It is every persons dream to have an office job, you go into your clean germ free office and get through your daily activities without getting sick or passing your germs to co-workers ( yes we all have germs) and then able to return to your family without transferring germs from work to your precious home. Have you actually thought about how this is possible for all office buildings, schools , churches, doctors offices, emergency rooms, labs, hospitals and even where we wine and dine (restaurant's).

Janitors and custodians are truly the backbone of cleanliness, they are responsible for the care taking of all companies and businesses whether small or large. Janitors and custodians are very important to Corporate America, they are the ones that help keep these places germ free, dust free, free of debris and awful odors in the restrooms. The first impression a client receives when entering a building or business is credited to the janitor or custodian responsible for cleaning the place.

If for any reason you are in search for a certified janitor or custodian take a walk through IJCSA's Janitorial Directory for the best in the business. You  will find a list of well qualified and trained companies nationwide, companies you can trust to take care of all your cleaning assignments and needs. At the beginning of your daily lives and activities it starts with a janitorial or custodian staff member, at the end of your day it ends with a janitorial or custodian staff member.....Something to think about when you walk into your next office appointment or business meeting.

We are constantly surrounded by chemicals. In our food, our clothes, our air, our water, and our general environments. What makes this worse, however, is when we use cleaning products that contain chemicals that do nothing but add to our overall toxic load and exposure levels. In order to keep ourselves safe from constant inundation from harsh chemicals, using green cleaning products and methods are so much safer and are the better alternative. 

One of the most common chemicals found in people's homes is chlorine bleach. Although it may be an effective disinfectant, it can lead to lung and eye irritation, and be toxic when added to the waterways. Overall, bleach is not a very safe method for killing bacteria or disinfecting without the person using it also experiencing physical discomfort. A nice green cleaning alternative for disinfecting, is a safe form of hydrogen peroxide, or a natural cleaning product such as one of Seventh Generation's disinfecting cleaning products that contain thymol, a derivative of thyme, that kills up to 99.9% of bacteria. Using safer alternatives to common chemical cleaning products, such as the ones above, provide safer and healthier environments. 

Other common household chemicals that are commonly used in cleaning products are alkyl phenoxy polyethoxy ethanols. These chemicals are used in laundry detergents, all purpose cleaners, and hard surface cleaners. What makes these chemicals so awful is they are not only slow to biodegrade, but they have been proven to alter the gene expression once estrogen receptors have been activated, leading to breast cancer and a slew of other chronic health problems.

Many common cleaning products contain fragrances with phthalates, which can lead to reproductive issues, cancer, asthma and issues within our food system, and even our waterways. 

The chemicals mentioned above are only the tip of the chemicals-in-common-cleaning-products iceberg. There are many more chemicals that can have serious physical and even neurological effects. Some chemicals can lead to skin irritation, rashes, nerve damage, sleep disturbances and even an increased risk of cancer. Not only are these chemicals physically damaging, they can be extraordinarily damaging to the environment, leaching into our waterways, and causing potential fire hazards. 

Using green cleaning products as alternatives to common household chemicals is safer for one's home, the environment, for kids, animals, waterways, and ecosystems. These safe alternatives, such as baking soda, vinegar, essential oils, and even using cellulose sponges, can prevent health hazards, and provide a better work environment for cleaners and for the community. Using green cleaning products also creates a positive conscience, knowing that these products are eco-friendly, biodegradable, and can sometimes even be composted. 

To find green cleaning services, check out IJCSA's Green Cleaning Directory, and or visit EWG's Guide to Healthy Cleaning for lists of natural green cleaning alternatives.

When looking for a trusted green cleaning service, it is important to keep many questions in mind. How does this business or service operate/what are their green cleaning guidelines? Do they have certain products used during service? If so, what are these products and how are they sourced? Are these products safe for children and pets? Are they eco-friendly and biodegradable? 

