Green Cleaning

The benefits of green cleaning have long been discussed in janitorial supply company circles, among cleaners, and even among moms. It is not new knowledge that using green cleaning products expose those who use them and those who use the areas being cleaned to fewer chemicals. This is probably the most well-known fact in support of green cleaning, besides the obvious environmental benefits. We’ve compiled a list of some of the other benefits of green cleaning in both public buildings and the home.

Public Buildings

Research has shown that buildings that switch to green cleaning products have:

• Healthier employees – when exposed to less chemicals employees are less likely to become sick.
• Lower operating costs
• More access to government monetary motivation plans, such as the EPA Energy Star program and earning points toward becoming LEED certified.

Homes

• Less family sickness – no one will have allergic reactions to detergents, and no one will be exposed to carcinogens, making green products ideal for use around children and the elderly.
• Lower chance of encountering other living things – some toxic cleaning chemicals do not kill bugs and rodents, rather, they cause disease and mutations among living ones – not something you want living in your home.
• Longer lasting home – green cleaning products won’t eat away at your wood furniture, damage your chrome fixtures, or fade your upholstery like the chemicals in non green cleaning products will. A key tip is to always use products that are biodegradable.

Switch to green cleaning products today!

 There are many ways to reduce the energy usage in your home, putting less strain on the environment and in the long-run saving you money at the same time.  It is understandable that not everyone has the time or money to make drastic updates like placing solar panels on their roof, or replace all of their windows with energy saving windows.  However, there are cheaper alternatives to making your household green.  Below are 5 practical ways to help you cut your energy usage in the home.

 Check Your Insulation – All insulation is rated by an R-value, or how well it can trap heat.  The average recommended R value for insulation in North America is 12.   If yours is lower, upgrading could dramatically reduce your heating and cooling costs.

 Plant a Tree – Properly sited trees planted around the house can reduce your cooling and heating costs by up to 30 percent!  Also, they may increase your property value as an extra bonus.

 Use Low Flow Toilets and Showerheads – Older showerheads are likely pumping out more water than you need, today’s standard showerhead uses 2.5 gallons a minute or less and would help cut your water bill.  Additionally, new standard low-flow toilets use 1.6 gallons per flush or less compared to much higher amounts in older toilets.

 Recycle Paper and Used Recycled Paper Products – Recycled paper uses far less resources than non-recycled paper.  One ton of recycled paper uses 17 fewer trees than non-recycled paper, and recycled paper products require less energy consuming to produce.  In comparison to producing non-recycled paper, every ton of recycled paper produced saves enough energy to power a 3 bedroom house for a year!

 Bank Online and Pay Bills Online – The amount of paper saved if every home in the U.S. paid its bills online would reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by a staggering 2.1 tons.

 A person doesn’t need to spend thousands of dollars to reduce their own energy costs and consumption – do you have tips for going green in the home?  Share them in the comments section!

5% Off Green Heritage Recycled Toilet Paper this week, with coupon code greentp. From standard bath tissue rolls to jumbo toilet paper rolls, in both 1 and 2 ply. Stock up and buy toilet paper for less!

CleaningProductsWorld carries a variety of recycled paper products ranging from toilet tissue, paper towels, napkins and wipers, and facial tissues. It is important to dispel the myth that using recycled paper products means you are using a product that has been recycled from someone else’s dirty tissues or soiled paper towels. These materials are not even suitable for recycling!

Rest assured, when treating your nose to a soft Fluff Out tissue, for example, you are using a product recycled from clean paper products. Read on to learn all about recycled paper products.

Making of Recycled Paper Products

The production of recycled paper products has a decreased environmental impact compared to the making of virgin (non recycled) paper products. Some of the advantages include a decreased affect on forests, less air and water pollution, less water and energy consumption, and less solid waste production. When you can impact the environment so significantly just from buying a certain kind of paper towel, why wouldn’t you?

Things to Look For When Buying Recycled Paper Products

The lingo behind recycled paper products can be extensive, so it’s often confusing to determine what you should be looking for. Key things to look for include a high percent recycled content and a high percent post-consumer content (the closer to 100% the better). Also important to look for is a bleaching process rating, which shows how much chlorine was used in the whitening of the paper product.

