When you think of hiring a green cleaning service, what are the reasons why? Chances are, you like the thought of your maids using environmentally friendly products on the surfaces you touch every day.
But your service can do more than that. They can go above and beyond to make sure all aspects of their business are contributing to the well-being of the environment.
When it comes to cleaning, there is more to being green than just choosing naturally-derived cleaning supplies. For us, being green is in every action and decision that we make. Here are some more ways that we work to be as green as possible.
Buying supplies in bulk and minimizing single-use products
Even if a cleaning service uses products that are labeled as “eco-friendly,” the way they buy and use these products matters a lot.
One big source of waste with cleaning is all of those bottles. Your average cleaning service might use a dozen different cleaners, each with a different purpose. This means that they have to buy dozens of small bottles, all of which get thrown away when the product is gone. And even if a service recycles their empty containers, recycling still takes energy.
As well, many cleaning services go through a lot of single-use items like paper towels and wipes. This creates a lot of unnecessary garbage.
That’s why Maid to Clean buys multipurpose products in bulk. This allows us to refill and reuse spray bottles instead of throwing away tons of smaller individual spray bottles. Multipurpose products are effective at getting your house clean while creating far less waste.
We also minimize our use of single-use supplies, such as using washable cleaning cloths instead of paper towels. Instead of creating garbage every time we clean, we are able to wash and reuse our supplies many times over. This helps us be an earth-friendly service every day.
Using green-friendly transportation
There’s been a lot of technological advancements in the past decade alone. Electric cars! Hybrids that get sixty miles to the gallon!
So shouldn’t a green cleaning service be purchasing the latest, greatest vehicles for their cleaners? Being eco-friendly means having the absolute best, right?
In reality, buying brand new cars actually increases a company’s environmental impact. Ten to fifteen percent of a car’s total carbon footprint comes from the manufacturing process alone. This means that the car will have to be driven tens of thousands of miles to balance out that initial environmental impact.
So even if a new car gets five miles to the gallon more than the next car, it’s still taxing on the environment.
That’s why our green cleaning service chooses to buy used cars for our fleet. We’re giving a new life to vehicles that are already manufactured and out in the world. We feel that this is more eco-friendly than buying brand new electric cars, even though they may have a green image.
And if it’s possible, our cleaners even ride bikes to appointments- an even greener solution.
Reducing carbon footprint by serving a smaller area
If you commute by car to work, you know that driving long distances and idling in traffic is a big waste of fuel. We agree.
Another way we’ve chosen to help the environment is by serving just a small area of Arlington, Alexandria, and the Washington D.C. area. Limiting the area we service is easier on our cleaners, but it’s also for environmental reasons.
If a cleaner has to drive to clean homes five, ten, fifteen miles apart from each other, this wastes gas and pollutes the air. Instead, our maids service homes close to each other, which is much better for the environment.
By sticking to one area, we help reduce the emissions of our business- something that’s important to us.
So are there benefits to using green cleaning products?
But what about green cleaning supplies? Are they still important?
Of course, and it’s something that we’ve always valued. We’ve used eco-friendly products since we first started, because we believe in products that are safe for both you and the environment.
You probably already know that harsh chemicals can be bad for the health of your family. They can contain things like neurotoxins and carcinogens- things you definitely don’t want to be breathing in.
Chemical-filled cleaning products can cause dry skin and rashes, as well as long-term health issues, like respiratory problems. And if you or one of your family members is sensitive to strong smells, you know how headache-inducing artificially-scented cleaning products can be.
And don’t forget about your pets, who spend time on the floor and may lick their paws after walking on surfaces that have been cleaned. Some traditional cleaning products are even fatal to animals.
That’s why we prefer to use products like baking soda, essential oils, and vinegar. You won’t have to worry about whether or not the products we use are toxic, because we make sure that all of our products are 100 percent safe for your whole family, including your pets.
They’ll also leave your house smelling naturally clean, not like you’re walking through a fake pine forest.
We also love green products because we know that harsh chemicals are bad news for the environment. When they get sprayed into the air or washed down the drain, they don’t just disappear. They get into the water supply and can’t be entirely removed by water treatment plants. This can cause adverse effects on our rivers, wildlife, and air quality.
Green products leave your house just as clean as the harsh chemicals, while having the added benefit of being safer for you and the world outside your home.
When choosing a green cleaning service, it’s important to consider if they’re doing more than just using eco-friendly cleaning supplies. Reusing, reducing, and recycling in all aspects of operating a company can have a positive impact on the environment.