Cleaning for Health
Keeping schools clean is a tough job. Schools are densely occupied, used for many hours each
day, and foot traffic brings in and stirs up dirt and dust. Commercial cleaning chemicals can add
to indoor air pollution and may create health hazards to both cleaning staff and students,
especially those with asthma. We can have schools that are clean, and that promote student,
staff, visitor and environmental health.
Did you know that we are required to use green cleaning products?
The State of Maryland has enacted a law to protect children, teachers, and custodial staff from harmful health
impacts from toxic cleaning products. The law states that all school districts in Maryland must procure “green
product cleaning supplies” or notify the Maryland State Department of Education why it is impractical to do so.
The supplies are routine cleaning and facility maintenance products that perform well and have positive health and
environmental attributes, including biodegradability, low toxicity, low volatile organic compound (VOC) content,
reduced packaging, low life-cycle energy use, and other “reduced effects on human health and the environment
when compared to competing products that serve the same purpose.“
Green cleaning supplies include the following categories:
 General purpose cleaners
 Bathroom cleaners
 Carpet cleaners
 Glass cleaners
 Floor cleaners, finishes and strippers
 Wall cleaners
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Desk cleaners
Surface cleaners
Window cleaners
Whiteboard cleaners
Soap
Conventional cleaning products pose serious risks to human health
and the environment.
Custodial staff, students and teachers spend a lot of time indoors. Consequently, they may experience prolonged
and repeated exposure to cleaning chemicals. Health hazards associated with exposure to cleaning products
include:
 Chemical burns to the eyes and skin
 Poisoning of organs
 Asthma
 Hormonal interference
 Cancer
 Damage to immune and
nervous systems
 Reproductive and developmental
harm
Children are more vulnerable than adults to the hazards of toxic cleaning products
because they are smaller, closer to the floor (where many products are applied), and
often put their hands into their mouths.
Cleaning chemicals can also find their way into local water sources, where they can form toxic by-products,
concentrate in (and harm) fish and other aquatic species, contaminate drinking water, or contribute to algae
blooms.
November 2015
What are the other benefits of “green” cleaning products?
Green cleaners offer many environmental, health and financial benefits, including:
 Improving indoor air quality;
 Reducing the need to handle and
dispose of hazardous materials;
 Saving money, by buying fewer products
and using concentrated cleaners;
 Minimizing hazardous material spills; and
 Reducing packaging waste.
How do we know a cleaning product is effective yet truly safer and less toxic?
To ensure effective and safer cleaning products, the State requires schools to buy products that are certified as
environmentally preferable by at least one nationally recognized certification program. City Schools has chosen to
accept these three eco-labeling programs for cleaning products: Green Seal, UL EcoLogo, or the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency’s Safer Choice (formerly Design for the Environment). Look for these labels:
How will we purchase these cleaning products?
City Schools is conducting a pilot to determine the best products to use. Three schools will be selected to participate
and each will test three different product lines for approximately one month each. Custodians, school leadership and
others will be interviewed to determine which products are preferred. Upon price negotiations, City Schools will select
one set of products. All schools will then be required to use those products upon completion of their existing stock.
Schools cleaned by contract custodians are already required to comply with the state law.
What else does Cleaning for Health involve?
Cleaning chemicals are one part of a comprehensive effort.
 Having a school-cleaning plan that prioritizes
health and the environment;
 Preventing dirt and clutter;
 Including mats at all building entryways;
 Avoiding the use of disinfectants in classrooms
unless an incident involves bodily fluids;
Other parts include:
 Including trash and recycling containers;
 Eliminating or limiting carpets and upholstery;
 Damp mopping floors instead of dry sweeping
them; and
 Eliminating cleaning chemicals brought from home.
Can we afford this?
The transition to green cleaning products and practices is often cost neutral and in many cases can save schools
money. This includes:
 Switching from ready-to-use cleaning and
 Reducing the number of cleaning products
disinfecting products to concentrates;
used;
 Avoiding deodorizers and all products in aerosol
 Using microfiber mops and cloths; and
containers;
 Receiving free manufacturer and vendor
 Using metered dilution equipment;
training.
For more information, contact:
Timothy Ballard, Director, Maintenance and Inspections, tcballard@bcps.k12.md.us
Joanna Pi-Sunyer, Green Schools Coordinator, jpi-sunyer@bcps.k12.md.us
The Cleaning for Health Toolkit is at www.baltimorecityschools.org/Page/28443
Developed with the assistance of the Responsible Purchasing Network www.ResponsiblePurchasing.org.