How to Be Environmentally Friendly When Cleaning Your Office

Consistent office cleaning is a great habit that results in better health and increased productivity but using the wrong products can have the opposite effect.

Here are some simple tips to help you and your office to be environmentally friendly when cleaning your office.

Use Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products

The first step to going green with your office cleaning is choosing the best, most eco-friendly cleaning products.

When looking for environmentally friendly products, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) the EWG Guide to Healthy Cleaning is generally a smart place to start and see if the products you’re using are safe and healthy for both you and the environment. Each product is given a grade from A-F that represents how it affects human and environmental health in its daily usage and production.

Following their guidelines, it’s important to pick products that not only use safe, non-toxic chemicals, but also won’t harm the environment when disposed of.

Use Non-Toxic Chemicals When Cleaning

Most of your day-to-day, well-known cleaners make use of very toxic chemicals because they’re cheaper and/or easier to produce. The products that the EWG recommends consumers to buy in their place were created using safer ingredients, such as vinegar and other natural oils.

In general, chemicals to watch out for when cleaning your standard workspace include:

• Carcinogens
• Endocrine Disruptors
• Neurotoxins
• Ammonia and Chlorine Bleach

While there are more to watch out for, but these are some of the most common ones you’ll find in store-bought cleaners.

Safe Chemical Disposal

Whether you’ve just finished cleaning or are disposing of your old, harmful chemicals, make sure you do it in ways that won’t harm the environment around you.

Generally, there are two quick steps you can take:

READ THE LABEL

Most products will provide a toll-free number to call that will give you accurate information on how to properly dispose of that product or its container. Some will simply be thrown away, whereas others must be taken to certain facilities or recycled in specialized ways.

DILUTE WITH WATER

If a product mixes with water, dilute it with running water and dispose of it down the drain. This greatly reduces the overall impact of the cleaning agent.

Use Natural Air Cleaners

You may not even think about what you’re doing to your office’s air when looking to freshen it up. Simple things like a stinky spill or somebody’s lingering lunch lead many to reach for that Air Wick and spray it everywhere.

But think twice about that. The quality of your office’s air is extremely important and using poor products can have negative health benefits.

According to the EWG’s Guide to Healthy Cleaning, Air Wick (and many other air fresheners) have wholeheartedly earned an “F” grade when it comes to environmental friendliness. This rating takes into consideration the chemicals in the product, its effect on the environment, its sustainability in production, and any negative health effects.

Instead, look to use great, sustainable products that work hard to earn an A grade. This makes for better quality air in the office which has many health benefits like decreasing the risk of illness and increasing comfort and productivity in your workforce.

Using natural cleaners will result in the same clean office that more harmful products deliver, but with the added benefit of creating a healthier environment, both in the environment and within your workforce.

While these tips will give a head start to any office employee when it comes to promoting an eco-friendly environment, sometimes you need more of a heavy duty approach. When that time comes, call in the experts at The Heiser Group.

‍