Good ratings include:

1. TCF (totally chlorine-free),
2. PCF (processed chlorine-free), or
3. ECF (elemental chlorine-free).

Recycling Guide

As previously stated, many paper products such as soiled paper towels, dirtied napkins, or used tissues cannot be recycled. Put only clean, uncontaminated, and dry paper items such as newspapers, magazines, and junk mailings into your paper recycling bin. Even pizza boxes with grease stains should not be recycled, but rather placed in trash receptacles.

Help the Planet!

According to the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), if every household in the USA bought ONE roll of recycled paper towels instead of their standard non recycled roll, 544,000 trees would be saved! Take a small, easy step in helping protect the environment by using recycled paper products!

Announcing today’s 30 Days of Green Green Giveaway! Customers receive a free Purell Green Hand Sanitizer 8 oz Pump Bottle when they order today at CleaningProductsWorld.com. Keep hands clean and germ free with this green alternative to hand sanitizer that is made from 100% naturally renewable ethanol. In a biodegradable gel formula, this product meets the EcoLogo™ environmental standard for instant hand antiseptics based on its use of less intrusive raw materials, a reduction of environmental hazards and an increase of product recyclability.

Green Cleaning in Schools

We already know the benefits of green cleaning include the obvious benefits for the environment, as well as limiting exposure to chemicals and allergens, making green cleaning products ideal for use around children. Therefore, it makes sense that many states are either encouraging or requiring the use of green cleaning products, such as Green Concentrated Liquid Deodorizers, Green Mop Heads, and Green Toilet Bowl Brushes, in schools across the country.

Green Cleaning Reduces Absenteeism

With there being a direct link between cleaning products used and chemical exposure, children exposed to less chemicals will end up getting sick less often. In fact, organizations such as the Healthy Schools Campaign suggest that students miss more than 14 million school days every year due to asthma caused by poor air quality.

States Require Green Cleaning for Better Public Health

Wisconsin is one of the states that recently passed a law requiring schools to use green cleaning products. State Representative Cory Mason feels that the use of environmentally-friendly products will create a better, healthier setting not only for children, but faculty, staff, and members of the public who utilize the school buildings. “The goal of the bill is to make schools and other public places less toxic and healthier for kids and the general public,” he states.

Other states with similar green school cleaning legislation include Connecticut, Illinois, New York, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, and Missouri. Write your congressman and encourage him or her to pass green school cleaning legislation in your state!

Spring into Savings at CleaningProductsWorld! Today, April 4 – Saturday, April 9, save an extra 5% off your order with coupon code SPRING11. Get a jump start on your spring cleaning with extra savings! Happy Cleaning!

Keep the Air Green: Clean your Carpet and Upholstery

Cleaning your carpets and upholstery regularly can help improve air quality

One great tip in keeping your home greener and cleaner is ensuring you properly clean your carpets and upholstery to improve air quality. It is recommended that people with severe allergies clean the fabrics in their homes every three months, and when done with green cleaners like Arm & Hammer Carpet Care & Room Allergen Reducer & Odor Eliminator, one can further reduce his or her exposure to chemicals that can cause illness. For carpet cleaning on a more regular basis, try using a HEPA Filter Vacuum Cleaner, which will not only clean your carpets and rugs but also help reduce the amount of particulates released into the air. For more information, check out our other post on HEPA filter vacuum cleaners.

Check out our 30 Days of Green promotion on CleaningProductsWorld.com for more information on green cleaning and chances to win product giveaways. You can follow us on Twitter and Facebook for updates.

Using a sock puppet "duster" makes cleaning fun for kids!

Kids and cleaning is like oil and water: they don’t mix well. However, cleaning can be fun, and green cleaning is extra fun! Here’s a list of green cleaning activities both you and your kids will love.

Dust Socks – Take an old sock and pull it over your child’s hand for an instant fun hand duster! Kids will love cleaning with seemingly forbidden items, you’ll love having your furniture dusted, and when you reuse the duster sock and use green laundry detergent to wash it, the environment will benefit too. Another idea is to make a sock puppet to clean with!

