CHTMAG.COM WASHROOMS FEATURE Germs such as MRSA, E-Coli and more can be spread incredibly quickly and reach harmful, even lethal levels before you’ve even realised there is a problem. Constant, and eff ective cleaning is essential if we wish to prevent these germs harming people in their homes and their offi ces. In many, if not most, washrooms people are constantly using bleach, disinfectants and anti-bacterial cleansers to keep infections at bay in their washrooms. But these products can actually do more harm than good…. Conventional cleaning products are complex mixtures of chemical ingredients and those ingredients are not always harmless. Many of these ingredients are known to be associated with asthma and other respiratory disorders. Some are even associated with dermatitis, neurological disorders and cancer. In addition to these terrible consequences for humans, there is mounting evidence that some cleaning product ingredients harm the environment, harming ecosystems in the air and in the water. Also if and when you pour two chemicals down the same drain then you are at risk of creating an even more dangerous compound. These dangers apply both to cleaning staff and employees in the buildings being cleaned. The companies employing cleaning contractors and the contractors themselves have a responsibility to carry out risk assessments to determine what risks arise from the use of cleaning machines, techniques and materials. Changes have been made to the way in which chemicals are classified, including newly designed hazard symbols, called ‘pictograms’, and new wording to help those who need to know, to understand the hazards that are in the chemical they are using and how to use it safely. People with responsibility for assessing risks from cleaning chemicals should obviously read this information. So how can we keep our washrooms clean whilst remaining environmentally friendly? Well, plenty of green cleaning products have been developed over recent years. Products which can aid humans and the environment whilst remaining cost effective. It is a lot more sensible to use, where possible, the latest cleaning systems that remove the risk of aggravating existing health problems or creating news ones, while achieving an extremely high standard of hygiene. GREEN OPTIONS Many people still think that natural or green cleaning products aren’t as effective as chemicals. Yet there are several organisations which have researched and developed perfectly reliable, environmentally friendly cleaning products using plant-based enzymes, fatty acids, alcohols, esters, chelators and saponifiers derived from things like palm kernel, soy, peanut, corn, sunflower and canola. All of these are non-toxic, non-harmful, non-hazardous, readily biodegradable and extremely cost effective. More research and investment is of course still needed. Sustainability means leaving the world for future generations in a state we would want to inherit it ourselves. The whole cleaning sector has a responsibility not to do anything that will damage the environment, or harm the people in it. All well and good Many people still think that natural or green cleaning products aren’t as eff ective as chemicals” of cours, but how exactly do we do this? Well, let’s take this one step at a time, starting with the most obvious example, the toilet. When cleaning a toilet most people’s first instinct is to reach for their bleach. This might leave it clean and sparkling but no-one would claim that bleach is green. But there are homemade, environmentally friendly options available that are apparently just as effective. Half a cup of vinegar perhaps, mixed with a bit of baking soda, poured into the toilet bowl once a week before scrubbing is reportedly a eco-friendly and efficient solution. JULY / AUGUST 2016 25 CLEANING HYGIENE TODAY
CHT July / August 2016
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