It's no secret that conventional cleaning products such as Mr.Clean, Lysol, and Formula 409 multi-purpose cleaners, among others, pack a chemical punch.

Products like these contain ammonia, bleach, chlorine, and other toxics known to wreck havoc on human health and the environment as they release high levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) known to pollute the airways in your home or commercial facility.

But is there a safer alternative to these products? Can we still get the job done without compromising so much? Sure we can!

Green cleaners clean just as good-if not better-and you can make them yourself! Yes, you heard right! Mixing lemon and vinegar, for example, make for a great multi-purpose cleaner that can easily clean a sticky mess, leaving a fresh odor behind.

Another option is to use plant-based cleaners from eco-friendly brands like Method, Mrs. Meyer's, and Better Life.

Either way, natural is the way to go! Help yourself by finding a green cleaning service provider in IJCSA's Green Cleaning Directory:

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

Harmful effects of everyday cleaners can be numerous health problems. Ammonia which is commonly used in window cleaners can cause irritation to the skin, eyes, and throat. It is also very harmful to our environment. It is toxic to plants, animals, and sea life. It disrupts the ecosystem by adding nitrogen to the environment. A green window cleaner that can be used is cornstarch and vinegar and water. 

Another harmful cleaning agent is Amyl acetate. This is used to polish furniture. It is a neurotoxin that can lead to depression if it gets in the central nervous system.  Cornstarch can also be used as a green alternative. 

Artificial fragrances can cause harmful effects to fish and mammals, They also can cause skin and eye irritations to humans. A green alternative can be as simple as lighting a candle or boiling orange peels. Another green alternative can be baking soda. 

Artificial coloring can also be dangerous. It can cause allergies as well as skin and eye irritations. They affect fish and mammals as well. They do not have a useful purpose. They are made from petroleum.

Chlorine is a harmful chemical that can cause atmospheric ozone loss. It is found in tile cleaners, laundry bleach, and dishwasher detergent. A green alternative is called washing soda. It is sodium carbonate decahydrate.

Many green companies use all these different green practices and more. You can find them at IJCSA Member Directory Here: https://www.ijcsa.org/Find-A-Cleaning-Service-Janitorial-Service

Green cleaning demonstrates to potential clients that we are well aware of the harmful side effects of using conventional cleaners.

A green cleaning certification allows us to carefully choose and understand what products are eco friendly.

Find Professional Certified Green Cleaning Services Here

No matter the organization, task or challenge a head, The International Janitorial Cleaning Services Association provides excellent business solutions that translate in an optimal cleaning level with friendly customer service.  IJCSA offers excellent customer service through a variety of cleaning experts ready to provide general or customize consultation and take care of all your cleaning concerns. We are available 24/7 around the clock waiting for your call or email.

Our diverse experts are excellent in providing customized solutions for any cleaning issue, routine maintenance, or concern. We offer the following cleaning services: Janitorial, porter, housekeeping, custodial services, utilities, pressure washing, building cleaning, carpet cleaning and treatment, flooring cleaning and treatment, waste management, acute care cleaning and so much more! Please follow the link for any specific cleaning required and a free consultation --  IJCSA Business Directory. 

Clean & Pristine Services Inc., is proud to announce that our company is aggressively diving into the IJCSA mold inspection and remediation certification courses! By doing so, our goal is to provide our customers with more services and more solutions to their ever changing needs! 

We want to enhance the customer's experience at every point! In order to do this not only are myself & my wife getting certified (owners), but when we hire employees we will give them the opportunity to get certified as well! We not only want to encourage our future employees to work to better serve our customers, but also to further their own personal skills and abilities!

We will keep the community up to date with our progress! For now, if anyone has any questions, or think they may need our services, please feel free to call, text, email, or visit our website at www.cleanandpristinesvcinc.com

The importance of cleaning employees & staff knowing about blood-borne pathogens is to prevent serious illness or even death. In order to prevent serious illness or even death  you need to provide guidelines to help eliminate or limit exposure. Following universal precautions, protective practices and providing training on how to properly clean. 

Universal precautions is to assume all blood and body fluids are contaminated. Infection Control precautions be taken to minimize the risk of exposure. Follow proper protection practices when having to handle a clean up or exposure. 

When handling a clean up or exposure protective practices must be followed. Always wear the correct protective equipment, such as disposable gloves,eye protection, face mask, and gown. Always make sure this equipment is in working order, not torn, and if not available ask for them. If you don't know how to properly use the equipment you need to ask. 

Providing training on how to properly clean the infected areas in order to avoid others being exposed. Avoid splashing when cleaning up and never reuse cleaning cloths, paper towels.  Never eat, smoke and eat in or around infected areas. Never compress trash bags. Use tongs to pick up needles. 

Blood-borne pathogens is nothing to mess with. Following universal precautions, protective practices and providing training on how to properly clean infected areas, will prevent serious illness or even death to your employees and staff. 

