Is Your Janitorial Service Green?

One of the absolute worst greenwashing offenders are janitorial services.  They are not alone in this misdirection because greenwashing is popular in many businesses.  There has been no way to establish a metric or measurement for Green in nearly any business.  How many companies have installed CFL bulbs and advertised the next day that they have “Gone Green”?   Yet, janitorial services have resisted the extra effort (and cost) of Green certification because they believe the no business is asking for Green vendors.

The janitorial service is a basic starting point for any business.  The impact on the immediate and long term health of your business is impacted year-after-year by the cleaning service that hauls in gallons of cleaning products, sprays, disinfectants, and compounds.  Studies have shows that two hours after cleaning the air quality can be 36 times the accepted limits.

OSHA points about that American businesses loss $40 billion a year in reduced employee production due to the indoor air quality.  EPA tells us that the indoor air can be 3-5 times worse than the outside air, and that Americans spend 90% of their time indoors.

It seems illogical and foolish to say that any business is Green when it is served by a standard janitorial service.  Even if the company boasts long and hard about being Green and points to the Green products that it has on the carts, the promise rarely lives up to the boast.  Like any other business working overtime to promote its value to potential customers, promises made are not always promises kept.

Hire only a Green certified janitorial service.  It is easier to do than you might think.  Add the Green Clause to your RFP and pass it out to area janitorial services for bid.  Your firm can still compare prices from all contenders, but you will discover that janitorial services will quickly step up to the table when there is business to be gained.  Do your part and improve the quality of your workplace and that long-term health of your employees by hiring only a Green certified janitorial service using Green products at every level.

It's recommended that businesses hire janitorial or cleaning companies that are certified by the Green Clean Institute

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