Green Cleaning Ask the Expert

Green Cleaning Q&A

Q.  I only want to buy products that use safer surfactants, can I determine anything from the label or MSDS?

A.  Products that have the U.S. EPA Design for the Environment (Dfe), Green Seal, Ecologo or other reputable third party certification are good indicators of products that use safer surfactants.  For manufacturers, a company that is part of the EPA’s Safer Detergent Stewardship Initiative (SDSI) and has been awarded CHAMPION status means that that the company has committed to using only safer surfactants.  Look for the SDSI logo on the company website or print information.

It can be difficult for the untrained eye to look at an MSDS to make the determination.  A very popular surfactant still used by many manufacturers today is referred to as an NPE or APE Surfactant.  In ‘chemist terminology’, this stands for Alkyl Phenol Ethoxylate or Nonyl Phenol Ethoyxlate.  These surfactant / detergent ingredients are NOT considered readily biodegradable and may have some chronic health concerns.  These types of surfactants have been essentially banned in Canada and Europe, but remain in use in the U.S. because of their low cost.

Q.  Can I use a disinfectant in my green cleaning program and where should I use it?

A.  Disinfectants are an important part of any green cleaning program. Green cleaning guidelines should highlight areas within public buildings where the use of disinfectants is appropriate to help prevent the spread of disease-causing germs from person to surfaces to person

It is important that any disinfectant used in a green cleaning program is EPA registered.  This verifies that ingredients and provides proof the product kills harmful germs.  Every green cleaning program requires a “Disinfectant Strategy” to insure that these products are used properly and only where they are needed.  Disinfectants should be used on HIGH TOUGH surfaces.  These are surfaces that are touched frequently by many people such as door knobs, light switches, toilet flushes, etc.  This is especially important during cold and flu season.  According to the CDC, the common cold alone results in 22 million days of school missed each year!  To learn more about using disinfectants in a green cleaning program, read this informative article

http://www.waterandhealth.org/newsletter/disinfection_green_cleaning.html

Q. Does transitioning to a green cleaning program cost more?

A.  There is a common misconception that going green has to cost more.   Implementing proactive green cleaning practices will help offset any modest increases in cost for green supplies, equipment or chemicals.  Going green in any facility should be considered a cost neutral proposition, with any increases in costs offset by improved productivity and procedures.

Q. Are there certain certifications that are required to become green?

A. The answer is no, there is no certification that is REQUIRED to become green.

Currently, there is no officially governing body that oversees the registration of all green products. 

However, there are several agencies that are well recognized that will give you a “green approval”.  Green Seal and DfE are a couple of well recognized “Green” agencies that will give you approval.  Please see Green Seal's website http://www.greenseal.org/ and EPA's site http://www.epa.gov/dfe/index.htm

A. Unfortunately, defining a “green product” without a certification program (see question #1 above) can be difficult to do.

 A “Green Product” is defined by Presidential Executive Order 13101 as a "product that reduces the impact on health and the environment compared to similar products."

 As you can see, this definition leaves lots of room for interpretation.  However, there are certain ingredients in a cleaning product/program that can be avoided in order to be generally considered green.  Those ingredients are as follows:

 Active ingredient: Active ingredients are more closely associated with a disinfectant or a sanitizer.  Active ingredients such as chlorine (chlorine bleach for example), phenolic compounds or triclosan (a combination of chlorinated and phenolic compounds) are considered to have a detrimental health and negative environmental impact when compared to quaternary ammonium compounds (quats) and hydrogen peroxide.  Quats and hydrogen peroxide would be considered greener alternatives when compared to chlorine and phenolic compounds.

 pH: Although it is not specifically stated, a cleaning product that has a pH that is “neutral” is generally considered to be more safe than one that is not.  A neutral pH is one that is loosely defined as a solution that has a pH of 5-9.  Even this definition is controversial, but generally the closer the pH is to 7.0 the better.  The reason a neutral pH is better is because it is less corrosive than one that is outside the pH 5-9 range.

 VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds):  VOCs can be thought of as ingredients in a formula that will evaporate or are “volatile”.  A common VOC in cleaning products is alcohol.  Alcohol is very useful in allowing a cleaning product to dry quicker and also acts as a solvent to dissolve dirt and grime from services.  However, VOCs are very harmful to indoor air quality and contribute to poor employee health as well as smog formation.  With that said, a certain amount of VOCs are still allowed in cleaning products.  The percentage of VOCs allowed changes with various cleaning product categories.  For example, glass cleaners have a different percent of VOCs allowed than say a carpet shampoo or a floor wax stripper.  Again, the general rule of thumb for a green product (as far as the VOCs are concerned) is to use the one that utilizes the least amount of VOCs or none if possible.

 2-butoxyethanol: Also commonly known as butyl.  Butyl is a very good solvent, but in high doses, it has been linked to reproductive problems and birth defects in animals.  Again, using a product with less or no butyl would be considered green if all else were equal.

 Alkylphenol ethoxylates:  Also known as APE (see glossary).  APEs have been used for years to produce foam in cleaning products.  However, recently APEs have been linked with Endocrine Disruptors and have been banned in many countries including Canada and the EU.  Use of a cleaning product with no APEs would be considered green.

 Many other restrictions exist (and are too numerous to list here) depending on which agency is used as the yard stick to your green cleaning program.  For more information, please see internet links provided above.

Q. I am confused about how to get started with a green cleaning program in the facility that I manage.  How do I make the transition to green cleaning?

 A. The cleaning industry has NOT done a good job in simplifying this process and helping people understand that green cleaning is about much more than using certain types of products.  To simplify the process, first we chose to separate the management/administration function from the operation functions.  We have focused on a ‘nut and bolts’ operations approach and have consolidated the process to 6 simple operational steps that can be found on this website under the tab labeled ‘Your Easy Guide to Green’. 

The management and administration part is geared to actively supporting operation through a wide variety of communications and public relations activities.

One of the most important things to remember is that going green is a transition that does not take place overnight.  It is also a never ending  process of continuous improvement