4 Eco-Friendly Office Cleaning Tips

By admin

Switch to eco-friendly cleaning products to reduce the environmental impact.

Between the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the upcoming cold and flu season, cleaning your workplace thoroughly and regularly will be a top priority in the coming months. The good news? There are several eco-friendly cleaning products you can use to help protect your employees and customers while reducing the impact on the environment. Here’s how to get started:

Understand and evaluate ingredients and product labels
Reduce plastic use
Shop smart for single-use items
Hire cleaner cleaners

Keep reading for tips on how to keep your office clean and sanitary while reducing your environmental impact.

Understand and evaluate ingredients

Does “green” truly mean eco-friendly? It’s essential to learn what to look for on labels when shopping for soap, sanitizers, multipurpose cleaning supplies, and more:

Bio-based: Made from ingredients such as plant oil or enzymes, bio-based products reduce toxic chemicals, pollution, and our reliance on fossil fuels.
Non-toxic: Look for Green Seal-compliant products that have passed strict testing and are certified sustainable or eco-friendly.
Phosphate-free: Phosphates can be dangerous to your health and our water supply, so choosing phosphate-free products can help protect employees within your workplace and the environment.

Be wary of products that are labeled “green,” “eco-friendly,” or “organic” without additional information to back up those claims. Those terms aren’t strictly regulated, and many companies “greenwash” their products (marketing them to seem greener or more eco-friendly than they really are).

To get started on your journey toward eco-friendly office cleaning, there are a variety of cleaning products that are Green Seal certified—from hand soap to all-purpose cleaners.

Reduce plastic use

For decades traditional cleaning supplies have come in plastic packaging, but there are ways to cut down how much plastic your office consumes. Purchase cleaning solutions in larger container sizes and then refill smaller, more user-friendly containers (for example, hand soap dispensers or kitchen spray bottles) to lessen the total amount of plastic needed.

Shop smart for single-use items

Several studies have shown that paper towels are more sanitary than hand dryers, since hand dryers can spread bacteria through the air. Thankfully, there are plenty of eco-friendly paper towel options that also help cut down on waste while avoiding bacterial spread:

High-capacity paper rolls, for example, lessen how many towels people use
One-at-a-time touch-free towel dispensers help reduce waste and the need for sanitizing a high-touch surface such as a dispenser handle
Paper towel products made of sustainable materials minimize environmental impact

Also, try swapping out single-use cleaning wipes for washable, reusable cloths or recycled disposable wipes made of post-consumer waste.

Hire cleaner cleaners

Chances are your workplace contracts for cleaning services. Do some research and have a conversation with your cleaning crew to see what types of chemicals they use, for example, and ask whether there are more environmentally friendly alternatives. Many cleaning professionals may call themselves “green,” so do some research and use this handy guide of qualities to look for in a genuinely environmentally friendly cleaning service.

Green Seal also provides a list of cleaning companies that have met its strict standards for services.

You can find everything you need to beat the cold and flu season in an environmentally responsible way, from hand washing hygiene to kitchen clean-up, with EZ Office Products. Shop online or call (608) 310-4300 to set up your own business account with our local customer concierge team.