As we move ahead into 2019 and plan the year ahead, take a close look at your building’s commercial cleaning services. Are they green? Environmentally friendly? Do they benefit your employees? Commercial cleaning should be green. Green commercial cleaning provides your building with huge benefits- but it also provides benefits beyond just your building.
Environmental Considerations
At this point in the year, we’ve heard it all. The latest headlines make terrifying claims: “World’s Worst Climate Change Disasters Cost 50bn in 2018” “’Please Don’t Kill Us’, Maldives beg ‘failing’ climate conference” “UN Chief Warns Failure to tackle Global Warming ‘suicidal.’”
Climate change is terrifying. The latest news stories are terrifying. Most people are attempting to do their part, whether that’s cutting out plastic straws, eating less meat, or taking public transportation. But commercial cleaning services are another outlet where we can reduce our carbon footprint.
Green commercial cleaning reduces water and energy usage while cutting down on the use of harmful chemicals that release things like volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere.
But green cleaning doesn’t only help the earth. It can help your employees, too.
Employee Health
As shocking as it may sound, 6% of janitors are out sick each year due to chemical exposure. The toxic chemicals used in most regular cleaning products can take a toll on the health of your workers, leading to avoidable illnesses that end up needlessly costing your company money.
Regular cleaning products contain chemicals like endocrine disrupters, phosphorus, nitrogen, and volatile organic compounds. These can cause harm to workers by increasing skin and eye irritation as well as restricting airways.
But your environmental hygienists aren’t the only ones at risk when it comes to harmful cleaning products. The lingering smells of strong chemicals like bleach in your office air can significantly decrease indoor air quality and cause harm over time.
Cleaner Work Environment
Just because green commercial cleaning uses less water and energy doesn’t mean it’s any less effective. As a matter of fact, because green cleaning products are meant to be more efficient, they can actually provide a better clean while using less product.
Green commercial cleaning technology is also on the cutting edge. It’s newly developed to accommodate increasing environmental concerns. Better technology for your building means a cleaner work environment for your employees to work in.
Higher Standards
Green commercial cleaning is held to the highest standard. While some companies claim to offer green cleaning, many will just charge a higher price without offering you any of the benefits. The Wilburn Company is GS-42 certified.
Green Seal was founded in 1989 and is the nation’s foremost ecolabel, symbolizing transparency, integrity, and environmental leadership. The nonprofit organization certifies products and services that meet their environmental standards as based on scientific programs.
Green Seal has high standards for any products they put their ecolabel on and for the GS-42 Certification. All standards are based off of scientific data, how well the product works, and criteria that protect human health and the environment.
When it comes to GS-42 specifically, the Wilburn Company had to meet specific requirements, including:
- Reducing chemical waste through the efficient use of chemicals
- Reducing solid waste
- Optimizing cleaning frequencies
- Providing continuing training to staff
- Ensuring transparent communication with clients and employees
We hold ourselves to the high standards of GS-42 because we believe that we can make a difference in the world around us.
“Achieving GS-42 certification is changing the culture of our company and how we view the importance of the services we deliver,” says Robert Baldwin, Vice President of The Wilburn Company. “We are not just janitors; we are Environmental Hygienists. We are impacting people’s lives by directly affecting their health, their economics, and their work performance all while protecting the environment.”
Cost Benefits
A decade or two ago green cleaning did cost ten to twenty percent more. However, today the cost is much more equal to traditional cleaning methods – and, when hidden savings like employee productivity and increased building wellness are considered, green cleaning is often more affordable. When you calculate the cost of employee sick days due to harsh chemical exposure, green cleaning is worth it. You’ll have fewer sick days, reduced water and energy usage, lowering the cost of your utilities.
Better yet, you’ll be reducing your carbon footprint as a whole. This can become a selling point for your building. Commercial properties that are going green are winning in more ways than one. They may attract more tenants who also wish to reduce their own carbon footprint.
Take a Step Forward in 2019
New Year, new opportunities. Your commercial cleaning should be green. It should be green because green commercial cleaning helps the earth, your employees, your bottom line, and your building as a whole.
The New Year is the perfect time to step forward and take advantage of new opportunities presented to you. It’s the perfect time to start something new and help your community while you’re at it. Take advantage of green commercial cleaning.
Here at The Wilburn Company, we pride ourselves on our green cleaning focus. We’re a GS-42 certified cleaning provider with full green cleaning capabilities. The Wilburn Company focuses on environmentally-friendly commercial cleaning – cleaning for health is our primary focus. All of our cleaning staff are trained using GS-42 standards and encouraged to use environmentally conscious policies that our leaders support. These efforts to train and support our cleaning staff provide our customers with a safer and healthier indoor work environment.
Take a step forward. Contact us today.