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Green Cleaning: Products and Practices to Improve Indoor Air Quality

Green Cleaning: Products and Practices to Improve Indoor Air Quality. Alicia Culver Green Purchasing Institute 510-547-5475 Info@GreenPurchasing.org. 2008 Green Schools Summit Anaheim, CA • December 8, 2008. Why Avoid Toxic Cleaning Products?. Protect workers’ health

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Green Cleaning: Products and Practices to Improve Indoor Air Quality

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  1. Green Cleaning: Products and Practices to Improve Indoor Air Quality Alicia Culver Green Purchasing Institute 510-547-5475 Info@GreenPurchasing.org 2008 Green Schools Summit Anaheim, CA • December 8, 2008

  2. Why Avoid Toxic Cleaning Products? • Protect workers’ health • Improve indoor air quality (IAQ) • Children = most vulnerable • Reduce environmental impacts • Smog, ozone depletion, global warming • Toxicity to fish, wildlife

  3. Health Hazards of Cleaning Chemicals • ~5 billion pounds used annually • 6 out of every 100 janitors injured each year • 20% of injuries are severe chemical burns to eyes/skin

  4. What is “Green” Cleaning? Products and practices that protect human health and environment • Choosing safer products • Reducing quantity of chemicals • Minimizing exposure

  5. Green Cleaners Save $ Opportunities to cut costs by: • Reducing variety of products used • Competitively bidding green cleaners • Reducing amount of chemicals used via best practices

  6. Replace High Hazard Products • Floor strippers (asthma, burns) • Disinfectants (asthma, organ poison) • Degreasers/Solvents (cancer, nerve damage) • Acid toilet cleaner (burns) • Metal polish (cancer, flammable) • Graffiti/Paint Removers (cancer, reproductive damage)

  7. Choose Certified Green Cleaners • Low toxicity • No cancer-causing ingredients • Not corrosive to eyes or skin or skin sensitizer • Won’t pollute air or deplete ozone layer • Won’t kill fish • Will biodegrade • Low phosphorous • Package recyclable • Available as concentrate • Limits on fragrances used • Certain ingredients prohibited • Performance tested • Vendor training available

  8. “Green Washing” Discourage specification of industry self-certified “green” products Industry standards are usually weaker than those set by independent third party organizations. Avoid specification of products with single health- or environmental attribute (e.g., biodegradable)

  9. Green Seal-certified Cleaning Product Types • General/Multi/All Purpose Cleaner • Restroom Cleaners • Floor Cleaner/Finish/Stripper • Toilet Bowl Cleaner/Descaler • Tub & Tile/Grout Cleaner • Glass Cleaner • Degreaser • Carpet Cleaner • Hand SoapSeewww.greenseal.org/certproducts.htm

  10. Availability of Less-Toxic Cleaning Products Made by many major manufacturers • 3M, Betco, Butchers, Ecolab, Johnson Diversey, Spartan Sold by mainstream distributors • Grainger Comparable pricing • Special discounts offered to schools through State contract with Waxie

  11. Minimize Need for Harsh Cleaners • Assess: Where does dirt come from? • Reduce Dirt: HEPA vacuums • Prevent Mold and Mildew: Fix leaks, eliminate moisture, ventilate • Improve Interior Design: Door mats, no wax floors

  12. Dilute Properly • Use automatic dilution equipment • Prevents exposure • Saves money • Follow instructions • Twice as much is NOT twice as good

  13. Try Microfiber • Cost-effective (life-cycle basis) • Reduce chemical use (~1/2) • Minimize water use (up to 95%) • Prevent injuries (chemical exposure, back strain, accidents) • Effective (reduce dirt, avoid cross-contamination)www.sustainablehospitals.org/PDF/tenreasonsmop.pdfwww.epa.gov/region09/waste/p2/projects/hospital/mops.pdf

  14. Avoid Aerosols • Fine mist can penetrate lungs • Propellants hazardous/flammable • Cans may explode • Expensive

  15. Choose Fragrance-free • Many people are allergic to scents • Switch to fragrance- free products • Educate building occupants

  16. Use Disinfectants Properly • All disinfectants are toxic (EPA-registered pesticides) • Disinfectants cannot be certified green • Disinfectants should be… • Used only when needed • Applied only after surface is cleaned • Properly diluted • Left on long enough to be effective • Look for peroxide-based products

  17. Avoid Anti-bacterial Soap US Food and Drug Administration: No more effective than soap & water May increase germs’ resistance to antibiotics Can strip hands of oil & “friendly” bacteria May interfere with hormone system Found in: Hand soaps, toothpaste Dishwashing liquids and sponges

  18. Reduce Exposure • Provide protective equipment • Gloves • Goggles • Respirator • Ventilate • Clean when other occupants away

  19. Conduct Training New products may require different cleaning methods Training is essential to ensure proper transition to green cleaning products and practices

  20. Green Cleaners Save $ Opportunities to cut costs by: • Reducing variety of products used • Replacing 20 different cleaning products with a single Green Seal certified product saved $280,000 per year at the Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville, Georgia • Reducing amount of chemicals used via best practices

  21. Green Cleaning in Hawaii Schools: Pilot Tests • Evaluated existing cleaning products and procedures • Identified and tested less-toxic products • Addressed implementation issues • Trained employees products and practices • Negotiating with vendors to secure discounts on products/equipment

  22. Benefits Documented in Pilot Tests • Cost savings • Health & safety improvements • Equivalent or better performance • Time savings • Smaller storage footprint • Environmental benefits

  23. Cost Savings: Disinfectants

  24. Green Cleaning Products: Performed as Well or Better Peroxide cleaner/disinfectant • effective at removing dirt • whitened grout, cleaned carpets/mirrors • left no residue to rinse • eliminated restroom odors and “blue” staining Floor stripper removed old wax with less rinsing needed Microfiber mops more effective, especially around edges

  25. Hawaii Pilot Test Health & Safety Improvements • Workers reported “green” floor strippers and disinfectants caused fewer breathing problems • Microfiber mops easier to push around than cotton mops • Green cleaners in no-spill containers

  26. Health & Safety Improvements • Vermont school reported: • 37% reduction in reported cold symptoms (from 230 to 144) • 60% decrease in asthma attacks (from 15 to 6) • 10 to 15% decrease in general illnesses

  27. Green Cleaning Resources Cleaning for Healthy Schools Toolkit National Collaborative Workgroup on Green Cleaning and Chemical Policy Reform in Schools www.cleaningforhealthyschools.org Cleaning for Health Report (2002) www.informinc.org/cleanforhealth.php Green Cleaning Site Visit Checklist www.informinc.org/FS_CHP_Site%20Visit%20Check%20List.pdfGreen Cleaning: Healthier Cleaning and Maintenance Practices and Products for Schools www.healthyschools.org

  28. More Green Cleaning Resources Quick & Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schoolshttp://healthyschoolscampaign.org/campaign/green_clean_schools/guide.php Janitorial Products Pollution Prevention Project Offers fact sheets on safe and effective cleaning methods http://www.wrppn.org/Janitorial/jp4.cfm Graffiti Remover Research and Field Test Report: The Search for Safer Productswww.responsiblepurchasing.org/publications/Grafitti_Report.pdf 29

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