By John Downey

In the past two decades the concept of “green” cleaning has progressed from the fringe to the mainstream. Many cleaning professionals who once looked skeptically at “environmentally friendly” chemicals and practices now embrace it because many green-cleaning agents and practices have been proven effective. Another consideration for employers struggling to find workers: For young workers entering the workforce, green equals social responsibility.

Green cleaning originally focused only on environmentally friendly chemicals. Today the entire cleaning process is considered. (See, for example, the Green Seal GS-42 certification.) In the next wave, hopefully green cleaning and high-performance cleaning will be synonymous.

Currently, green cleaning certification does not measure soil or bio-pollutant removal. The lack of performance data lends credence to the belief that green cleaning does not ensure effective removal of pathogens or other harmful matter. The new paradigm for green cleaning can, should and must include high removal rates of unwanted matter—and it must be easily and reliably measured and verified.

Measurement-based “hygienic green cleaning” (HGC) is the next wave in cleaning. As more cleaning industry stakeholders support the concept of measuring cleaning performance, the popular appeal of health-focused Hygienic Green Cleaning will surge.

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