the company a bit on Cleaning services.
December 22nd, 2015 at 2:37 am
Greeting! Am glad to find your blog giving detail tips for a clean and green office. I like the way you have crafted this blog making it interesting and simple. http://www.brilliancecleaning.com.au/
January 5th, 2016 at 9:35 am
Hello Every One, This is a Grate News Miami Valley Cleaning strives for customer satisfaction. We are detailed, scheduled, and thorough. We are available Monday-Friday to clean your home or office. If you want to know more about us then please Visit us at http://miamivalleycleaning.com
January 20th, 2016 at 12:53 am
I like what this article mentions about making good air quality high on the priority list. I am thinking of investing in some commercial cleaning, and I think that having them focus more on the air could be very beneficial to the feel of the office. I often feel as though the stench from the outside can make the office feel musty, so having them use fresheners might be able to help eliminate that. Thanks for sharing!
March 16th, 2016 at 12:56 pm
That’s a very detailed post about how to green clean your office space. Do you mind if I am using it as a reference on my website?
May 13th, 2016 at 12:26 pm
Thank you for the help. We have had a hard time with our office cleaning. I like the idea of hiring a reliable cleaning service, as you mentioned. Do you think that is the most effective way to maintain a clean office space?
May 18th, 2016 at 1:53 pm
Having good air is really a good tip if you ask me. I know that a lot of people have allergies and working in an environment must not be fun at all. I’ll have to look into commercial cleaning services to see if they can help with that specific problem. Thanks for the advice!
May 30th, 2016 at 6:08 pm
After reading through this article I realize that I’ll need to take more care for the air quality in my home and office. I can see it’s importance since you mentioned how the air quality indoors is usually worse than outside. I’ll be taking more care for preventing and cleaning my home and office’s air. Thanks for your helpful post.
June 24th, 2016 at 4:55 pm
I like your suggestion to hire a proven cleaning company that values health and open relationships. It’s really important for your cleaning company to understand what you need from them and your preferences. The more willing the company is to work with you, the better your relationship will be, too.
June 30th, 2016 at 10:02 pm
This post is invaluable. Thank you!
July 22nd, 2016 at 11:33 pm
Hello, Thanks for awesome tips of office cleaning. These tips are really helpful to serve the clients better.
August 5th, 2016 at 4:58 pm
I like your tip to avoid carpets in an office. I like workplaces that have concrete floors or tile because they seem to be cleaner. Either way it’s probably a good idea to have office cleaning services come through periodically to help keep things clean and healthy.
August 7th, 2016 at 1:07 pm
We followed directions: spray several pumps on the carpet, dip a brush
in hot water and work it into the stain until foaming’then dry
the area with an old towel. The only thing they need to do is
contact the professionals of cleaning. Aside from
that, asking advice and suggestions from experienced handlers or professionals can help
you a lot in sustaining the business full potential.