Hi everyone, I'm Clara F. Kenfack from Liberia and the Operations Manager of a sanitation company specializing in waste management. Dislodging, fumigation, recycling, and Janitorial services are part of our work. I'm new here and honored to learn a lot of things from you all as it relates to my work and passion and to also get certification that will enable me to acquire bids.

Buzz Janitorial Services is now going green! This is something that we have wanted to do for a long time. Our clients expect the best from us. Green cleaning is the industry standard now. We want to keep the environment, our clients, and our staff, healthy and happy.

We have completed a program through the International Janitorial Cleaning Services Association for green cleaning. Yearly certification is required. This makes sure that we are up to date on green practices and any changes that may have happened over the previous year.

We plan to start switching over all of our chemicals to all natural products. This is things like vinegar, salt, borax, baking soda, and citrus. Just because they are all natural does not mean they are not powerful. We also plan to switch over from paper towels to rags, to reduce environmental trash waste.

At a later date we will also complete their more rigorous green cleaning certification – the master level certification. This covers green cleaning in any environment – commercial, residential, and industrial.  This is the most advanced green cleaning training program that you can take online.

I was not entirely convinced, prior, that it was that big of a deal. I have used both chemicals and natural products in the past to clean with, and didn’t really see much difference in them, as far as how well they worked. The chemicals were usually cheaper, so being a new business owner, I just went that route.

Now, after completing this training program, I am convinced that I need to move my cleaning company more in the direction of green cleaning. Moving forward, I will start to implement more eco friendly alternatives in their place.

I think that will benefit my cleaning company in a lot of ways. We will be healthier. This goes for the cleaning staff and the client both. There will be less damage done to the environment. On top of that, it has become the industry standard to be green, so it will make my company more competitive in todays market.

It is important that you find a reputable cleaning company that is trained in green cleaning. There is a lot to learn in the cleaning industry, in regards to green cleaning. Take the time to research companies in your local area to find one that is knowledgeable.

A lot of companies nowadays like to “green wash”. This means that they give off the false impression that they are eco friendly and using all natural products, when they in fact are not. It is not honest. This is a common problem in many industries, not just cleaning. You can look for companies that have undergone green cleaning certifications, like the one offered by IJCSA, or gotten the green seal of approval.

A company would green wash because they are able to charge a lot of money for their services. Claiming that they are eco friendly allows them to charge a premium for their services. The client is stuck paying for a more expensive service, not knowing exactly what they are getting; a substandard product.

To find a cleaning company that has been trained in green cleaning, please refer to this directory:

https://www.ijcsa.org/Green-Cleaning-Services

  Pure Green Janitorial, LLC recently tried out a carpet cleaning product called Procyon Extreme Carpet Pre-Spray. It's approved by the carpet and rug institute and is Green Seal Certified among others. It's very versatile, it can be used for carpet and upholstery. It can be used with truck mounts, box extractors, bonnet cleaning, hand spotting and as an encapsulation. One gallon can cover about 10,000 square feet. So far we've had really nice results removing coffee, soda as well as other stains and none have returned after months 

  How we plan to implement a carpet cleaning program at Pure Green Janitorial is to provide carpet cleaning services to businesses to whom we do not provide any other services for. This will allow us to get our foot in the door, to get to know them, build relationships and eventually provide them with more services.

  For our clients already receiving cleaning services, we will implement carpet cleaning services by encouraging them to include carpet cleaning into their contract. Helping them understand that properly cleaned carpets contribute to healthier indoor air quality and longer carpet life span.

IJCSA members have completed the carpet cleaning course. They have a deep understanding of the carpet cleaning industry. The course offers training in the following areas: Identifying the different kinds of carpet, soil prevention, cleaning techniques, spot removal, cleaning solutions, green cleaning, and mistakes while cleaning carpet,  Cleaning your carpets yourself, without the proper training, can lead to ineffective cleaning. Worst case scenario you may even damage your carpets and possibly even have to replace them. This would cost you much more time and money in the long run.

To find a cleaning company that has been trained in carpet cleaning, please refer to this directory:

 https://www.ijcsa.org/Carpet-Cleaning-Directory

Janitorial staff  keep our work environments clean. They improve work moral and make it a place we don’t mind to spend 8+ hours of our day. Nobody wants to go to work in a filthy environment.

Janitorial staff are important to keep our place of employment clean, in that they help keep us from getting sick. The workplace is a place where a lot of illnesses can spread quickly. There needs to be a cleaning regimen in place to help stop the spread between employees. The more employees that catch an illness, the more people that will call in sick from work. This lowers productivity, as well as them possibly taking the sickness home to their families.

Dayporters are the cleaning crew that clean during the day. Usually they are in high traffic environments like factories or schools. They keep the bathrooms well stocked with disposables, in locations where they would run out if they only were refilled at night.

To find a cleaning company that has been trained in janitorial/custodial cleaning, please refer back to the directory:

https://www.ijcsa.org/Janitorial-Service-Directory-Find-A-Janitorial-Service-JanitorialServices

Cleaning healthcare facilities properly includes physically removing the organic material, then following up with a disinfectant. Using just a disinfectant, without first cleaning, will render the disinfectant much less effective. Special attention should be made to avoid cross contamination, or transferring bacteria and viruses from one patients room to the next. Monitoring for cleanliness should also be done from time to time, and cleaning regime adjusted if necessary.

 There are things that you can do to prevent the spread of infection. This includes proper hand hygiene, like washing with soap and water or using a hand sanitizer, and cleaning/disinfecting the healthcare environment. Infection can be spread amongst patients, their families, and healthcare staff, if precautions are not taken.

Keeping healthcare facilities clean is important to reduce infection. Healthcare associated infections are the leading cause of illness and death. To find a janitorial service in your area that has completed the training for medical facilities, please refer to this link.

https://www.ijcsa.org/Janitorial-Service-Directory-Find-A-Janitorial-Service-JanitorialServices

For safety reasons employees should be very cautious when encountering blood pr body fluids which may contain pathogens. Extreme caution should be used when coming in contact with blood or body fluids. Bloodborne pathogens are pathogens that are or can be found in human blood. These can happen when you come in contact with mucus membranes, cuts or breaks in the skin. 

Blood and or needles can contain HIV or AIDS, Hepatitis and other serious pathogens. Gloves should be worn and mask when coming in contact with body fluids.  Precautions can save lives. OSHAs standards should be followed. 

Protective practices and proactive practices should be followed. Assume all blood and body fluids are contaminated. Clean and disinfect the area if coming in contact. Good hand washing helps prevent the spread of infection. 

Notify your supervisor and physician if you come in contact with blood or bodily fluids.