Best Practices for Your Organization

The most successful green cleaning programs consist of more than just procuring better products. The following Best Practices can help to structure and implement green cleaning programs that are flexible and designed for long-term success.

Form a Team
The first step in addressing the environmental and human health effects of cleaning products is to assemble a dedicated team to work on the issue. The team should include a broad range of stakeholders, including staff responsible for procurement, management, custodial staff, and other interested or relevant individuals as necessary. Together, the team will implement decisions regarding the use and procurement of cleaning products and develop a plan for moving forward and measuring results.

Establish Baseline
Begin by determining the baseline, or current consumption. What cleaning products are currently used and in what quantities? What hazardous chemicals are in these products? Re-evaluate the institution’s cleaning needs. Are there different applications, such as glass and hard service cleaning, that could be met by one product, like an all-purpose cleaner? Is it possible to cut waste by purchasing cleaning chemicals in concentrate form?

Set Goals
Critically examine the baseline data and identify areas for improvement. Set specific targets for reductions in costs, number and volume of cleaners used, and the human health and environmental consequences associated with the goals. For example, common goals include reducing employee absences due to health issues associated with cleaning chemicals, and eliminating or limiting the use of specific hazardous chemicals.

Adopt Policy
Consider adopting a policy to formalize the institution’s commitment to purchasing cleaning products that minimize effects on human health and the environment. See the Policies section for examples.

Evaluate Standards and Specifications
After assessing the baseline and setting goals, draft bid specifications that meet qualifications that will help achieve those goals. Rather than developing product qualifications from scratch, time can be saved by referring to existing standards and specifications used by other institutions. Specifications used by similar organizations may meet the needs of your own institution.

Improve Practices
There is more to green cleaning than switching procurement to green cleaning chemicals. Training custodial staff and modifying cleaning protocols can make a big difference in the effectiveness of a green cleaning program. Below are a few guidelines for maximizing the benefits of green cleaners:

Streamline procurement processes so that only those cleaners necessary for established uses are procured.
Improve employee training to ensure custodial workers are using cleaning products properly. According to several green cleaning experts, 90 percent of a cleaning budget is labor costs with only 2 to 5 percent related to chemical costs. If the workers are not using products correctly (whether they are using green products or not), facilities could be spending more than necessary and miss the greatest opportunities to protect human health, the environment, and the value of the building.
Use better cleaning equipment. Many green cleaning guidelines emphasize the importance of placing doormats at entryways to reduce the amount of dirt entering a building. They also encourage the use of microfiber mops and cloths to reduce the need for cleaning chemicals. Experts also promote the use of high efficiency filtration vacuum cleaners to reduce the dust generated by older vacuum technologies.
Modify cleaning protocols to move away from strict schedules for certain highly polluting cleaning activities. For example, some institutions are forgoing regularly scheduling floor stripping in favor of a more flexible schedules that allow floors to be stripped only when needed. This strategy is being adopted by a number of large building owners and is encouraged by the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED standard for existing buildings.
Use Recycled-Content and Bio-Based Products. U.S. federal agencies and others using federal funds are required to buy recycled-content products, including custodial supplies such as paper towels, tissue products, and trash bags. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends recycled-content percentages for these and other products at www.epa.gov/cpg.
Regulations require federal procurement of biobased (plant-based) products designated under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s new Federal Biobased Products Preferred Procurement Program. While no custodial supplies have yet been designated, a variety of custodial products are expected to be designated in the near future. For additional information, visit www.biobased.oce.usda.gov.

Measure Progress
Schedule regular assessments to measure the program’s success. Check to see if predetermined benchmarks are being achieved. Reward or recognize the stakeholders responsible for achieving success. If necessary, identify and address any obstacles that may be limiting the program’s success.