A task that is sustainable is one you can afford to keep doing through the lens of green cleaning, health and business.

Operations that focus effort through these lenses have healthier, happier workers, as cleaning workers often face exposure to chemicals, risk from physical injury, and morale problems.

Taking the right steps will contribute to dignity, sustainability and bottom-line benefits:

1. Clean for health not appearance. For example, cleaning and disinfecting desktops in schools is associated with less absenteeism and attendance gains; e.g., a 1% gain in attendance can equate to millions in school funding.

2. Invest in training. The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) reports that every dollar spent on training yields several dollars in return. How? Workers that are valued will stay longer and do better work.

3. When chemical cleaning solutions are needed, consider Safer Choice products that have been validated by the EPA as better for the environment and human health.

4. Keep restrooms clean. According to an International Facility Management Association (IFMA) survey, 69% of facility managers believe restrooms “are the most frequently visited common area of the building,” and 25% believe the appearance of a building’s restrooms have the “greatest potential to negatively affect a visitor’s impression of a facility if not properly maintained,” second only to the appearance of a building’s lobby or entrance.