There are many resources one has nowadays that allows one to check out a business to ensure the business is as they advertise. Doing a quick google search for "green or natural cleaning services in my area" might pop up many options, but to get a fully certified, checked-out business, another great resource is using one like IJCSA's Green Cleaning Service Directory. Knowing that the cleaning business you are hiring is certified and knowledgable about green cleaning, is a great way to ensure you are working with a business who is taking the care to provide better health and safety guidelines for their employees and for their clients without using harsh chemicals.

Knowing what products the business uses is also a huge step in making sure you are hiring a proper green cleaning service. A great resource for this is using the Environmental Working Group's website to get a rating on the product toxicity and a breakdown of what chemicals are present within the product being used. EWG specifically certifies certain products that are eco-friendly and safe to use with their official "EWG Certified" seal of approval. Having the knowledge of what products the business you have hired is using, is a great way to make certain that the products are safe, natural, and environmentally friendly. This also takes into account that some "green" product companies aren't truly green. They may appear green and safe to use on the service of the label, but may actually be greenwashed, and are falsely advertising a "safe" product, when in reality, the product might still contain harmful or harsh chemicals. This is why it is important to know for certain what products a company is proudly using and representing.

It is also important to keep in mind that some green cleaning companies might decide to create their own homemade green cleaning products. Many of these products may contain ingredients one may find in their home, such as vinegar, baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, borax, and essential oils. This may be a very good sign that the products being used are safe, simple, and effective within your home, as long as there is a good knowledge of how these ingredients may be used. Keep in mind however, that these companies should also always ensure that the client or anyone within the home or building being cleaned, does not have any allergies to the ingredients or essential oils. 

These are some great tips for how to find a good green cleaning service. It is always a good idea to do thorough research and to verify that the service you have chosen is advertising themselves properly and that they are using safe and eco-friendly products.

Nowadays, I hear a lot about “Green Cleaning”. This method is encouraged to be adopted by the cleaning industry because it’s safe, and is an innovative and sustainable practice in comparison with the “good old cleaning” practices. Green cleaning has proven to have many benefits. For example, increase productivity, reduces stress, improves health, and shows to the community that you are committed to maintain a sustainable environment. For these reasons, the cleaning industry has invested into researching better practices for the safety and benefit of the people who operate cleaning services as well as those customers who receive these services.

Since the benefits of Green Cleaning is understood, the next step is to implement the practice of Green Cleaning into the current business model. For that to happen, I will need to train my staff and cleaning techs. Training is the second most important asset to my company; the 1^st important asset is always my staff and cleaning techs. Without training, my company will fail to meet its goal, and that is by providing a Green Cleaning service, our employees and customers will be at continued risk. When we train our employees, we want to make sure that when they go out to different projects, they are equipped with the necessary knowledge to complete all tasks without fail. Training ensures that the material was reviewed and understood. The next step is to test your staff to see if the information has been understood. Once that step is done, the next step is to go out at the field and apply the Green Cleaning practice at projects. To ensure that all work has been properly carried out, the work must be documented, and a supervisor must give their final approval that the work was properly completed. If there is a cleaning tech who has not applied the Green Cleaning practice properly, they must be provided with additional training and coaching to ensure that they understand the Green Cleaning practice.

Within my business, I plan on incorporating a green cleaning program to ensure the safety of not only myself, but for my clients, as well as my employees. I will encourage using EWG's guide to healthy, clean living, looking for products that are safe to use, environmentally friendly, and non-toxic.

This program will heavily emphasize(s) the importance of using green cleaning products to clean, sanitize, disinfect, and scrub to get the job done, while also maintaining safety from harsh chemicals and properly sticking to health standards. I want nothing more than for my workers and for my clients to feel safe and to have a good conscience when cleaning products are used within their homes and community. Who wouldn't want to use products that are eco-friendly, safe around kids, pets, and the like? For my business, green cleaning is clearly the way to go. 

