{"id":6770,"date":"2014-07-17T13:45:14","date_gmt":"2014-07-17T20:45:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.unrbep.org\/?p=6770"},"modified":"2014-07-17T13:45:14","modified_gmt":"2014-07-17T20:45:14","slug":"chemical-free-cleaning-is-trending-in-the-commercial-sector","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/chemical-free-cleaning-is-trending-in-the-commercial-sector\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Chemical-free’ cleaning is trending in the commercial sector"},"content":{"rendered":"

Posted: July 17, 2014
\nSource: The Guardian – Sustainable Business.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Will greener cleaning methods, such as salt-based split stream water technology, replace conventional powders and bleaches?<\/h2>\n
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“Chemical-free” cleaning is something of a trend in the commercial sector, but expense and effectiveness doubts mean it’s not catching on in homes. Photo: Alamy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Randy Reed, deputy assistant director of housekeeping at North Carolina State University, North Carolina\u2019s largest campus, often fretted about the effects of chemicals on the 300 housekeepers as they cleaned. While nobody was ever seriously injured, he fielded several reports of rashes, occasional respiratory problems and headaches, possibly caused by exposure to the harsh smells the cleaners omitted.<\/p>\n

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a government agency, warns of this in its public safety warnings (pdf).<\/a> Cleaning chemicals, OSHA states, can cause dangerous gases causing headaches, dizziness, wheezing, even lung damage. With this in mind, two years ago, Reed replaced traditional industrial cleaners such as Diversey Glance and Comet Cleaner with Orbio SC 5000 split stream water technology to clean floors, surfaces, even urinals.<\/p>\n

This new system uses a salt-based, chemical-free process, where water passes through the system giving it an electrical charge. The solution cleans and sanitizes surfaces leaving it 99% germ free, Reed explains. \u201cOn our first trial our hygiene meter monitored the bacteria count on a urinal and found the technology removed as many germs as a regular sanitizer.”<\/p>\n

\"Orbio
Orbio SC 5000 uses a salt-based process, where water passes through the system giving it an electrical charge. Photo: Courtesy of Orbio<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

NC State is part of a larger trend in which universities, retailers, sports facilities and large corporations are not just cleaning with greener chemicals, but without chemicals at all.<\/p>\n

Companies including Coca-Cola Enterprises<\/a> in the Netherlands; ISS, one of the world\u2019s largest commercial facilities services providers; and Chapman University<\/a>, (pdf) one of California\u2019s oldest private universities, have made the switch. Examples include sanitizing facilities with technologies such as steam vapor systems, spray and vac systems using pressurized water to remove and loosen soils along with ozonated and electrolyzed systems using electricity to turn water into a cleaning agent. The use of microfiber cloths and mops, which require only water to remove germs, grime and bacteria also make up the trend.<\/p>\n

While industry numbers don\u2019t yet exist, Stephen Ashkin, executive director of The Green Cleaning Network<\/a>, a non-profit working with corporations to green the cleaning industry, estimates that, based on his client research and surveys, 30% to 50% of corporations and institutions across the US, now clean their facilities with eco-friendly chemical cleaners or cleaners without chemicals at all.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe professional cleaning industry has changed,\u201d he says. \u201cThe newer trend experts are seeing is cleaning without chemicals.\u201d Ashkin believes cleaning products minimizing chemicals will never replace floor finishes, heavy-duty cleaning chemicals or graffiti removers, but this is a \u201ctool in the toolbox for creating a healthy and clean environment while leaving a minimal footprint.\u201d<\/p>\n

Defining Chemical-Free Cleaning<\/b><\/p>\n

The trend is so new that even the description of these products is controversial; while some call them chemical-free, others say eco-friendly. Ashkin rejects the term \u201cchemical-free\u201d cleaning because no cleaning product or device completely avoids chemicals.<\/p>\n

\u201cChemical-free cleaning is a marketing term versus a technical term,\u201d he says. Case in point is companies offering chemical-free cleaning products, such as Tennant, maker of the Orbio systems, which use their own technologies to define “chemical-free.”<\/p>\n

OSHA defines green cleaning<\/a> as products certified by independent organizations as safe to use and less harmful to your health and environment than conventional alternatives such as bleach and ammonia.<\/p>\n

