Being Green and Being Green

7/26/2018 (Permalink)

Being Green and Cleaning Green with Environment Friendly Products!!

"There goes the guys in the green trucks!"

Running around in green vehicles and using green equipment, we know what it's like to be green.  However, we also know the being environmentally green is as important as the brand we promote.  It is extremely important that we take care of the health and well being of our customers as we clean, deodorize, and disinfect homes and businesses.  More than ever, our customers are concerned about what products we use and how we use them.  We are proud of our lineup of cleaning products and are even prouder that they have the testing and backing of SERVPRO chemists located at our corporate office in Gallatin, TN. 

We would like to introduce our new line of Green Cleaning Products. SERVPRO® Industries, Inc. is a member of the EPA’s Design for

Environment (EPA/DFE) initiative. As a member company, SERVPRO® can access the listing known formally as CleanGredients.

The EPA/DFE has established a set of criteria for formulating environmentally friendly cleaning products. With the assistance of larger chemical companies the EPA/DFE has put together a listing of safe cleaning components that can be used in Green cleaning formulations. From the listing a formulation can be derived that incorporates “green” chemistry. The initiative is designed to allow chemical formulators a resource to formulate environmentally friendly cleaning products using environmentally friendly raw materials. We have formulated three Green Cleaning Products that will allow you to complete approximately all your cleaning tasks. The products are as follows:

Carpet & Upholstery Green Clean #251 is a product designed for cleaning both carpet and upholstery. It is truly a “one product does all” in that it can be used as a spotter, pre-spray, in-line cleaner for both truck mount and portable equipment, and in low-moisture bonnet cleaning. The product is pH neutral, biodegradable, contains no phosphates, solvents, dyes or fragrances.

All Surface Green Clean #250 is an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional surface cleaners. It is pH neutral, contains no dyes or fragrances. All components are safe, non-toxic, phosphate free, Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) compliant and rapidly bio-degradable. The product is designed as a one product cleans all for surfaces that can be wiped or mopped. It can safely be used on walls, ceilings, countertops, floors, etc. The exclusive formulation contains both ionic and non-ionic surfactants that are naturally derived and provide excellent multi-functional cleaning.

Window Green Clean #249 is an environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional glass cleaners. It is pH neutral, contains no dyes or fragrances. All components are safe, non-toxic, phosphate free, VOC-compliant and rapidly biodegradable. The product comes ready to use and is formulated with soft water to eliminate spotting and streaking.

Two areas the EPA/DFE does not address that are common in our restoration tasks are disinfectants and deodorizers. Disinfectants are “kill” agents and not considered green per the EPA/DFE. The EPA does though classify disinfectants by the overall toxicity. The lowest toxicity disinfectants get a rating of category 3. SERVPRO® provides Sporicidin® as a low toxicity disinfectant and it carries the EPA’s lowest toxicity rating of category 3. Therefore in the course of Green Cleaning it is recommended Sporicidin® be used for your disinfecting requirements. The final area is Deodorization and the problem is the fragrances used in these products can cause reactions with certain individuals. The EPA/DFE does not currently have “Green” fragrances listed. SERVPRO® provides air scrubbers with activated charcoal to serve as a “Green” method of deodorization. This method will scrub the odor particles from the air and trap them in the activated charcoal filter.

If you have questions about Green Cleaning or the EPA’s Design for the Environment program, the following link from the EPA’s website may be helpful:

http://www.epa.gov/dfe/