Do Eco Friendly Cleaning Products Actually Work?

Eco-friendly Cleaning Products; Cutting Through The Murk

On a recent visit to a substantial cleaning contractor, they commented that they’d love to use cleaning chemicals that are “kinder to the environment and safer for our people”.

The conversation continued… “We have struggled to find such products that are effective and the trouble is our cleaners love this (Lifting a bottle of reputable brand toilet descaler) along with the smell of bleach”.

That’s where I interrupted!

“Toilet descaler along with bleach?  This is a serious risk to your people and together we certainly need to find something safer.”

Interestingly they already knew this!

I went on to explain how toilet descaler being an acid will react badly with bleach causing it to give off chlorine gas which is toxic and will leave staff feeling sick at best.

First and foremost you need to separate those two products and ensure they are never used together.

Now, back to the main objective – let’s get some eco-friendly, and indeed people-friendly, cleaning products that work!

So if you’re like me you’ve been put off by a negative experience previously and are now of the mindset that environmentally friendly products simply don’t work.  Or maybe you’ve been confused by a barrage of manufacturer (and salesman claims!) about every Eco, Treco, Greeno, Ticko and Enviro on the planet!

So, what do these claims mean and how are they arrived at?

This is where you need to look for and choose a certified and recognised EU Ecolabel product – not just something with a ‘Green Tick’.  The official EU Ecolabel means that the product has to have passed an effectiveness test where it’s compared against a current market leader to ensure it does work.

We all admit that technology is moving rapidly in today’s world and that relates to cleaning chemicals as well.  This means, there are likely to have been developments since you last tried environmentally friendly products meaning they are now really effective and are tested to be so before they can ‘wear the badge’.

As well as effectiveness, testing and assessment for the genuine EU Ecolabel certification takes a much more sensible and ‘holistic’ approach to the entire life cycle of the product. Life cycle analysis (LCA) takes into account important factors such as the packaging of the product, how it is used, can plastic bottles be reused, the environmental impact of disposal etc…If you’re still unsure about environmentally friendly chemicals and whether or not they will work on your cleaning tasks, Cleancare Ireland will be delighted to offer a consultation and demonstration to establish how we can best overcome your cleaning challenges while keeping your people safe and being kind to the planet.

It’s worth also considering the transport of the products to your location and being a local supplier based in Belfast, Northern Ireland we can deliver throughout Ireland and the UK keeping international shipping of small orders to a minimum.

Get in touch today to arrange a visit.