Musical Chairs – Play the traditional game with cleaning incorporated. Kids will love running all over the room to clean as much as they can before the music stops and a chair is taken away. This is a great game for large groups of kids and small rooms. Use green cleaning products like Clorox Green Works All Purpose Cleaner and Boardwalk green paper towels and make a regular cleaning day into an entertaining race that everyone will enjoy!

School Time – Take younger kids to “school” and teach them about the importance of using appropriate amounts of paper products like toilet paper, tissues, and paper towels. Tell them how using just as much as they need can help the planet. Teach them not to leave the water running while brushing their teeth or taking a bath. Younger children will love going to “school” just like the big kids, and you’ll help your family save resources and money while protecting the environment.

Cleaning can be fun for both kids and adults, and when play time is incorporated into cleaning time, your previously dreaded cleaning day can be fun, productive, and successful!

Today’s Giveaway: FREE Dial Basics Hand Soap with every order! No coupon code needed, just make your order and receive the sample bottle of hand soap! We are giving away two types of Dial Basics Hand Soap: a liquid hand soap and a foaming hand soap. Both soaps are dermatologist tested and hypoallergenic, perfect for use for sensitive skin. The liquid hand soap leaves a floral fragrance and leaves hands with a lotiony feel, while the foaming hand soap cleanses while being gentle on hands. Go green and buy eco-friendly cleaning supplies. Order cleaning products today and get your free Dial Basics Hand Soap!

How to Make Your Hotel Cleaner and Greener

Make your hotel more environmentally friendly with these great green tips

Hotels across the nation and around the world are implementing greener cleaning standards; including giving customers the option of having their sheets and towels washed everyday and using energy efficient lighting and electronics. Several products that can be used to help make your hotel even greener are highlighted below.

• Placing recycling receptacles in every room will encourage patrons to recycle paper, cans, and plastic bottles.

• Providing customers with shampoo in dispensers instead of individual bottles can help reduce waste.

• Using eco friendly laundry detergent for the hundreds of pounds of sheets and towels that are washed every day will help cut back on the amount of waste produced by traditional laundry detergents.

• The use of environmentally friendly urinal blocks in public restrooms will help eliminate odors and keep urinals clean without negatively affecting the environment.

 Start using these products in your hotel today and become an even greener establishment!

Check out our 30 Days of Green promotion on CleaningProductsWorld.com for more information on green cleaning and chances to win product giveaways. You can follow us on Twitter and Facebook for updates.

Green cleaning practices have been evolving since the 1960s

There are many environmentally friendly policies, products, and processes that are in place today, but this was not always the case.  The formation and movement towards an environmentally conscious culture began developing in the 1960’s and is still evolving today. 

Society began to think about the danger of chemicals in products and how they effect the environment.  This led to the formation of regulatory bodies like the Environmental Protection Agency, and later Green Seal.  Eventually more policies were put in place at state and federal levels, making various industries have to re-evaluate their own methods and comply with new environmentally friendly procedures.  The following is a brief timeline of major events in the history of Green products and policies.

1962 – Silent Spring by biologist Rachel Carson detailed and questioned the extensive spraying of DDT, a pesticide, without understanding the environmental impacts or effects on humans and wildlife. 

1970 – Formation of the Environmental Protection Agency

1972 – The use of DDT as a pesticide was banned in the US.

1978 – CFC’s were banned from aerosol cans due to their effect on ozone depletion.

1980’s – A string of products were released that carried the labeling “Environmentally Friendly.”  However, there were no regulations in place for determining if a product was really environmentally friendly.

1989 – Green Seal, an independent, non-profit body for developing certifications and standards for environmentally friendly products was formed.

1992 – Bill Clinton signed Executive order 13101, defining “green cleaning” and forcing roughly 100,000 organizations to switch to green alternatives.

1995 – Formation of the Environmental Choice Program, another regulatory body that helps create standards for Green Products.

2000 – Bill Clinton signs Executive order 13148, expanding the scope of Executive order 13101.

