by Tricia Onesian
One of the most important
green cleaning benefits is improved indoor air quality for an all around healthier building environment. That is why
using brooms inside a building is not considered an aspect of green cleaning. In fact, sweeping up dirt is some of the worst advice one can receive when considering different
green cleaning options.
Many incorrectly assume that sweeping is part of
green cleaningbecause a broom is a tool that does not use any electricity and “green” is often associated with saving electricity. However, when you consider that improving indoor air quality and maximizing cleaning efficiency are two key green cleaning benefits, then vacuuming makes perfect sense.
Compare and Contrast:
Sweeping
- Kicks up dirt and dust and recirculates it back into the air.
- Can be potentially hazardous in food preparation areas and hospitals.
- Presents a tenfold increase in the number of air-born bacteria.
- Leaves behind dirt and dust in corners, edges, between grouting, etc.
Vacuuming
- Sucks dirt and dust out of the air and into a canister or bag.
- HEPA backpack vacuum cleaners prevent dust from being recirculated into the air and trap up to 99.96 % of small particles,
- Able to suck out dirt from small crevices, in between grout, etc.
- More efficient: it takes less time and reduces the need to wet mop.
- Removes even the “fine” dust and soil not visible to the naked eye.
Breaking with tradition and vacuuming hard wood floors is the future of cleaning and shows obvious green cleaning benefits. Vacuuming is important
green cleaning equipment as it removes dirt and dust rather than simply pushing it around, it is more efficient and cost-effective simply because it does such a better job at removing dust. Less dust means a reduction in the time of need to wet-mop and/or burnish floors. In fact, recent studies have shown that by simply vacuuming, the need for burnishing was reduced by as much as 60%. Furthermore, in the case of wet mopping, a vast amount of time is saved as the stark reduction in dirt and dust means less changing of mop water.
To maximize green cleaning benefits like improved indoor air quality, the green cleaning experts use HEPA backpack vacuum cleaners. Here at
Stathakis, our staff is trained in the proper way to operate such energy efficient machines. Different than traditional upright vacuums, HEPA cleaners are designed to thoroughly clean hard surfaces and capture and eliminate dust without recirculating it back into the air.
Remember, as much as 95% of dust can be comprised of dead skin cells and spores. It’s not something that you want pushed up by a broom and recirculated through your buildings air. That is why vacuuming is the way to go to truly maximize green cleaning benefits.