Green cleaning is a popular topic for discussion among carpet cleaners, with opinions varying greatly about what it really is and how to really incorporate into their operations.

Most everyone agrees that one easy way to aid in implementation is to look to manufacturers for guidance of green cleaning products and using products that are considered part of the green movement.

The regulated side of chemistry
Although carpet cleaning and chemistry used in the industry is largely unregulated, that isn’t always the case, especially when specialized chemicals are used in the green cleaning process, such as disinfectants.

Samuel DeAth, president of Benefect RS Co., said: “We are unique in the green space in that we are the only botanical or plant-derived disinfectant in the world, so we walk a line between regulated label and advertising claims and what the market expects to hear from us. So when we talk about green, we must speak within that regulated environment.”

He said that green to consumers generally is interpreted to mean it costs twice as much but works half as well. For carpet cleaners, this is not acceptable.

DeAth also said that it can be difficult to convince your customers that the use of disinfectants can still be a part of a green cleaning process. “The perception that ‘all disinfectants are poisonous’ is a regulatory interpretation from the 1960s that is slow to change.”

In addition, he sees challenges working with the EPA.

“The EPA regulates all disinfectants under regulations that are decades old. The industry’s needs are ahead of the EPA’s regulations,” he said.

Claims such as “non-toxic’” “biodegradable,” “environmentally friendly,” “safe,” “natural,” or any implication or derivations of these terms are explicitly forbidden, DeAth said. And “green” is not defined or addressed anywhere within EPA regulations, making it vulnerable to subjectivity or misuse, particularly in product names such as the product is green in color or it’s in a green bottle.

“Changing these regulations to allow these terms is an expensive, multi-year bureaucratic process,” DeAth said. “This makes it tough to differentiate and advertise unique botanical disinfectants in a marketplace where unregulated products can claim whatever they want without regulation.”

Expert input
Green cleaning experts tend to teach that green cleaning isn’t all about products. Stephen Ashkin, a noted green cleaning expert and a CM/Cleanfax® magazine columnist, presents a balanced view of green cleaning.

In his February 2008 article entitled “Green cleaning trends,” Ashkin notes that green cleaning is about reducing negative impacts on human health and on the environment.

But in addition to this, he says we need to analyze how to reduce impacts from the cleaning process itself, which can include many things, such as using different cleaning systems to reduce energy and/ or water.

The main goal, however, is to still get the carpet clean, as Ashkin. A “green cleaning” process or program that doesn’t clean doesn’t make sense.
   
The goal of this article is to inform the carpet cleaning community that    manufacturers are working hard to provide green cleaning products that work. You should also research and investigate what the consumer wants in regards to green cleaning. That's the way to true green cleaning success.

Consumer demand
Your customers will become more aware of green cleaning as time goes by, so gaining as much education as possible right now is important.

Use any Internet search engine and look for information that your customers might look for, such as how to clean a part or an entire house using green cleaning products.

There is a tremendous amount of information on the green movement, and it is not limited to cleaning.

This means consumers are constantly gaining an education on green products, and when they ask you for your thoughts, you need to have a ready answer.

Manufacturers speak up
CM/Cleanfax® magazine asked manufacturers about their green cleaning products on the market today.
Those that responded showed a common trait: Pride in what they have created.

Cliff Zlotnik, president of Unsmoke, Coraopolis, PA, spoke about one of his company’s product lines that fit the green cleaning niche.

For Unsmoke, the goal when developing their green line was to not only offer products that are safe, but effective as well, he said.

“By design, we wanted to separate our products from the rest. We purposefully chose not to use the word ‘green’ in the brand or product name,” Zlotnik said.

Prochem, Chandler, AZ, also joined the green manufacturing movement with a green cleaning line. Researchers at Prochem were concerned with building a green cleaning product that cleans as well as its traditional lines.

“Prochem’s top priority was to develop a line of environmentally responsible products that worked,” said Glen Wilson, vice president of sales and marketing. “Our research showed that professionals had interest in green products, but their past experiences were not positive.”

He said that Prochem believes in the future of green cleaning and is committed to their line of chemicals, which continues to see strong growth year over year.

“We view green products as the future of our industry and will continue to expand the line with products that perform,” Wilson said.

Barry Firth, general manager of Bi-O-Kleen Industries Inc., Vancouver, WA, echoed some of these comments when discussing his line of cleaning products and deodorizers.

“Our everyday cleaning choices affect our health, the health of our families, and the health of our planet,” Firth said.
With this belief in mind, he said that his line of green cleaning products is concentrated in order to leave the “smallest footprint on the environment. Concentrated products mean no unnecessary fillers, less waste, less packaging, and less shipping.”

In addition, natural ingredients, such as soy extracts, are used in Bi-O-Kleen products.

Gain your green education now
Obviously, green cleaning is going to continue to grow.  It is easier to gain procedure and product information during this growth period.

If you wait until it is forced on you — most likely by consumer demand — you will be left behind.

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Jeff Cross is the senior editor of CM/Cleanfax magazine.