Green Cleaning and Infection Control: An Expert Roundtable Discusses the Issues

ICT:“Green” and “natural” claims are not based in science, which is what ESPs and ICPs are looking for when they evaluate and purchase cleaning/disinfection products; until the medical literature catches up with the merits of green cleaning, how can green be justified from a microbiological sense -- can green cleaning both uphold infection prevention goals and reduce toxins, etc.?

Ashkin: Green cannot be justified from a microbiological perspective; after all, if both disinfectants kill the target organism in the same time, we can’t kill them deader than dead. The products have to work, and being “green” is not an excuse for a poor-performing or expensive product. Rather, the question is can the choice of products meet the infection control requirements but do so with alternatives that further reduce potential negative impacts on product users (environmental services and nursing staff), patients and visitors, as well as the environment. Many healthcare facilities truly follow the concept to “do no harm” and today are recognizing that they can provide the appropriate levels of disinfection but with products that further reduce health and environmental impacts in many other ways from packaging and use to disposal and more.

Morrison: I will agree that the term “natural” means essentially nothing when it comes to green cleaning. As to green certification of, for instance, chemicals, they must meet specific standards and guidelines that are essentially the same at the two leading certification bodies. So, if a product has been certified, ESPs and ICPs can rest assured that it meets these guidelines. However, cleaning professionals must also realize that for any chemical, green or not, to be effective, it must be used with the proper cleaning tools, equipment, and systems. Studies introduced at the recent Cleaning Industry Research Institute Symposium at the University of Maryland clearly pointed out that some conventional cleaning methods, such as rags and flat mops, performed poorly when compared to high-flow fluid-extraction systems. What’s more, some of these conventional cleaning methods actually spread soils and microorganisms to other surfaces instead of removing them. This certainly does not help prevent the spread of infection, no matter what chemicals, green or not, are used.