IJCSA certified companies are great at customer service. Here are some key factors for great customer service.

Be aware of what the customer wants. Smile, eye contact and a friendly comment are important for good in person customer relations. This can go along in getting a reasonable solution to a service related issue. Listen to and empathize with the customer.

Create and clarify solutions for the customer’s issues. Review the remedy with the customer and then follow up with the customer to make sure they were happy with the services provided. Phone calls and e-mails are a good way to follow up with customers.

WOW! Understanding the needs of the client can be as simple as looking at the lifestyle they live. Successful Mortgage Broker, Working mom with kids, Doctors on call, Realtor in constant meetings at work, Frantic family work schedules and a stressed out business owners. All is customer service. 

It cost money for labor but it cost nothing to show some kindness in the process. Airing a House out for a 2 hour period may make the working mom happy and the fresh air smells good. Business owner may like a kind note of inspiration placed on the fridge. (keep it neutral) The successful Broker may like to know that his trash is empty and it did not smell like the fish that was ate last night. The frantic family may like that extra straightening up even, not asked but done, will go a long way. Doctors need pampered. Nothing lavish but a simple flower made out of tissue paper or a clean fridge. Each client is different. 

Take a look at the lifestyles of the clients and see with in reason what or how you can in some small way make their day or week a more special - wow factor.

Keep it simple, keep it smart and keep it going in many different ways.

Janitors are essential employees that provide that provide a clean and healthy environment. A healthy environment is achieved by when you lower the risk of getting sick, and a janitor helps to maintain that for us. By keeping an indoor space clean it prevents the spread of pathogens, which can become very severe if not being taken care of.

Janitors are trained to use proper cleaning techniques that not your average everyday disinfecting is enough for. These proper cleaning methods reduce the amount of allergens that are present in the air and reduces dust. This makes for a healthy environment thus reducing the number of irritants that can effect chronic health

Lastly, A janitor is trained to clean-up bodily fluids and know how to properly dispose of them properly. Clean spaces look good and makes a person feel good. Let's give a round lot to our janitorial cleaning services and never take advantage of what they do for us and our environment.

Why is it important for cleaning staff to know about the safety of cleaning and bloodborne pathogens? 

It is important for them to know that if they are exposed, they are subject to pathogens like Hep B and HIV. These two can cause disease in humans that may not appear for years. It may also cause liver damage or liver cancer. It is important to use universal precautions at all times. Exposures to the nose, mouth, or skin is never a good sign. Always wear you protective gear including goggles and keep a control plan to be review annually handy at all times. Be sure to dispose of gloves in the correct container , wash hands, and use the color code method for more protective practices. It is also important to never reuse towels and sponges, use tongs for cleanups and decontaminate the surfaces and areas in need.

We at Tower have a 3-phase approach when working in environments where our staff is likely to be exposed to bloodborne pathogens. We call it I.A.C- Identify - Act - Control.

Identify, this is pre-cleaning stage of each cleaning project. We will identify all high exposure areas. Ensure proper safety equipment and PPE needed for the job. We identify where all emergency response locations are, these include first aid boxes, eye washing stations, and where the MSDS information is kept. Most importantly we ask each technician to report any health issues they may be currently experiencing before entering the building, these issues include, body temperature, flu symptoms, skin abrasions, etc. We not only want to prevent our staff from being exposed to bloodborne pathogens, but we also don’t want our staff to expose anyone else.

Act, the stage is defined by our staff knowing exactly what to do if they have been exposed to a bloodborne pathogen. Depending on the level or type of exposure will determine the next steps of action. In addition, we take precautions while working to avoid unnecessary risks.

Control, this is our final stage of each cleaning project. We train our staff to double check themselves and the environment thoroughly before they leave. It is the responsibility of each technician to ensure that they have not cut themselves while working. In addition, it is each technician's responsibility to ensure that the environment is ready and safe for the next visitors.