Environmentally Preferred Purchasing and
Green Cleaning

Content provided by:  Cassandra Contreras, LEED A.P,
Strategic Sales & Marketing Manager, Cleansource                 

Green Cleaning and Equipment Information

Green cleaning practices will help maintain good indoor air quality, increase occupant health and comfort, assure a clean building, and provide a healthy environment for the custodial crew.  When implemented a green cleaning policy will minimize the property’s impact on the local environment by utilizing environmentally safe, low-impact cleaning chemicals and practices in the building.

Use of daily green cleaning products:                                   
The Majority of the cleaning products used should be Green Seal-37 certified.  When Green Seal certified products are not available, cleaning products must comply with California Code of Regulation maximum allowable VOC levels.  If Green Seal products are not available, work with the custodial provider or staff to research and use a more environmentally friendly product than the conventional version of the cleaning agent.  All floor cleaners must be Zinc free.

Use of chemical concentrates and appropriate dilution systems:  
Use a proportioning system from your supplier to mix the concentrated cleaning reagents.  The systems are user friendly and require no manual measurement. Features include:

  • Closed dilution system.
  • Portion controlled/locked in system.  You cannot tamper with or change dilution rate.
  • System attaches directly to the faucet.
  • Easy slide bottle feature allows for quick product changes.
  • Instantly primes.  When disengaged, product instantly drains back into the container.  No cross contamination.
  • Each product is numbered and color coded for simplified use (the concentrated bottles and spray bottles are both color coded).
  • Educator system is more accurate over varying water pressure than gravity drip systems.
  • Upright bottle design will not leak or drip!

Floor Finishes                                                                                                                                           
Require that only GS-40 Green Seal certified floor finishes and strippers are used.  This product is zinc-free and provides great performance.

Low environmental impact cleaning equipment that reduces impact on indoor air quality.                                                                                  
Initiate the following requirements for all new cleaning equipment purchased for use in the building.  If you are using an out of house custodial company mention that they must follow the policy and if vendors change certify that all of the cleaning equipment meets the specifications below.

  • Vacuum cleaners that meet CRI (Carpet and Rug Institute) “Green Label” Testing program and must be able to capture 96% of particulates at 0.3 microns in size and sound levels less than 70dBA.
  • All powered maintenance equipment including floors buffers, burnishers and automatic scrubbers must be equipped with vacuums, guards, and/or other devices for capturing fine particulates and sound levels less than 70dBA.
  • All hot water extractors for deep cleaning of carpets must be capable of removing sufficient moisture such that carpets dry in less than 24 hours.
  • Whenever possible, all cleaning equipment should be ergonomically designed to minimize vibration, noise, and user fatigue.
  • Battery operated machines should use environmentally preferable batteries wherever possible.
  • Propane-powered floor equipment must have high-efficiency, low-emissions engines.
  • Automatic scrubbing machines are equipped with variable-speed feed pumps to optimize the use of cleaning fluids.
  • Where appropriate, active micro fiber technology is used to reduce cleaning chemical consumption and prolong life of disposable cleaning pads.
  • Equipment will have rubber bumpers to reduce potential damage to building surfaces.
  • A log will be kept for all powered cleaning equipment to document the date of purchase and all repair and maintenance activities and includes vendor cut sheets for each type of equipment in the log book.

Proper training of maintenance personnel in the hazards, use, maintenance and disposal of cleaning chemicals, dispensing equipment, and packaging:        
Require that the custodial vendor provide initial and ongoing training for their employees at a minimum in the following areas:

  • Safe Handling and Disposal of Cleaning Materials
  • Ergonomic training Including Safe Lifting Practices and Proper Equipment Handling
  • Effective Recycling: proper handling, sorting, and disposal of recycling, compost and trash.
  • Proper mixing/dilution of Concentrated Chemicals
  • All custodians must be trained in how to read an MSDS sheet and heir location
  • Hazardous and blood borne pathogens

Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Information

Purchasing environmentally preferable maintenance products is a great place to start improving your site’s impact on the environment.  Some of the places you can apply this policy include janitorial paper products, receptacle liners, hand soaps, office paper products, business and marketing materials, paints, building maintenance products (caulk, adhesives, etc…) and construction materials.  The guidelines below will help you establish your office’s environmentally preferable purchasing policy, then wherever possible also recommend that tenants do the same. 

