When discussing green and conventional cleaning chemicals, we often overlook the fact that there are also what can be termed hybrids—cleaning chemicals that are safer for people and the environment, made from sustainable and renewable sources but may not necessarily be green certified by an organization such as Green Seal, EcoLogo, or the Carpet and Rug Institute.

These “middle-ground” products are commonly referred to as oxygen-based, bio-based, bio-enzymatic, or bio-renewable products. Some facility managers, distributors, and end users may think of these as the first green cleaning products because they have been available for more than a decade.

Indeed, they have been around for about 30 years, mostly for the consumer market. However, some of the early products had limited performance value for the commercial cleaning industry. Fortunately, more recent improvements mean that many of today’s bio-based cleaning products perform quite admirably, and some have also earned green certification.

Bio-Based Products

Bio-based products are typically derived from renewable and sustainable sources, according to Mike Sawchuk, vice-president of Enviro- Solutions, a leading manufacturer of green cleaning chemicals. Often these are agricultural in nature; one example is soy and soy beans.

Other bio-based cleaners would include oxygen cleaners as well, which are typically hydrogen peroxide based and contain surfactants or detergents that aid in cleaning. And a third type of biobased cleaner is enzymatic, which uses live bacteria strains and enzymes to eat away at “living” soils such as urine and odor-causing bacteria.

Bio-based cleaners are designed for a variety of uses depending on how they are diluted. These can include cleaning and spotting carpets, removing grease and grime from hard surfaces, and polishing stainless steel. Additionally, some bio-based cleaners maybe be used as floor strippers—a testimony to their cleaning power, effectiveness, and performance.

According to Sawchuk, in one study conducted by a hospital in Massachusetts, eight different bio-based strippers from different manufacturers were evaluated, initially to ensure that they met the facility’s environmental, health, and safety guidelines. The tests found all eight strippers surpassed the conventional stripper used in the facility in relation to their reduced impact on the environment.

Further, the researchers established a “solvent value” to indicate how well the products performed. They concluded that the solvent value of all of the bio-based products was as good as or better than that of the conventional stripper they had been using, says Sawchuk.

Downfalls

Although these hybrids are environmentally responsible, many facility managers have voiced concerns about their costs. For instance, all of the eight strippers tested at the Massachusetts hospital mentioned earlier were more costly than the conventional stripper they were compared to.

Although prices have come down somewhat since the hospital conducted the tests, bio-based cleaning chemicals can have a sticker price that is more than that of a conventional cleaning product used for the same purpose. However, there are not-so-obvious savings that come from using these products that may make these added costs negligible at best. And, in some situations, the bio-based products may actually be more cost effective than conventional and even some green cleaning chemicals.

According to Sawchuk, much depends on how the products are diluted. Closely adhering to manufacturer-suggested dilution ratios, whether diluting manually or using an auto-dilution system, will certainly bring down costs. Also, many bio-based cleaners are all-purpose. In one setting, 37 different cleaning chemicals and products were replaced by just three or four bio-based cleaners, helping to significantly reduce overall chemical carrying costs.

It should also be noted that bio-based cleaners do not require special disposal and recycling procedures, which helps to eliminate any added costs for these practices. Considering all of these variables and how they might impact janitorial supply costs, the Massachusetts hospital concluded that the use of the bio-based strippers, the one product line that had been tested, “could be cost effective in the long run.”

A Hybrid in Your Future?

Sawchuk does not believe hybrid or bio-based cleaners will disappear any time soon to be replaced by existing certifiedgreen cleaning products. This is because more and more of the bio-based products are being certified, elevating them to the ranks of an “official” green cleaning product.

Also, as noted earlier, the costs for these products have come down in recent years just as their performance levels have improved. Says Sawchuk, this is the result of more acceptance, research, and new technologies.

Facility managers and end users may need to work with their distributors and test different bio-based cleaning agents in their own facilities before settling on a particular product. However, the use of bio-based cleaners is quickly becoming an effective and cost-effective ways to reduce cleaning’s impact on the environment, protect the health of the facilities we clean and make them more sustainable as well. ❑