Pros and Cons
As you can imagine, not everyone in the professional cleaning industry nor facility managers are jumping on the chemical-free cleaning bandwagon. Many have serious questions about using no chemicals to clean, such as will the surfaces really be germ free? Do chemical-free cleaning systems effectively clean surfaces so that they look clean? Does it require more time and labor to clean with chemical-free equipment? Are chemical-free cleaning systems more costly than traditional cleaning systems?
These questions have merit and we cannot say definitively at this time that we have all the answers. For instance, in one situation, a contract cleaning company reports that the use of chemical-free cleaning technologies has proven very effective in cleaning K–12 schools as well as preschools. However, the assistant director of building services for a major university has been reluctant to use chemical-free cleaning systems because he questioned how “thoroughly clean a surface is” after using such a no-chemical cleaning approach.
These experiences tell us that the jury is still out when it comes to chemical-free cleaning. Most likely, as these technologies are put into use in more situations, concerns and issues will be addressed and we will have some solid information to go on.
However, while I do not believe we will reach a stage where chemical-free cleaning will become modus operandi, as has become the case with green cleaning, it is becoming increasingly clear to me as well as many in the professional cleaning industry, including many manufacturers of cleaning chemicals, that chemical-free cleaning and technologies will play a much bigger role in professional cleaning in years to come. It will likely follow a similar pattern to that of green cleaning chemicals.
There was considerable resistance and misunderstanding about green cleaning products initially. However, with green certification, advanced technologies, and a better understanding of how environmentally preferable cleaning products work along with their proven effectiveness, the resistance dissipated. A similar pattern will likely occur with chemical-free cleaning in many cleaning situations as well.
Stephen P. Ashkin is Executive Director of the Green Cleaning Network a not-for-profit organization dedicated to educating building owners and suppliers about Green Cleaning, and president of The Ashkin Group, a consulting firm specializing in Greening the cleaning industry. He is considered the “father of Green Cleaning” and is coauthor of both The Business of Green Cleaning and Green Cleaning for Dummies.