Use of EPA Compliant Disposable Janitorial Paper Products and Trash Can Liners:
Use janitorial paper products and trash can liners that meet the minimum requirement by the Environmental Protection Agency for recycled content.  The requirements are:

Product Recycled Content
Post-consumer Waste		 Total
Recycled Content
Bathroom Tissue

 20-60% 20-100%
Paper Towels

 40-60% 40-100%
Paper Napkins

 30-60% 30-100%
Facial Tissue

 10-15% 10-100%
General Purpose Wipers

 40% 40-100%
Plastic Trash Bags 10-100% n/a

Alternatively, Janitorial Paper products that are Green Seal certified or EcoLogo certified are also options.  Check with your janitorial supply provider to confirm the recycled content of the products you are currently purchasing. 

Environmentally safe hand soaps:
Use only Green Seal certified or EcoLogo certified hand soap in the common use restrooms. 

Use of recycled content office paper and marketing products: 
Require that your office purchases only office paper made from 100% post consumer recycled content and is made with a process that is chlorine free.  Business cards, envelopes, and marketing material should be printed on recycled content paper (minimum of 30% post-consumer recycled content).  If possible use vegetable based inks, buy remanufactured toner cartridges and definitely recycle used toner cartridges when empty.

Low VOC paints and Eco-friendly flooring options for build outs:      
Require that construction in your building uses only low VOC paints, low or no formaldehyde, non-aerosol, and with recyclable packaging when painting an office.  In addition, eco-friendly flooring option such as recycled ceramic tiles, reclaimed wood, or wood certified by Forest Stewardship Council harvested wood, and eco-friendly furniture can be recommended. 

Eco-friendly Building Maintenance Products:
Require engineering and maintenance staff use caulks, adhesives, paints, etc. that have low or no VOC’s and are considered eco friendly (such as those listed on www.builditgreen.org).

Purchase EPEAT computers, notebooks and monitors.
Require that the management office purchases Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) certified desktop computers, notebooks & monitors. EPEAT certified products are energy efficient and use lesser quantities of hazardous constituents.  Recommend the same policy to tenants.

Definitions and Resources:
Processed Chlorine Free (PCF) always contains feedstock fibers which meet EPA guidelines for post-consumer content. While the recycled-content portion may contain fibers that have been conventionally bleached, the balance of the paper pulp is bleached without using any chlorine containing compounds.

Information on Vegetable Based Inks for Printers:
Printer’s National Environmental Information Center
http://www.pneac.org/sheets/litho/inks.cfm
Commercial Printing Companies
http://commercialprintingcompanies.net/?p=71
Environmentally responsible Printing
http://www.environmentallyresponsibleprinting.com/

Forest Stewardship Council harvested wood and other products
FSC certification is a voluntary, market-based tool that supports responsible forest management worldwide. FSC certified forest products are verified from the forest of origin through the supply chain. The FSC label ensures that the forest products used are from responsibly harvested and verified sources.

Eco-friendly flooring options: www.builditgreen.org

Stop Waste Green Maintenance Guide http://www.stopwaste.org/docs/gbmg-dec-20-07ltr.pdf

EPEAT® is the definitive global registry for greener electronics, covering the most products from the broadest range of manufacturers. Only EPEAT combines comprehensive, objective criteria for design, production, energy and materials use and recycling with ongoing independent verification of manufacturer claims after registration. With more than 3,200 products from 45 manufacturers registered in 41 countries, EPEAT has rapidly become the most comprehensive green electronics registry in existence.

To find out if your computers and monitors are EPEAT Registered and Energy Star Qualified visit www.epeat.net

 

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