Conscious Cleaning

Aug 08, 2022
 

In today’s world of instability, there are certain parts of our daily lives both personally and in business that we feel we have SOME amount of control over. 

The COVID Climate that still shadows us daily, has reinforced the idea of personal responsibility across the globe and it came down to the simple tasks of social distancing and hygiene.

Washing your hands, cleaning down surfaces and touch points - there was and is, a real palpable fear of dropping the ball, resulting in serious consequences both for the human element and for your business. 

Within all industries, there is a need for sanitation and cleaning. Some require it more than others. But sanitation has leapt up the scale and is now a top priority.  

Something we can speak from experience with at the 50 Shades Greener office, is cleaning within the hospitality industry. It doesn’t matter the department that we worked in, there would always be an element of it involved. 

Often you would find yourself working with cleaning products that would result in serious breakouts on your skin such as contact dermatitis. Not to mention the damage caused through inhaling the fumes on a regular basis without appropriate PPE gear. 

It’s not something that is discussed often amongst management and owners and often they are unaware just how damaging these products are. However, we feel that as employers there is a responsibility to your employees as well as your customers to keep them safe. 

JSK Cleaning popped onto our radar after an interview with the head of housekeeping at the Kingsley Hotel Co. Cork. During the discussion on having a completely ‘green bedroom’ Jay advised that he was also using eco-cleaning products that had proven so successful - all of the sister hotels of the Kingsley were now using them. 

We met with Tadgh from JSK Cleaning, an eco-cleaning company based in Co. Cork. Something interesting that he pointed out to us was that it isn’t entirely the fault of the business owner for purchasing these hazardous products, but in fact; 

“the main reason traditional cleaning products and practices remain in use is that the majority of people purchasing the cleaning products for their hotels simply have no idea of the alternatives that are out there. “ 

There is also the association with ‘eco’ or environmentally friendly products not being up to standard. And in a world where hygiene is paramount, this has caused people to use items like bleach and alcohol-based hand sanitisers in abundance. 

There are products that use completely natural ingredients and with this, we have no issue. However a business does have a responsibility to their customers to provide a hygienic environment from their furniture and surfaces, and everything else in between. 

For JSK - green cleaning is defined as “safe cleaning, cleaning with the use of non-hazardous products.” 

There is of course a presence of chemicals to ensure a thorough and sanitary clean. However the traces of these chemicals are so minute that they are deemed therefore as ‘non hazardous’. 

How JSK produces their products is based on the pH value; 

“We would deem a product to be both safe and green only if it is between the 7 to 7.2 pH range which is essentially neutral. A product with this rating will be safer for your staff to use and will never cause any damage to your surfaces.” 

In terms of environmental impact - the fact that it sits at such a neutral level on the pH scale, means that it doesn’t cause water pollution - another enormous issue when it comes to cleaning products and their effects. 

Another area that’s also important for us in terms of classifying a product as ‘eco-friendly’ is how much of that product is needed to do the job. If you can dilute the concentrated product to fill a number of spray bottles - it is a win win. It means you can bulk buy and train your staff to fill the product correctly. 

This means less travel and therefore road miles in bringing the product to your door and if you are running a business within a community of others - why not organise a bulk purchase with your neighbours? 

It also means you are saving money, because you are buying less and having less delivered to your business. 

There are many ways we can incorporate sustainability into our operations but cleaning is something that can often slip through the cracks. 

It should be viewed as an important task for your purchasing manager to find a cleaning solution that benefits the business financially, keeps your staff safe and reduces your impact on the environment. All while achieving outstanding cleaning results. 

 
If you are interested in learning more about the products that JSK offer - visit; https://jskcleaning.ie/ 

Do you want to learn more about how you can work to reduce your own environmental impact through greener choices? Check out our newly launched 'Green Skills for Life' programme 

 Or email us on [email protected]

Thank you for reading today!

 The FSG Team ðŸ’š

 

 

 

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