Q. While “going green” is definitely a hot trend in the cleaning industry today, it seems everyone has his/her own definition of what green means. How do you define it?
A. Green cleaning consists of measures that improve the environment while causing the least harm to it. This is a complex issue since many products labeled green—chemicals, for instance—have an upside and a downside. It reminds me of the debate that goes on in my head over plastic or paper bags: Plastic lasts a long time in landfills, is a petroleum by-product and produces hydrocarbons in the manufacturing process. Paper uses trees and other resources in its production, but is a renewable resource. Which is the greener choice?
Q. Your example seems to typify the confusion in the industry. Many in the industry favor the development of a green certification process for services and products, including vacuum cleaners. Just how would you characterize or qualify a green vacuum?
A. The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI)—a leading authority that works closely with carpet and equipment manufacturers and has funded considerable research--is perhaps the most qualified for such a task. First, check the criteria CRI has already established for vacuums to earn its Green Label designation.
Also look for green process components in six areas:
1. Superior filtration. Select a filtration system that retains 99+ percent of particles one micron or smaller. The tiny airborne dust and dirt you can’t see is the biggest health threat. Vacuums should be tested in a sealed chamber to detect all sources of particles emanating from the unit, rather than just from the filter or exhaust.
2. Ergonomic. The vacuum should be comfortable in use to reduce worker fatigue, injuries and accidents. As one example, backpack vacuums have been scientifically tested and validated to perform well and be safe for workers; an orthopedic study conducted by the Battelle Memorial Institute and Ohio State University found that backpacks can reduce the ergonomic stress some people experience using uprights as well as strain on the musculoskeletal system. Actually, the term backpack is a bit of a misnomer since workers don’t carry the weight of the vacuum on their backs, but on the hips, and using their leg muscles—the big muscles exercise physiologists recommend for lifting.
3. Energy efficient. Greener vacuums should use less “energy”—less electrical power, but also less human energy. Green is associated with lower energy costs or electrical usage, but I’ve never heard anyone talk about how much physiological energy—human energy—is expended to clean a square foot. If you want an intensive calorie-burning activity to lose weight, this expenditure is fine. But most cleaning pros aren’t vacuuming as a weight-loss strategy. Among the many positive things the Battelle study discovered, was that backpacks reduced human energy use by 50 percent. Workers expending 50 percent less energy—that’s significant.
4. Airflow. There are two ways vacuum cleaners work: straight suction from fast-moving air, and vibrating or bouncing dirt into the airflow using a beater bar or brush. To be green, a vacuum’s airflow and air velocity—the volume and speed of air passing through the pickup tool—should pick up debris efficiently while minimizing energy use. Straight suction using higher air velocity and a narrower tool orifice is the greener way because it captures debris and fine dust more directly and effectively on commercial loop pile carpet. Also, a suction-only canister or backpack vacuum that it has only one motor uses fewer amps, making it an energy-saving choice over many uprights.
5. Worker-friendly filtration. To be green, vacuums must have a great filtration system, but the filter setup must also be easy to access, maintain, or change. Keeping a filter clean is the trick to having good filtration and pickup efficiency. Some vacuums have filters that are terribly hard to clean, while others are simply impossible to get completely clean. If changing or cleaning a filter is an inconvenient or filthy job, workers are less likely to do it. And if they don’t clean or change the filters, the vacuums won’t work effectively and certainly are not improving Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) or IAQ.
6. Filter-changing schedule. Green vacuuming shouldn’t refer to just the product, but rather, the whole vacuuming system or process. We’ve conducted many field studies with organizations where we’ve changed to a superior filtration vacuum and established a filter-changing schedule, and seen the virtual elimination of visible dust in buildings that previously had a significant amount of it.
More anecdotally, at the Washington State Capitol in Olympia, WA, when we did the first walkthrough of the building, one of the women who accompanied us had all kinds of allergies. She was coughing and choking all the way along, so much so that at one point she had to go outside to breathe.
Shortly thereafter, we switched all the old vacuums to green vacuums—specifically, to a major brand of backpack— and established a filter-changing and maintenance schedule. About six or seven months later, we went back on one of our inspections, and the same woman again accompanied us. “Did you notice I didn’t sneeze or cough?” she asked. “Since we made the changes, I am not affected by the dust anymore.”
Q. How does a green vacuum fit into ManageMen’s (OS1) philosophy?
A. This gets back to the fundamental question of why we clean. Most people still think we clean for appearance. But in health terms, the important aspects are the things we can’t see. When we talk about “greening” cleaning, we are talking primarily about things we can’t see, the invisible factors that make people sick, that can even kill under certain conditions. Most cleaning can get the “big stuff.” But it’s the dust we can’t see that torments asthma sufferers. It’s the fine particulate that’s going to irritate people’s eyes and respiratory systems. That is why using greener vacuums that help improve the invisible indoor environment is so important. Of course, it’s not just the vacuum; you also need a green protocol. I’d say one-third of your success is the vacuum cleaner, and two-thirds is the training and work practices used.
Q. Using green vacuums with a green vacuum protocol sounds healthier, but how does such a system measure up cost-wise?
A. Green vacuums themselves are cost competitive, but there are many other cost benefits as well, including:
• Enhanced health and safety. More ergonomic and efficient green vacuums are better for everyone, from the employees using the machines to the building occupants—your clients.
• Complaint reduction. Studies show the top complaint heard from customers surrounds dusting and vacuuming. These complaints are virtually eliminated with the right green vacuuming system.
• Energy efficiency. As I mentioned previously, green vacuums are cheaper to operate because they use less energy—electrical and human.
• Labor savings. Studies show that with backpack vacuums, workers sometimes clean two, three, or even four times as fast as with some other vacuums. Plus, being more efficient, the green vacuums virtually eliminate dust being blown to other surfaces where it will have to be removed—using more labor and tools.
Q. The “bottom line”?
A. If workers are not vacuuming with high performance green vacuums that are comfortable, with efficient filters that are easy to change, and if they are not using a green protocol that includes a filter-maintenance schedule, then management is paying wages, buying equipment, and using energy for “cleaning” that is actually making the building dirtier and less healthy. That’s not a good formula for success. Green products and protocols, are the answer.
John Walker is the President of ManageMen, Inc., and the Founder of Janitor University and the cleaning system known as OS1 (Operating System One).