It’s Earth Day tomorrow. Do you know what cleaning chemicals or methods of cleaning are being used to clean your office workspace? How about the stores you like to shop at? If you live in a strata or apartment, do you know what is being used to clean the place you call home?

In honor of Earth Day, and in a continuous effort to further the green cleaning cause, why not ask? It might even make you healthier, as well as the planet.

This author is not necessarily advocating a return to cleaning our surroundings with vinegar and baking powder but it would help all concerned if we could continue to curtail the flow of phosphate based cleaning agents into our waterways.

If you’ve read our blog in the past, you will know that Cleantech uses Eco Logo green cleaning agents wherever possible and we have eliminated bleach from the majority of our daily operations. We use the most up to date green cleaning tools and procedures to ensure our sites are clean but also cleaned in a manner that is socially responsible. Our cleaning service personnel appreciate this and so do our clients.

Why not ask your provider what they use and how they use it?

According to CCH Incorporated (a company that produces electronic and print products for the tax, legal, securities, insurance, human resources, health care, and small business markets) unscheduled absenteeism can cost up to an average of $602 per employee, per year.  Considering most employers offer on average 5 sick days per year, this means that each sick day costs more than $120.  This cost does not include indirect costs such as overtime pay for other employees, hiring temps, missed deadlines, lost sales, sinking morale and lower productivity. Indirect costs can add up to 25 percent to the direct costs, according to Employee Benefit News and HR News stretching the cost of a sick day to more that $150! http://humanresources.about.com/od/laborrelations/a/sickleaveabuse.htm

It has been overwhelmingly documented in the wake of the HINI pandemic that a properly cleaned office space results in fewer sick employees.  Thorough cleaning hinders the spread of vectors via touch points on office surfaces such as door handles and other commonly touched surfaces.

Having read the statements above, it is easy to make a case that a properly cleaned office space will save the operation money over the course of a year.  The next time you put your office cleaning services out for tender, think twice before accepting the lowest bid.   Remember that if by spending an extra $100 dollars per month, and you prevent even one employee sick day per month, you are saving $50.

Did you know that many green cleaning agents have little to no smell?  Many of the latest commercial green cleaning chemicals are designed to leave behind no fragrances.  Fragrances in traditional cleaning chemicals have been associated with VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds) which contribute to health problems when inhaled.

There is work to do to eductate the public on this subject.  Many in North America have been raised to think that a room must smell clean to be clean.  This is simply no longer true.  Call our office or one of our supervisors to learn more.

Cleantech Janitorial is pleased to offer additional protection and disinfection products and services to our clients upon request. We have, in cooperation with our suppliers, assembled kits containing essentials such as hand sanitizers, disinfecting wipes, gloves, and facemasks. Kits are available for $249.00 and will be delivered in mid October.

Kits must be ordered by Sept 30th

Further we will work closely with our clients in the event of a suspected outbreak in their building to offer special disinfecting deep cleans upon request. Ask one of our Supervisors or call our office for details @ 604-244-1660.

Lincolnwood, IL, USA, August 6, 2009—The proposed criteria for CIMS-GB, the green-building dimension of ISSA’s popular Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) and certification program, is now available for public review and comment. The review period commences today and continues through September 4, 2009. Individuals interested in reviewing the draft criteria are encouraged to visit www.issa.com/cims-gb and may submit applicable feedback to cimsgb@issa.com.

“The ultimate goal of the CIMS Green Building criteria and designation will be to allow organizations to verify their ability to assist customers in meeting the LEED-EB: O&M green cleaning requirements, but we also have a unique opportunity to raise the bar beyond LEED as far as environmental preferability and cleaning is concerned,” said ISSA Director of Facility Service Programs Dan Wagner. “The committee has started the work of doing so, and we are eager to receive feedback from the industry at large as to how we can develop a practical industry standard that takes green cleaning to the next level while answering the specific market demand created by LEED.”

Let Cleantech and Wood Wyant help your office lighten the ecological footprint of your property.  Follow the link to their sustainable development intro page to read more about Wood Wyant green products and their environmental impact audit program.  Call our office to learn more about our other suppliers and how they can help us all be a little more green.