Make your Spring Cleaning a Green One!
April 21, 2021
Spring is here, and for many of us, that means spring cleaning. Cleaning up your space is a great way to welcome the warmer weather, but it is important to do it in a sustainable way. Larence Washington, Associate Director of Environmental Services for the Office of Student Life (SL-EVS), took some time to chat with us about sustainable cleaning and what that means for our planet and for our health.
Even though sustainability’s main goal is reducing humans’ impact on the planet, that could mean something different for everyone. For Larence, sustainability means everyone playing their part to keep our surroundings both clean and healthy, and reducing the amount of trash that ends up in landfills. Larence became interested in sustainability when he and others in SL-EVS saw Ohio State students getting more involved in the fight against climate change. The passion of the students drove them into action to address SL-EVS’ impact on the earth.
Since then, SL-EVS has made substantial changes to its cleaning methods to benefit the environment. One of the most notable changes, according to Larence, was stopping the use of aerosols in campus facilities, reducing the university’s greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, SL-EVS has stopped using extremely harsh chemicals- such as bleach- to clean its facilities. Larence shared that years ago, everyone thought that the harsher a chemical was, the better it cleaned surfaces. However, this can have profound impacts on the health of workers and building occupants who come in contact with these harsh cleaners. Harsh chemicals not only cause eye and skin irritation, but they can also lead to respiratory problems and even some forms of cancer. When chemicals are washed down the drain, they have potential to harm wildlife and disturb ecosystems as well.
SL-EVS has made the switch to more natural cleaning chemicals that are safer for both students and staff. SL-EVS staff examines the pH level of each solution to ensure that it’s in a safe zone, according to Larence. Staff no longer uses bleach to clean surfaces, but instead has switched to solutions such as vinegar and hydrogen peroxide-based cleaners. Not only was this change beneficial for everyone’s health and the environment, but the acids in harsh chemical cleaners eat away at surfaces with each application, causing the need to replace them sooner, and thus ultimately affecting housing rates.
Ohio State has made other strides in ensuring that our university remains clean and safe for both staff and students. Around 80% of all cleaning solutions used by SL-EVS consist of green chemicals, and the bottles are both recyclable and are often reused. Additionally, the toilet paper purchased for campus facilities is coreless (no paper waste from the cardboard in the middle!), and in many restrooms across campus, paper towels have been replaced by energy-efficient hand dryers, which not only eliminates paper towel waste, but the newer dryers filter the air in the restrooms, purifying the air.
Green Cleaning chemicals are also available for people to purchase for use in their homes as well. So, whether you’re cleaning your residence hall room or off-campus apartment, look for chemicals that are environmentally friendly!
Sources:
https://climate.nasa.gov/news/215/just-5-questions-aerosols/
https://www.epa.gov/greenerproducts/identifying-greener-cleaning-product