It’s a common misconception that you don’t need to worry about the air you breathe unless you’re outside. Smog, carbon monoxide, ozone, and polluting particles sometimes make it difficult to breathe outdoors. However, the air INSIDE our homes can be even more dangerous to breathe. That’s because the chemicals we use in our homes can build up and pollute our indoor air. People spend more than 90% of their time inside rather than out, so if our indoor air is polluted, it can pose a real threat to our health. That’s why we’ve teamed up with EcoExperts.com to offer you these 5 smart and easy ways to improve indoor air quality.

Improve Indoor Air Quality 5 Smart Ways

1)Keep your floors clean.

Surprised by this one? Think about it. Whatever you’ve walked through before you came into your home you’re bringing right along with you. Allergens and toxic chemicals can accumulate along with household dust and normal dirt.

⇒Keep floors clean first and foremost by putting a door mat outside and inside the door so it is easy to trap loose dirt before you even come in your home.

⇒Leave your shoes at the door so you don’t track all that pollution everywhere in the house. This is especially true if you have carpeting or area rugs, as the dirt and dust can get embedded in carpeting fibers.

⇒Vacuum weekly, using a vacuum with strong suction power and rotating bushes to raise pollutants up and out of the carpet where they can be easily sucked up.

⇒Use a microfiber mop to sweep up on hard floors and tile. Depending on how much traffic you have going through your home, or if you have outdoor pets coming inside, you may need to do this daily.

2)Reduce home humidity.

A cool home may be comfortable, but if it’s too cool and damp, it will breed mold and mildew.

⇒Keep the humidity level inside your home between 30% and 50%.

⇒In basements and below ground family rooms, use a dehumidifier to pull excess moisture out of the air.

⇒In bathrooms, turn on ceiling fans when taking a shower, and let the fan run 20 minutes afterwards to do its job.

3)Test for radon.

One of the most fatal of indoor toxins, radon is a colorless, odorless gas that has become a leading cause of lung cancer worldwide. This poisonous gas is common to all kinds of soil and seeps up into basements and homes without basements, then persists when air circulation doesn’t vent the gas to the outside. Even granite countertops have been found to emit radon.

Fortunately, testing for the presence of radon is inexpensive. service providers like Eco Experts can conduct the test, determine whether you’re in danger, and help remediate the problem before you get sick.

4)Use non-toxic household cleansers; avoid synthetic perfumes and fragrances; don’t smoke. 

Many cleansers contain “VOCs,” volatile organic compounds that are known carcinogens. Commercial “air fresheners”  probably contain phthalates, which are known to trigger asthma, headaches, nausea and worse. The dangers with “second hand smoke” are well-documented and almost as significant as if someone were smoking rather than inhaling someone else’s cigarette smoke.

Most home cleaning can be accomplished using a simple solution of fragrance-free liquid soap, some baking soda, and warm water.

For a more fragrant interior, simmer a pot of popourri on the stove, open windows to let in fresh air, and remove rotting food and pet waste if it has not been cleaned up.

Don’t Miss: 16 Causes of Indoor Air Pollution

If you must smoke, go outside and stand far away from any open windows or doors to prevent the smoke from getting inside.

5)Vent kitchen ranges, chimneys, wood stoves, and fireplace inserts.

Prevent carbon monoxide and other byproducts of gas and wood combustion from building up in your home. Use the stove fan when cooking and make sure your chimney is clean and allowing dirty smoke and air to escape up the chimney rather than into your home.

Keep a carbon monoxide detector in good working order to avoid deadly build-up of this lethal gas.

Take a look at : Indoor Plants for Air Purification

By the way, take many of these same steps if you work in an office. And make sure whether at home or at work, you get outside frequently. Going in and out will both help you clear your lungs and help promote air exchange between bad air and good (or at least, not quite so bad).

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·         1) Research shows that productivity increases when people work in a healthier environment.

·         2) Cleaning green can actually save companies money by reducing waste and materials use as well as the number of sick days employees claim.

Plus, conventional cleaning products can have a negative impact on the environment. Aerosol sprays emit fine particles, contributing to air pollution that can irritate the eyes, skin or lungs. Wastewater flushed down a drain can enter the water system and harm aquatic life. Throwaway cleaning materials, like paper towels and single-use plastic bottles, can create a lot of trash.

But how do you make the transition to green cleaning? GreenFacilities, an environmentally certified cleaning consultancy based in the UK and the underwriters of this article,  recommend a process that can work for many kinds of businesses, from retailers to gyms to hospitals and everything in between.

1) Start with an Audit

Take stock of how your business is currently being cleaned. For example,

·         * What chemicals are in the cleaning products that are being used? They may be “standard” to the cleaning industry, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are safe when people are exposed to them repeatedly over time. 

