As a "machine guy,” one thing I've learned over the years is to keep quiet when it comes to chemicals. Selling chemicals is the turf of the distributor or the distributor’s sales rep. Offering my opinion on a particular brand of chemical, technique or application can cost me a sale on a piece of equipment. However, at the risk of losing my credibility as an equipment salesman, I would like to ask a simple question regardingthe selling of chemicals in our industry. Are we excessively promoting safe, green, eco-friendly chemicals when conventional cleaners do a better job? As we can all attest, our grandmothers used basic detergents, chlorine bleach and ammonia to clean and disinfect, and these traditional cleaners worked very well. I can't remember ever getting sick or nauseous from breathing these products, nor was it ever a problem for our pets. Today, we are told that in order to protect the environment, we need to pay a little more for green cleaners that may match the performance of conventional cleaners if we add a little elbow grease.
We are asked to participate in competing certification programs, all “widely recognized” of course, with logos that can decorate our products so they sell better.
I can't help but think of all the recent scams involving green energy and green jobs. Investors have lost big on solar and wind power because oil, gasoline and coal are proven to be the most cost effective energy sources available. Also, the green jobs that were supposed to rescue our economy never seem to materialize. The public is fast becoming skeptical, as they should, about any product or service with the "green" tagline. The word "green" is becoming synonymous with "not working as well as the old and proven methods, or promoting a hoax". Before we double-down on the green selling strategy, we should take note that the major TV shopping networks are noticeably moving away from the green cleaners due to lackluster sales. You can talk green as much as you like but it doesn't mean anything if they just don't buy it!
Bob Eukovich, V.P. Sales & Marketing, Pullman-Holt Corporation.
Facts:
- Effective cleaning is important to health and productivity. A study led by Leonard Krilov and published in the Journal of Infection Control measured how deep-cleaning might affect health and attendance in a childcare environment. His findings:
- Number of illnesses declined 24 percent.
- Number of doctor visits declined 34 percent.
- Number of courses of antibiotics declined 24 percent.
- School absences declined 46 percent.
In another study, recognized public health expert Michael Berry documented improvements at the Charles Young Elementary School in Washington, DC, when the school underwent renovations and changed cleaning methods, but did not change teachers, curriculum or learning technologies. His findings:
- Passing math scores on standardized tests increased by 51 percent.
- Passing reading scores on standardized tests increased by 27 percent.
- Attendance increased by 4.5 percent.
What does this mean in terms of Green Cleaning? Many articles that promote green cleaning products say that they can be just as effective “with a little more elbow grease”. Almost anyone with a basic knowledge of human nature knows that, if a product requires more elbow grease to be thorough, in most cases that additional elbow grease will not be used and the area will not get as clean.
- It is true that high levels of volatile organic compounds (VOC) in the air can increase illnesses, but so-called Green products also emit VOCs. Terpenes are a class of VOC derived from plant oils. In cleaning products these include d-limonene, used in Orange cleaners, and pine oil. In contact with ozone, these “natural” chemicals produce formaldehyde, hydroxyl radicals and an aerosol of fine particles.
- When green cleaning products are less effective, not only more elbow grease but also a larger quantity of product is needed for equal cleaning results. This added quantity not only raises the overall cost, it may increase the amount of VOCs released into the air and the concentration of other compounds washed into the environment.
References:
Air Quality Sciences, Inc., “Cleaning Chemicals and Their Impact on Indoor Environments and Health” 2008
Air Quality Sciences, Inc., “Green Cleaning for Health”, 2011
Berry, Michael, “The Green Movement and Science” Cleaning Industry Research Institute 2011
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