As green cleaning has become more and more accepted within the cleaning industry and outside the marketplace, certain best practices have emerged for implementing a green cleaning program. Green cleaning is a system that employs both green chemicals and green equipment.

However, a successful green cleaning program is not just a matter of having the right cleaning products.

Achieving the buy-in of building occupants and owners is also essential.

REACH AN AGREEMENT.

Building owners, occupants and management must agree on how they define a green cleaning program and how it will be implemented into their facility.

To ensure adherence, the agreement must be in writing and written in the form of a concise, easy-to-understand contract.

BUILD THE TEAM.

With the agreement in hand, a team should be organized that includes not just cleaning professionals, but also the building management and occupants.

The team will meet and discuss the green cleaning system, and as a result of these meetings, will generate support for the project for all building occupants — a pivotal element in its success.

CONDUCT BASELINE AUDITS.

One of the team’s first duties is to determine the facility’s current housekeeping status by conducting audits to verify how the facility is being cleaned and maintained.

This will establish a baseline to judge future improvement.

For instance, surveys may include an inventory and evaluation of existing paper products, liners and cleaning equipment used in the location.

DEVELOP A PLAN.

Once the data has been collected, the team must analyze the information to determine the best ways to implement the green cleaning system.

They decide which areas need to be addressed first, based on contract requirements, costs and potential health and environmental impacts.

GET EVERYONE ON BOARD.

It is vitally important that everyone is involved in the process and supports the team’s plans and goals.

This is often best accomplished by including all necessary parties in the process and making them aware of how and why changes are being made.

ACQUIRE GREEN PRODUCTS AND EQUIPMENT.

To begin the process of greening a facility, new cleaning products and equipment may need to be purchased.

IMPLEMENT GREEN PRODUCT PROCEDURE.

Begin new cleaning procedures that help cleaning professionals understand and use the environmentally-preferable products carefully, safely and with the goals of green cleaning in mind.