Green cleaning is the name given to an approach to cleaning that provides a maximum level of cleanliness and minimal harm to the environment, the building occupants, and the cleaners themselves. It is an approach long ago embraced by the housekeeping staff at UMD and enhanced in recent years.
The housekeeping staff within FM’s Department of Building and Landscape Maintenance is responsible for the health and well-being of the campus community and they take this responsibility seriously. The tools and procedures to keep our buildings clean have evolved to be less toxic to people and more friendly to the environment. Key to this is achieving GS-42 certification by Green Seal, a nonprofit organization that sets standards for health, sustainability, and product performance in cleaning products and processes. UMD first achieved this certification in 2018, only the second institute of higher education after Harvard University to achieve this certification.
FM’s cleaning efforts take into account everything from cleaning materials (e.g.: more efficient microfibers vs. ordinary rags), equipment (e.g.: HEPA filters on all of the vacuum cleaners), to the cleaning solutions themselves (e.g.: clearly labeled to avoid any dangerous mixing).
FM partners with Daycon, a company that advises its customers on the latest green cleaning advances, provides inventory management, and conducts necessary training for FM’s Housekeeping staff to ensure that we retain GS-42 certification.