Toxicity Reduction
The majority of the hazardous cleaning products that produce odors and emit chemicals that contribute to poor indoor air quality and/or that can be harmful to the individuals exposed to them are replaced. The program reduces emissions and provides a cleaner, less toxic environment. This improved setting is particularly important in healthcare facilities that have patients who are already in a compromised state of health, and need a contaminant-free environment to promote healing. There is no reason to use toxic cleaning agents in schools, homes, or businesses either because non-toxic environmentally safe ones exist.
Quantity reduction
Fewer cleaning products are being ordered, and replaced with multipurpose products, while maintaining the highest quality of safety.
Cost reduction/budget neutral
Institutions using the Greening The Cleaning® program may enjoy cost savings for a variety of reasons. Buying bulk quantities of concentrated cleaning products cuts down on packaging and shipping costs. Education of housekeeping staff enables them to use the products more efficiently, which reduces waste. Also, staff members are no longer subjected to irritating chemicals, which may reduce employee sick time and worker’s compensation. Hackensack University Medical Center, which converted to the Greening The Cleaning® program in 2001, has yielded a 15% cost savings.
Waste minimization
The new Greening The Cleaning® chemicals are ordered from an environment-conscious manufacturer. A dispensing system is also installed to ensure no waste, accidents, or misuse.
Space reduction
The Greening The Cleaning® program encourages facilities to consolidate their supplies in one centralized location to aid in the management of inventory. This practice minimizes the possibility of duplicating supplies. It also eliminates the need to find space to store items that are not needed. Although creating a central storage area may not be feasible in all cases, every effort is made to create one. Smaller containers and spray bottles are kept in the janitorial closets and carts.
Education of personnel
A toxin-free cleaning program can only be implemented if those who actually clean the facility understand the importance of their actions and know how to use the new products. For this reason, The Deirdre Imus Environmental Health Center® educates all personnel in the participating facility, from the housekeeping staff to supervisors and top-level management so they can work together to preserve their environment at no additional cost.
Sustainable “Green” healthy facility
Implementing our Greening The Cleaning® (GTC) program is an easy way to improve indoor air quality, reduce cleaning costs, enhance employee health, and contribute to a greener and more sustainable building environment. In addition, by transforming your current cleaning practice to a green cleaning practice (GTC), you will help to protect the health of your surroundings without harming the environment. A green cleaning practice avoids the use of chemically – reactive and toxic cleaning products, helps shrink resource consumption, and reduces waste.