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Green Cleaning & Janitorial Supplies: Keep your facility looking great with all the Cleaning Supplies you need in one place. Whether you’re in the food service or public education sector, we have the commercial cleaning tools you need.
Commercial Janitorial Equipment
Sustainable Supply offers one-stop shopping for all the commercial cleaning products you need to keep your facility looking and performing at its best. Facility maintenance requires a long list of products to get the job done, and when you’re able to get what you need from one place, you’re saving time and money. We carry most major brands, including: Air Wick, Kimberly-Clark, Simple Green, Unger, Zep, and many more. Whether you need brooms, brushes, buckets, mops, microfiber cloths, scrubbers, squeegees, scrubbers, all purpose cleaners, trash bags, trash cans, caddies, or repair parts, Sustainable Supply will keep your janitorial team stocked so your building remains clean and fully functional.
A robust facility cleaning and maintenance strategy is central to presenting your establishment in the best light. In fact, Bradley Corporation’s recent Healthy Handwashing Survey revealed that 92% of Americans identified a direct connection between the quality of a business’ restrooms and the quality of the business itself. And for restaurants, a whopping 88% believe that if the restrooms are unclean, the kitchen is also dirty. In addition to the perception of customers and employees, commercial cleaning practices have an impact on the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) within the building. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Indoor Air Quality is routinely two to five times worse than outdoor air, and the average person spends about 90% of his time indoors. Recent studies also suggest that improving IAQ can reduce employee absences by as much as 35%. It’s clear that in a commercial setting, Indoor Air Quality must be relevant to facility managers and executives.
While numerous factors can have an impact on IAQ, one of the easiest to address happens to be the commercial cleaning program used in your facility. Cleaners can be anything but clean and often contain toxins and other chemicals that can be hazardous to your health. You can reduce chemical exposure in your building through the implementation of a comprehensive green cleaning policy that includes:
Step 1: Personal Safety First
The personal care of your staff should come first. Consideration must first be given to where the cleaning chemicals will be stored. A locked janitorial closet that includes proper hot and cold water supplies, as well as a drain system is ideal. A log should also be kept (near the chemicals) detailing type and usage. Procedures should be established controlling the safe handling and storage of all chemicals, and quality control checks should regularly occur. For safety, an eyewash station is an important consideration.
Step 2: Get Green Certified
What chemicals are used could represent the biggest change in your facility. An important factor to consider here is that a green cleaning program shifts the focus away from the appearance of the space in favor of the health of the space and the occupants of the building. So, a clean facility is a healthy facility (and that will look good too). Green cleaning products should include hard floor cleaners, carpet cleaners, general purpose and specialty cleaners, odor control, disinfectants, hand soaps, janitorial paper products, and trash bags. Be sure that each product type meets one or more of the appropriate third-party certified labeling standards: GREENGUARD Certified, Green Seal Certified, SFI Certified, CRI Green Label Certified, ECOLOGO Certified, EPA DFE Certified, FSC Certified.
Step 3: Train Your Staff
A robust training plan will be an important factor in achieving “buy-in” from those who will be implementing the changes. Custodial staff should be trained at the time of hire, but regular training sessions and reviews should occur even after the initial hire period. Educating the staff about the need for the changes, the benefits of “going green,” and the difference between traditional chemical cleaners and green cleaners will assist with full implementation of the program. The staff should also be aware of the performance metrics that will be used to determine effectiveness – hint – use the APPA Custodial Effectiveness Audit.
Step 4: Pest Control Maintenance
The goal of having a pest control plan is simply to eliminate or reduce occupants’ exposure to harmful pesticides. We all know how knee-jerk the reaction can be to an unexpected pest issue. That’s why it’s important to have a plan that includes every type of pest that could be encountered, what non-chemical preventative measures will be used, thresholds that will trigger additional actions, a method for documentation, and communication strategies.
Step 5: Maintain Your Equipment
The last component of a comprehensive green cleaning program relates to the equipment you use. As equipment needs to be replaced, there are three characteristics that each new item should possess:
- Safeguards – necessary to ensure that building surfaces are not damaged during cleaning, and…
- Ergonomic Design – needed to minimize vibration, noise, and user fatigue, and…
- Environmentally Preferable Batteries (where applicable) - gel, absorbent glass mat, lithium-ion are all better alternatives to traditional batteries.
Commercial cleaning practices are a vital component of your building’s operations, performance, and reputation. Purchasing the right cleaning and janitorial supplies is more important than ever since those products can have a considerable impact on occupants’ health and ultimately, your business’ productivity.
Making the change to a cleaner, healthier facility is easy with Sustainable Supply. Take advantage of our product experts, wide selection today!