·         * What machinery is being used? Is it effective at actually pulling dirt and dust out of your indoor environment, rather than simply displacing them? Does it operate as efficiently as possible, using energy and water wisely?

·         *How much waste does the cleaning process generate? Do cleaners use throwaway paper towels and one-use plastic bottles, rather than reusable containers and washable cloth?

·        * How much time and money are being spent on cleaning currently? Where can you shift spending to greener products and services that will protect the workplace as well as the environment?

 2) Develop an Office Green Cleaning Plan

 Once you have the complete picture, take steps to green every part of the process.

·         * Ensure that any chemicals used in your workplace minimize human exposure to toxins and have no negative environmental impacts. Look for certifications from non-profit organizations like Green Seal, which have issued environmental standards for green cleaning products used in offices and industrial settings.

·         * Replace old and outdated equipment with newer models that save energy and water and are effective at eliminating dust and dirt.

·         * Switch to cleaning cloths, refillable bottles, and any other cleaning accessories that can be reused, rather than thrown away. Determine what can be recycled, and ensure that it is.

3) Create a Schedule

 With new green processes in place, optimize your current cleaning schedule to increase effectiveness while reducing costs. In most cases, the transition from “dirty” to green cleaning should be straightforward and easy to implement in relatively short order. Your employees – and the planet – will thank you!

NOTE: Underwriters enable us to bring you expert content at no cost to you. Our editorial opinions are our own. Thanks.

Image: http://www.northwestern.edu/sustainability/news/2013/articles/keeping-it-clean-and-green.html

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I sure do – unless, of course, they “clean” it using products laden with nasty chemicals that leave my rooms smelling like antiseptic and that leave me with a big headache. I’ve tried a lot of so-called green cleaning services over the years, but generally have found that, unless I provide my own healthy, non-toxic cleansers, most housekeepers use conventional stuff that’s full of phthalates, pesticides, formaldehyde and other toxins – not exactly what I would call green cleaning.

That’s why I was intrigued when Maid Brigade, a self-proclaimed green cleaning company, approached me with an offer to clean my house top to bottom in exchange for a no-holds-barred review of their service. In other words, they would do the dirty work; I would tell you how they measured up.

WHAT IS A GREEN CLEANING SERVICE?

Before agreeing to an appointment, I spent a long time reading through the Maid Brigade website.  On the home page, the company clarifies what it believes makes a “green” cleaning service. They said they took their commitment to “health, safety and effectiveness” seriously and vowed that their cleaning staff would:

1. Use solutions that are certified by Green Seal (or another recognized organization) to be free from carcinogens, reproductive toxins, neurotoxins, fragrances and other ingredients which can cause health problems

2. Use “greener” equipment such as vacuums that are recognized by the American Lung Association to improve indoor air quality

3. Use color-coded microfiber cloths to reduce the need for cleaning solutions, minimize landfill waste and prevent cross contamination from room to room within the home

4. Have a means to ensure that each member of the green cleaning service’s staff is following the prescribed cleaning protocol in every home and on every visit

5. Stay abreast of the latest science and technology so that the service can always offer the safest and most effective cleaning protocols available

 Having recently joined the Green Seal Advisory Council, I was particularly interested in a company that used many Green Seal-certified products. (Green Seal is an independent third party that has been setting  scientifically-based standards for the environmental health and safety of consumer and industrial cleaning products for over 25 years.)  I decided to make an appointment.

I spent a good 15 minutes on the phone with a manager for the local Maid Brigade franchise, answering questions about my house. Here’s what they wanted to know: How big is it? How many bedrooms and bathrooms? Did the sheets need changing? The fridge or oven need cleaning? Did I have pets? Are there smokers in the house? Maid Brigade took detailed notes, then estimated how much time it would take to clean my abode. (For the record, my house is about 2,000 sq ft; three floors; three bedrooms; 2 full baths; 2 half baths; kitchen; breakfast room; dining room; great room; office; family room; three pets that shed; no smokers).

A couple of days before Maid Brigade showed up, I stopped doing the normal surface cleaning I do during the week. On the weekends, I drag out the vacuum cleaner and my usual cleansers – baking soda, a little plant-based and fragrance-free liquid detergent, some Bon Ami for a particularly stubborn bath tub ring or the toilet bowl. During the week, I sweep, dust lightly, or shake out a few rugs; I wipe down my kitchen counters every day. This time, I cut back to the bare minimum to let Maid Brigade show their stuff.

