There is a lot of confusion surrounding the question of using disinfectants and providing green cleaning services. The first thing to keep in mind is that there is no such thing as a safe disinfectant – they are all designed to kill organisms.

As a green cleaning service provider, your goal is to look for opportunities to reduce the use of disinfectants. In many cases, people are using disinfectants in areas where a general purpose cleaner would suffice. If you just need to remove soil from a surface, then use a general purpose cleaner. Disinfectants should only be used in areas of high risk. High risk means there is a possibilty that a disease causing organism could be transferred from an object or surface to a person.

There are manufacturers who sell environmentally friendly disinfectants like Rochester Midland’s Envirocare Neutral Disinfectant. What makes these types of cleaners “green”, is that they are a less hazardous alternative to conventional disinfectants. In other words, they cause less damage to the surface you’re cleaning, they’re less corrosive, and they cause less irritation to respiratory systems. They do kill the organisms they’re intended to kill, but without killing aquatic life.

So if you’re searching for a way to replace your conventional disinfectants and still provide green cleaning services, look for a product manufactured by a reputable company who offers many Green Seal certified or Eco Logo certified products. These companies have done extensive research and development of environmentally friendly products.

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Steve Hanson helps owners of small cleaning companies build a more profitable and successful cleaning business through his online community at TheJanitorialStore.com. Read inspirational cleaning success stories at http://www.cleaning-success.com, and sign up for weekly cleaning tips at http://www.TheJanitorialStore.com.

 In the world of cleaning, we as business owners need to educate ourselves and our employees on how to clean and sanitize the surfaces we care for. Bacteria growth is a big concern for our clients because they want to protect their employees, customers and visitors from unhealthy environments.

Understanding bacteria and how it grows and moves is one of the starting points in learning how to keep the environments we care for, clean.

Bacteria Reproduction Facts: 

1. Bacteria reproduce by dividing. Once the cell reaches its maximum size it starts to come together in the middle and eventually breaks in two. This process can take 15 to 30 minutes.  
2. In just 5 hours, one bacterium can turn into over 1 million bacteria. 
3. Since you would rarely start with just 1 bacterium on any given surface, you can see where bacteria can spread into millions and billions of bacteria very quickly. 

How Bacteria Spread:

Bacteria don’t spread on their own. Here are some ways bacteria find their way to other surfaces. 

1. People are carriers of bacteria and can pass the bacteria to others in a variety of ways. 
2. They can travel through the air when someone sneezes. 
3. We deposit them on objects we touch, so bacteria can literally be anywhere. This is why cleaning companies must pay particular attention to “touch points” like door knobs, telephones and desk tops when cleaning and disinfecting. 
4. Animals and insects can carry bacteria. 

Methods of Killing Bacteria: 

1. Heat – this method can include sterilization (steam under pressure), moist heat (autoclaves), boiling, and dry heat (hot air sterilization). 
2. Cold – cold doesn’t actually kill bacteria, but it inhibits the growth. 
3. Direct sunlight or ultraviolet light. 
4. Chemical Agents like disinfectants or germicides. 

By having an understanding of bacteria and how it spreads, you can make more informed choices on the products you choose to use and what areas may be at higher risk of bacteria growth.

Copyright © TheJanitorialStore.com. All Rights Reserved.
Steve Hanson helps owners of small cleaning companies build a more profitable and successful cleaning business through his online community at TheJanitorialStore.com. Read inspirational cleaning success stories at http://www.cleaning-success.com, and sign up for weekly cleaning tips at http://www.TheJanitorialStore.com.

In the cleaning industry, there are misunderstandings about disinfects and sanitizers.

If it is a food service area, then you’ll be interested in sanitizers. If it’s a medical facility, then you’ll be more interested in disinfectants.

A disinfectant, is a chemical that completely destroys all organisms. The organisms it kills are disease causing bacteria and pathogens.

From a legal standpoint, disinfectants must reduce the level of pathogenic bacteria by 99.9%, during a time frame of greater than 5 minutes but less than 10 minutes.

A sanitizer in contrast, is a chemical that reduces the number of micro-organisms to a safe level. It does not need to eliminate 100% of all organisms to be effective.

Sanitizers, do not kill viruses and fungi. In a food service situtation the sanitizer must also reduce the bacteria count by 99.9% and are required to kill infectious organisms within 30 seconds.

If it’s just general cleaning you are interested in to remove soil, you should consider using an all-purpose cleaner rather than a, disinfectant or sanitizer.

Always use a disinfectant on your restrooms.

Most of the dust entered into your home or small office is through your entrance points, front and back door.  By placing the right kind of mats down you can eliminate some dust and cleaning time of your home or small office.  I suggest getting a professional mat you see at entrances of hospitals, which can be found at most janitorial stores.  They’re called walk-off mats.  They’re available in a variety of types, colors, and sizes.   The mats can be used inside and out.   The mats should be vacuumed or shake them outside to get rid of the dirt.  They can be hosed down and cleaned with all-purpose cleaner as needed.  The mats should be hung and let them dry completely after cleaning.

The results have been good for us with the use of walk-off mats.  I’m sure you will enjoy the benefit of having them in your home or small office also.

We have heard all of the negatives about some traditional cleaning products.  How they detract from indoor air quality by leaving behind noxious fumes and residues that can worsen allergies.  There are some great environmental friendly commercial cleaning products available.  You just have to do your research.  Try these eco-friendly alternatives:

·         Lemon Juice cleans grease and stains.

·         White vinegar can be used to disinfect just about any surface.  Mix with water and use it as glass cleaner.  Add organic salts to it for a green scrubbing solution.

·         Baking soda will polish stainless steel, remove acid stains, deodorize your fridge and absorb odors from carpet.

·         Mix olive oil with lemon juice to replace your furniture polish.