The term “green cleaning” gets tossed around a lot. You might be wondering what this term actually means. Green cleaning refers to an eco-friendly approach to the cleaning products and tools to have as little impact as possible on our environment. 

You need to use products to properly clean and disinfect. However, some cleaning products contain chemicals that can damage air, water and human health. Cleaning efficiently and reducing waste also helps our planet. 

Green Cleaning Benefits

Green cleaning can keep everything clean without taking a toll on the environment. Here are some green cleaning benefits: 

• Reduces exposure to toxic chemicals
• Improves facility’s air quality and reduces energy usage
• Reduces the environmental footprint of your facility 
• Reduces the risk of respiratory issues among staff
• Improves workplace air quality
• Helps cleaning employees and facility employees who have asthma, allergies or other sensitivities.
  • Some products can cause headaches, irritate respiratory systems and cause other health problems. 
  • Some cleaning products can cause skin rashes
• Decreases chemical runoff in the water (cleaning chemicals reach drains and pipes that lead to pollution of streams, rivers, lakes and groundwater

In addition to these benefits, committing to green cleaning has client advantages as well: 

• Demonstrates the company’s effort to improve its environmental impact
• Preserves the quality of office furniture, equipment, and floors so they last longer, which saves money long term
• Elevates client’s brand because they’re environmentally conscious
• Demonstrates client’s commitment to employee health

Examples of Green Cleaning 

Green cleaning looks different depending on the facility and the client. Here are some examples to consider: 

• Safe, non-toxic, biodegradable cleaning products (for example, ammonia-free glass cleaner)

• Recycled paper products
• Energy-efficient cleaning equipment
• Microfiber cleaning and dusting cloths, mop heads 
• Quality equipment made to last (buckets, vacuums, scrubbers, etc.)
• Recycling and waste disposal

Earth day occurs in April, but the entire month is about focusing on the planet, sustainability and how to make the world a better place. If you’re interested in hearing more about Joncowest’s green cleaning options, please contact us!

Cleanrooms require that contaminants in the air are highly controlled in order to meet specific standards. Without strict monitoring, contaminants can destroy cleanroom processes and equipment in specialized environments. Several industries require controlled environments, including food production, scientific research, pharmaceuticals, biotech, and manufacturers (aerospace, military, medical devices). We’ll take a closer look at types of cleanroom contamination before we dive into helpful best practices to ensure you keep contaminants out.

Types of Cleanroom Contamination

A majority of cleanroom contamination comes from people who work in the cleanrooms. As a result, many cleanroom employees It’s important to ensure that cleaning doesn’t add additional particles to the room. Cleanrooms typically have two categories of contaminants that are monitored during quality control and quality assurance: nonviable and viable. Viable contaminants have living organisms and nonviable contaminants are nonliving particles. Here are some examples of each type:

• Nonviable: link, soil, skin flakes, hair, lint, etc.
• Viable: bacteria, viruses, molds, and spore-forming organisms

Cleanroom Best Practices

You know that cleanroom contamination comes from the people working in the cleanroom, but cleaning the space can also introduce contaminants. In order to help keep cleanrooms free of contaminants, follow these cleanroom best practices:

1. Ensure anyone entering the cleanroom is trained properly and understands cleanroom procedures.
2. Limit entrances and exits to the room (gather supplies and personnel to limit them).
3. Touch as few work surfaces as possible. 
4. Do not eat, drink, consume mints or chew gum within the cleanroom. 
5. Keep personal items out of the cleanroom, such as phones, keys, wallets, etc. 
6. Smoking must be done prior to 45 minutes before entering the cleanroom. 
7. Avoid perfume, hairspray, lotion, nail polish and cosmetics that could bring extra contaminates into the room. 
8. Move slowly within the cleanroom so you don’t stir up air. Microscopic materials get circulated by movement. 
9. Don’t blow your nose or cough within the cleanroom. And if you’re not feeling well, then don’t enter the cleanroom. 
10. Follow your company’s policies for entering and exiting cleanrooms as well as procedures for putting on and removing gowns. 
11. Avoid excessive talking while in the cleanroom. 
12. Don’t lean against walls, counters or carry items against your body. 
13. Once you’re in a gown, avoid touching your face, mask, or glasses (if applicable). Use the back of your hand if you have to adjust your glasses.  
14. Don’t touch floors with gloved hands. 
15. Practice good hygiene. While this sounds like common sense, the cleaner you are, the fewer contaminants you’ll bring with you.
    

Cleanroom Classifications

Cleanroom classifications refer to the cleanliness of the air. A cleanroom has a controlled level of contamination that is specified by the number of particles per cubic meter at a specified particle size. As a reference, typical outside air in a city environment contains 35,000,000 particles per cubic meter that are 0.5 micron and larger in diameter. This level of clean air corresponds to an ISO 9 cleanroom–toward the lowest level of cleanroom standards.

There are different ISO classes ranging from ISO 1 to ISO 9 with ISO 1 having the least amount of contamination of the smallest particle size and ISO 9 for typical room air. The ISO classes are detailed in the following table.

Class	maximum particles/m3						FED STD 209E equivalent
	>=0.1 µm	>=0.2 µm	>=0.3 µm	>=0.5 µm	>=1 µm	>=5 µm
ISO 1	10	2
ISO 2	100	24	10	4
ISO 3	1,000	237	102	35	8		Class 1
ISO 4	10,000	2,370	1,020	352	83		Class 10
ISO 5	100,000	23,700	10,200	3,520	832	29	Class 100
ISO 6	1,000,000	237,000	102,000	35,200	8,320	293	Class 1,000
ISO 7				352,000	83,200	2,930	Class 10,000
ISO 8				3,520,000	832,000	29,300	Class 100,000
ISO 9				35,200,000	8,320,000	293,000	Room Air

How Can We Help?

If you have a cleanroom that needs professional cleaning, we can help. Contact us for a TrueClean estimate that can meet your cleanroom standards! We’re a leader in cleaning critical environments and will ensure your cleanroom meets your standards. .  

Sources: 

https://www.iso.org/news/2016/01/Ref2041.html

https://www.iso.org/standard/53394.html

https://www.americancleanrooms.com/cleanroom-classifications/