HOW CLEAN WAS MY HOUSE? THE SNIFF TEST

Promptly at 8 a.m., two women dressed in Maid Brigade uniforms arrived at my home, carrying a vacuum cleaner, mop, and a couple of buckets filled with their cleaning products, reusable cloth rags and micro-fiber dusting cloths. They were friendly, cheerful, and very professional. (They were also “legal” immigrants who receive benefits from the company in addition to a paycheck.) They actually brought with them a “to do” list based on the conversation I’d had when I booked the appointment. I showed them around the house, and they got busy.

For the next three hours, the duo worked industriously, generally pausing only to ask me a question. They dusted dressers, tables and blinds, scoured the bathrooms, vacuumed the living room furniture and dining room chairs plus the wall-to-wall carpets upstairs and the area rugs downstairs. They also wiped down window sills and baseboards, washed the indoor windows and French doors on the first floor, and spiffed up the kitchen sink, counter and appliances (stove, microwave, dishwasher, refrigerator, toaster).  Finally, they mopped the wood floors. Maid Brigade is a franchise company, which means that it has local
franchisees that actually deliver the work. In order to be a Maid
Brigade service, the franchisees need to be certified in the company’s green cleaning system. I liked the idea that the company had established a strong protocol to ensure that all its employees delivered quality service.

While the house cleaners were doing their thing, I was doing mine: reading the ingredients list on the bottles of floor polish, window sprays, and counter cleansers they were using. What I saw gave me pause. I was expecting to see Green Seal-certified products; instead, the ingredients list included questionnable chemicals from Betco, a company I didn’t recognize at all. I asked the cleaners to explain the discrepancy, but they really didn’t know.

My house sparkled. The windows shone. And when I gave it the “sniff” test, I didn’t detect a single whiff of anything that might make me feel ill. Plus, because they had used cleaning cloths rather than paper towels, there was no trash to throw away. On the surface, Maid Brigade had done a tremendous job. But was it “green”?

GREEN – OR GREENWASHING?

After the women left, I contacted Maid Brigade to find out what was really in their products. Cloud Q. Conrad, Vice President of Brand Strategies for Maid Brigade, Inc, said that the company uses mostly Green Seal-certified products, including the floor cleaner, glass cleaner, and peroxide cleaner, which they mix up from concentrates and use in the recycled Betco bottles to reduce waste. They also use a degreaser from Betco that is not Green Seal-certified, and their actual cleaning service is “Green Clean” certified, not Green SEAL certified.

Using recycled bottles to mix up cleaning products is something I do myself at home; it makes sense to me both as a cost-savings measure and as a way to cut down on trash. But what about the company’s “Green Clean” certification? With so many manufacturers claiming that their products are safe and environmentally friendly even when they’re not, I am generally dubious of claims companies make about their own products. That’s why I usually favor companies whose claims are verified by an independent third party.

When I asked Maid Brigade’s Conrad about this, she noted that the company established its Green Clean Certified standard when they converted to green cleaning in 2007. “We created it because we felt it was critical that we implement a standard and require all of our franchisees and all of their cleaning crew members to uphold it – to avoid any possibility of greenwashing.”

“We patterned our certification program after Green Seal’s GS-42 standard,” she said, and sent me documentation from Quest, an independent lab, showing that “Maid Brigade’s practices and standard operating procedures have the demonstrated ability to minimize chemical and particulate emissions associated with cleaning practices,” particularly compared to other (unnamed) commercial cleaning companies. While that doesn’t mean they meet Green Seal’s criteria exactly, it’s pretty close.

For good measure, I viewed a video Maid Brigade has produced that features Annie Bond, a long-time and highly respected advocate of non-toxic cleaning products, offering consumers tips on how to eliminate dangerous cleaning products in their homes. The video includes links to Green Seal, the Safe Cosmetics Data Base, and other organizations I respect as sources of reliable information on chemicals that consumers should avoid. Finally, I was impressed by the company’s Green Cleaning Guide, which is something I could have written myself.

As I sat in my nice, clean house, I realized that using a house cleaning company that sets high environmental, health and safety standards is very important to me. I think it’s important to millions of other consumers, too. The more we learn about toxic chemicals, the safer we all want to be. For lots of us, that starts in our own homes. Whether I clean my house myself, or I hire someone to do it for me, I want the products used to leave no trace behind – not on a surface, not in the air.

Second, using certified products and services is an important way to discourage greenwashing. I’ve personally seen so many phony claims from co-called green companies that, whenever possible, I buy  cleansers that are certified by an independent scientific body, not by the manufacturer. I’m delighted that Maid Brigade uses mostly Green Seal-certified
cleansers and follows a stringent process to train their staff in green cleaning practices.

I hope other cleaning companies will pay attention – and follow suit.

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