Learn More About Bloodborne Pathogens Here

In every industry around the world, cleaning employees or cleaning staff are need it to provide a specific or particular cleaning service. The cleaning employees can be refer as janitor, custodian, custodial porter, cleaner or caretaker. In this role, the person is responsible for the facilities general cleaning and regular maintenance. Some good facilities examples are hospitals, schools, and public or private residential accommodations. Since they work in so many varied facilities, the potential risk of being expose to BBP found in human blood and body fluids is very high.

Some of these high-risk facilities are relate to the health care sector: hospitals, medical laboratories and medical treatment facilities. BBP exposure and contamination problem is universal around the globe. For example, Hasnaa, Sally & Khaled (2019) found in their study that biological occupational hazards in the form of needle stick injuries can occur anywhere within the health care organization. Furthermore, at the global level the number of health care workers annually exposed to sharp injuries contaminated with HBV, HCV or HIV is estimate at 2.1 million, 926,000 and 327,000 respectively (Hasnaa, & et al, 2019). This is why is so important to know the universal BBP precautions and other safety procedures establish from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). These procedures will help to keep them safe, avoiding direct contact to blood or any other body fluid.  

To acquire the necessary knowledge on how to prevent BBP transmission and cross-contamination; formal training is the established method that most organizations use to create strong knowledge on the BBP universal safety practices. This knowledge will be a “self-defense” mechanism in BBP exposure and cross-contamination for the cleaning employee in any facility. Sanabria, A. (2018) strongly suggest that “…the importance of providing employees with relevant training opportunities as well as the benefits of enhancing existing training programs to fit the needs of specific occupations and work settings (para 3)” is essential. In other words, BBP training is the “base line” for successful implementation of universal BBP safety practices in facilities.

References:

Amina, A. E. M., and Samah, S. S. (2019). Safety Training Program for Clinical Laboratory Workers Regarding Prevention of Occupational Hazards. American Journal of Nursing Research, 7(2), p. 116-127 doi: 10.12691/ajnr-7-2-3

Hasnaa, A. A.; Sally A. H. and Khaled M. A. E. (January 2019). “Awareness of Health Care Workers about Infection Control Practice and Occupational Safety at a Tertiary Care Hospital, Cairo, Egypt”. Department of Community, Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Faculty of medicine, Ain Shams University. The Egyptian Journal of Community Medicine, 37(1), p. 54-62.

Sanabria, Amanda, "Implementing and Evaluating an Advanced Bloodborne Pathogen Training for the Department of Campus Recreation at Clemson University. A Mixed Methods Study of Training Effectiveness and Retention" (2018). All Theses. 2878. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/2878

Want your carpets to look like new? Tired of dirty, dingy and smelly carpets that the vacuum just won't clean? At IJCSA we have the most qualified, in-depth, Eco-friendly Green Cleaning Services  in the industry. Our members pride themselves on providing exceptional customer service and we always strive to exceed the customers expectations.

Our Green Cleaning services use an eco friendly method to clean your carpets called hot water extraction. This method is known to remove 95% of moisture that is used in cleaning of your carpets. This process loosens and removes any soil in the carpet fibers using hot water and a mild eco-friendly solution. All the dirt and moisture is then extracted from the carpet. This whole process does not only clean and make your carpets look like new but it will extend the overall life of your carpet. 

For more information on carpet cleaning and all your professional cleaning needs please visit IJCSA and you can contact one of our industry leaders at our Business Directory.

Occupational injuries and illnesses are common problems in the housekeeping world.  Green Cleaning protects our workers against harmful substances, and we pass on the benefits to our customers as well.  This is why we are so excited about the IJCSA Green Cleaning Certification Program.

We have been raised thinking the “Clorox” and bleach smell means " truly clean".  We must educate people about the efficiency of green cleaning and the health value over conventional cleaning.  In my opinion, Green Cleaning should always be an option.  I don’t want to be responsible for harmful effects our company’s cleaning regimen will have on employees and customers.

Although, our mission to educate people is far from being done, it is much easier to implement a Green Cleaning Service nowadays.  Many studies have been published to show how toxic conventional products are unhealthy.

How do you promote your Green Cleaning Service without falling in the Greenwashing scheme?  Be honest about the products your use, be personal about your mission and back your claims with science.

Some benefits of using green cleaning in my business will include providing a safe environment for customers. This means good health for the public, in your home and your work place. Did you know that there are over 62 dangerous chemicals found in the average home? This is not so good. Green Cleaning ensures a natural atmosphere in your home in turn you will have a safe environment also at home.

Green Cleaning products also disinfect just as good or better than your old fashioned cleaning products; destroying harmful bacterias like, E. Coli, Salmonella and Shigella Bacteria. 

Eco Friendly/Green clean products are safe for pregnant or nursing women, children and pets. 

Opting to use green cleaning products will not only reduce the risk of harming anyone in the home, it will help in reducing the harmful effects of toxic chemicals that get washed into the environment. They can be used with the confidence that the ingredients are easy to find when making at home, and the ingredients will not have any harmful effects on anyone. 

Poor health in the United States has sparked the interest of many to try more eco friendly green clean products. Having the green clean option as part of my business could potentially be my greatest asset.

Find IJCSA Green Cleaning Services Here