2005 – Washington becomes the first state to enact Green Building legislation – an environmentally responsible method for designing, operating, maintaining, and demolishing buildings and structures.

2006 – New York requires the use of green products in all public and private schools.

As technology develops, the level of refinement increases in new products and procedures.  The future of Green is sure to hold new and exciting changes! Check out green cleaning products at CleaningProductsWorld!

Purell Green Certified Hand Sanitizer meets Ecolabel environmental standards for hand sanitizers, making it the first certified green hand sanitizer on the market! Not only is the gel formula biodegradable, the bottle itself is a recyclable PET bottle made from 30% post-consumer material, making this product eco-friendly.  Purell Green Certified Hand Sanitizer is gentle on the environment, and it kills 99.9% of germs in just 15 seconds without water, making it great for when you are on the go. Cleaning with the power of 100% naturally renewable ethanol, the gel formula is gentle on hands, leaving them soft and moisturized yet with a strong clean feeling.

In our busy office, people are always getting sick, and we love the protection Purell products offer us against bacteria and germs. We also have a strong commitment to green products and protecting the environment, so when we can combine clean with green we always do so!

Keep your hands germ free and help fight contamination and sickness with Purell Green Certified Hand Sanitizer, available in a convenient pump bottle for your desk, in the kitchen, or any place else you need a little extra bacteria fighting power. Purell Green Certified Hand Sanitizer is also available as refills for Purell TFX touch-free dispensers.  Check out our coupon for $5 off Purell Green Hand Sanitizers until April 1 and follow us on Twitter and Facebook for more updates on our 30 Days of Green promotion and for information on more giveaways!

Today’s Giveaway: FREE GREEN WORKS Cleaning Wipes with every order over $100! No coupon code needed, just make your order and receive the a sample canister of cleaning wipes! These wipes are natural and biodegradable, made with plant-based ingredients. Works on grease, grime and soil. For use on non-wood surfaces including acrylic, fiberglass and vinyl. Never tested on animals. Go green and buy eco-friendly cleaning supplies. Order today and get your free Green Works wipes!

Today we are featuring a guest post by Julie Urlaub, Founder and Managing Partner from the Taiga Company. Julie consults, writes, speaks, blogs and tweets on how viewing your world through the lens of sustainability can refresh your business and deliver uncommon results. As a catalyst for sustainability, a matchmaker for green business relationships and a promoter of green products and services, her effervescent attitude inspires others to eco-action.

Guide to Green Your Spring

It is that time of year to begin your spring cleaning. People across the country are breaking out the cleaning supplies and lawn equipment to give their homes and yard a fresh clean look. In doing so, there are a few sustainability concepts to consider. Individuals aiming to become more sustainable in their personal life have a variety of eco actions at their disposal.
Green clean your home by replacing conventional cleaning supplies with eco-friendly products. Conventional cleaning supplies may contain ingredients that are toxic or hazardous. By replacing them with eco-friendly products, you’re providing improved indoor air quality, as well as using products aligned with sustainability concepts. There’s an abundance of alternative products from which to choose. Ideas mentioned in our personal consulting practice include:

• Seventh Generation is an industry leader renowned for its nontoxic cleaning products.
• Mrs. Meyers also offers nontoxic cleaners and all of the company’s cleaning supplies are biodegradable and incorporate natural essential oils to provide a pleasant cleaning experience.
• Ecover makes its biodegradable, nontoxic cleaners from plant based ingredients and is powered by green energy in the making of its products.

In addition, apply that same eco awareness outside the house to your yard work. Traditional fertilizers and mulch often contain chemicals that are not only bad for the environment but can be hazardous to your health. With the variety of eco-friendly products available, you no longer have to sacrifice quality and price to have a great looking organic yard. Here is a list of alternative products offered at your local Home Depot or Lowes:

Click here to continue reading: http://blog.taigacompany.com/blog/sustainability-business-life-environment/guide-to-green-your-spring

Check out our 30 Days of Green promotion on CleaningProductsWorld.com for more information on green cleaning and chances to win product giveaways. You can follow us on Twitter and Facebook for updates.