Top environmentally friendly ways to spring clean
Most of us are familiar with the notion of “spring cleaning”. Although regular cleaning should be a part of any accommodation facilities’ cleaning process, a one-off deep clean can be of great value.
The spring season can be a busy time for many accommodation facilities with visitors leaving winter behind them and looking forward to a mid year escape staying in clean and presentable accommodation. Ensuring our hotels and resorts are given an in-depth clean is the number one way to know you are starting off a potentially busy season with a clean slate.
Today’s accommodation industry strongly advocates the need for facilities to operate in an environmentally friendly manner, including cleaning processes used. Traditional cleaning can be environmentally damaging due to the large amounts of water, chemicals and energy used. Modern cleaning methods are green friendly, time efficient and significantly more effective. The following are five cleaning elements that cause the most environmental damage during the cleaning process and how it can be avoided during this year’s spring clean.
Avoid overusing chemicals – One of the ways in which an overabundance of chemicals is used is through the need to provide a fragrance to cover up unwanted odours. Carpets and curtains are one of the biggest culprits in harbouring odours. However, using a harsh chemical spray to get rid of stale odours only covers up this problem and is merely a short-term solution. The smells will always resurface resulting in further chemical use.
An overuse of chemicals is not only harmful to our environment due to chemicals ultimately getting washed down our drains but it can also lead to irritations and allergic reactions which guests and visitors can be susceptible to.
If there are smells you need to eliminate, using an essential oil on a microfibre cloth and wiping down a surface, such as a window sill is a highly effective option. It eliminates the need for synthetic chemicals which leave behind volatile organic compounds. However, the number one rule to remember when it comes to stale odours and smells is that “no smell is a clean smell”.
Avoid the over consumption of water – Many industries, including the accommodation industry, understand that cutting back on their water usage is one of the top ways in which businesses can do their part for the environment. One of the biggest water wasters when cleaning is seen in floor cleaning methods. Traditional carpet cleaning methods use large volumes of water that also results in an increase in OH&S hazards such as slippery floors and damp surfaces creating the perfect breeding ground for bacteria.
Steam vapour at a high temperature eliminates all mould, dirt, grime, bacteria and odours from all flooring surfaces, from carpets to ceramic tiles. The amount of super heated dry steam to clean an entire facility can be produced fromas little as one litre of water. With many accommodation facilities having large carpeted areas, using steam will allow water consumption to decrease by as much as 90%.
Avoid the over consumption of energy – Using time efficient and more effective cleaning equipment doesn’t just reduce the manual effort it takes to clean but the power and energy used to keep these machines running. Mechanically driven brush systems and machines that provide a three in one approach use significantly less power than their traditional counterparts.
Upgrading your old cleaning machines this spring will see your electricity bill costs decrease. Think about how many rooms your accommodation facility has? How long does it take to clean each one? What If you could cut down the cleaning time by as much as 75% for each room? Before you go about your thorough and in-depth spring cleaning routine, be sure you are using the right machines for the job.
Avoid increasing your carbon footprint – Thinking of ways your accommodation facility can carbon offset its cleaning machines is a way in which you can make your machine cleaning 100% sustainable. A way that accommodation facilities’ can do this is by pouring their waste water from their cleaning machines onto their gardens to help grow their outdoor areas’ plants, shrubs and trees.
If you are using the right machine, your water waste should be 100% chemical free, eliminating any potential harm to the environment.
Avoid the repetition of bad habits – Cutting back on water usage, using fewer chemicals and using less energy may all seem like simple concepts. However, for many businesses and their cleaning staff, this can be easier said than done.
First, many people don’t like change. They prefer their old and “comfortable” methods. When it comes to cleaning, one of these methods is the good old mop and bucket. A process as simple as a mop and bucket involves large amounts of chemicals and water, and in the end, dirt and grime is spread around the facility not picked up and the waste water ultimately gets poured down the drains.
The first step to changing old and ineffective cleaning habits is education. The decision makers within an accommodation facility, as well as its cleaning staff, need to ask themselves – how much water and chemical do we use per day during our cleaning processes? What impact or consequence does this have on our business, and what’s the flow on effect to the environment? Most likely, if it isn’t the best method for your business it isn’t going to be the best thing for the environment. The best techniques, methods and machines are always green friendly.
Taking part in the concept of spring cleaning can be great way to allow your accommodation facility to put its best foot forward this season. You can be assured that you have eliminated the harbouring winter odours, dirt and grime and are entering the spring season fresh and new. Not only will your visitors and guests thank you for it, but by implementing a green cleaning strategy, so will the environment.
Murray McDonald is director of Duplex Cleaning Machines and has over 20 years experience in improving cleaning standards for thousands of commercial facilities.
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