Wherever the definition lies, all this means good business for the big players. In April, Tennant posted quarterly results showing growth year-<\/a>on-year<\/a>. Other brands including Tursano, maker of the popular Lotus Pro device (similar to the split stream water technology), and the larger company Ecolab also reported positive first-quarter earnings. Makers of chemical free antibacterial microfiber cloths have good customer following as well. Norway-based Norwex<\/a>, now in multiple markets including Canada, Australia and the US, sells microfiber towels and cloths, microfiber scarf clips for cleaning tablets, glasses and jewellery (instead of toxic sprays and wipes) and dry polyester floor pads for mopping.<\/p>\n

But much of this market is in the commercial sector. Based on his client work, Ashkin estimates that residential cleaning remains only around 1-5% of the core eco-friendly and chemical-free cleaning market, probably because the conversion payback is higher for large corporations. Purchasing a chemical-free cleaning device for a commercial space can cost up to $5,000, a worthwhile investment, if used daily. A Lotus Pro split stream water technology cleaning device for your home averages $150 retail, too much for a parent worried about putting food on the table, Ashkin adds. Commercial facilities also have employees to compare costs, and review and analyze the cleaning products they buy, which the household consumer often lacks.<\/p>\n

Homemade Chemical Free Cleaning<\/b><\/p>\n

Another growing trend is Americans making their own cleaning products, with limited chemicals. Senior account supervisor at MMI Public Relations in North Carolina, Jennifer Fair ditched Clorox and other harsh cleaners for recipes she found on Pinterest such as pairing vinegar with baking soda. The vinegar dish soap concoction gets her shower super clean, she says. Other recipes suggest using baking soda, sprayed with water, to clean ovens.<\/p>\n

This interest is valid given the Environmental Working Group<\/a>, a non-profit group, has found through their Hall of Shame<\/a> (pdf) study that 438 of 2,000 assessed cleaning products contain at least one chemical that the non-profit group Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics<\/a> identifies as an asthmagen.<\/p>\n

The worst offenders, the study claims, were those labelled as \u201cgreen cleaners\u201d such as the Simple Green Concentrated All-Purpose Cleaner (labelled as non-toxic and biodegradable) when one of its ingredients is 2-butoxyethanol, a solvent which can cause red blood cell damage and eye irritation<\/a>. EWG also cites several studies showing pregnant women are more at risk for birth defects when exposed frequently to cleaning chemicals, especially window cleaner and air deodorizer sprays.<\/p>\n

Effectiveness of greener cleaning products<\/b><\/p>\n

Ashkin doesn\u2019t believe home cleaning product recipes work well. \u201cWe have a romanticized view that because we can eat it, it\u2019s good for you,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

And can we say split stream chemical-free technologies clean as well as eco-friendly chemicals? Tennant doesn’t know the answer to this question, and Ashkin says it\u2019s too early to know. However, companies are evaluating the technologies, comparing the impact to chemicals and other devices along with the wattage. He suspects the environmental benefits of chemical-free cleaning devices and technology will outshine chemical cleaners.<\/p>\n

\u201cConventional cleaning requires extracting the raw materials, turning these into ingredients, shipping to a formulator who mixes everything into an effective cleaning product before putting the chemicals into packaging (with their own environmental impacts) and finally shipping to the end user. Through green cleaning those impacts go away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Debbi McCullough is an independent writer, editor and owner of <\/i>Hanging Rock Media<\/a> based in North Carolina.<\/i><\/p>\n

The sustainable living<\/a> hub is funded by Unilever. All content is editorially independent except for pieces labelled advertisement feature. Find out more here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Posted: July 17, 2014 Source: The Guardian – Sustainable Business.com Will greener cleaning methods, such as salt-based split stream water technology, replace conventional powders and bleaches? “Chemical-free” cleaning is something of a trend in the commercial sector, but expense and effectiveness doubts mean it’s not catching on in homes. Photo: Alamy Randy Reed, deputy assistant … Continue reading ‘Chemical-free’ cleaning is trending in the commercial sector<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[248,206,249,247,246],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6770"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6770"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6770\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6771,"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6770\/revisions\/6771"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6770"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}