What is Green Cleaning?

Green cleaning can be defined as “effective cleaning that protects health without harming the environment.”

The federal government has defined “green” and “environmentally preferred purchasing” as “…products and services that have a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared with competing products and services that serve the same purpose.” -- Executive Order 13101 which can be seen at www.ofee.gov/eo/13101.htm.

Both definitions focus on:

• The impact cleaning has on the health of people as well as the impact it has on the environment
• A description of a goal to make sure cleaning has as positive an impact on human health and the environment as possible.

There are several third party organizations that define environmentally preferable ingredients, characteristics, and performance standards of products that we use to clean, as well as the buildings we are cleaning. Learn what some of the most prominent and widely accepted guidelines include.