Disinfectants and Green Cleaning: How to Make a Safer Choice
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.