Green Cleaning Schools

Knoxville High School custodian Sheila Larkins mops the cafeteria on Thursday morning. KHS is already implementing the use of some “green” cleaning products. The Green Cleaning Schools act mandates all Illinois schools buy certified green cleaning products after May 9. New state law requires districts use certified-green cleaning products after May 9. Source: Galesburg.com

“I see a dirty window, and I have to clean it,” said the Knoxville High School day custodian. And she has her preferences when cleaning those windows. A product can’t leave streaks on the glass. Sometimes, she uses paper towels from the restrooms to wipe off the cleaner, equating its effectiveness to newspaper. And just when she thinks she’s gotten it all figured out, a new state law changes the way she works. The Green Cleaning Schools Act, signed into law by Governor Rod Blagojevich on Aug. 13, 2007, mandates all Illinois schools purchase certified-green cleaning products in six categories — bathroom cleaners; carpet cleaners; general purpose and hard floor surface cleaners; glass, window and mirror cleaners; hand cleaners and hand soaps; and paper products — after May 9. Illinois is only the second state to implement such a law. New York was first, with much more stringent stipulations. Schools may use any remaining non-green cleaners they have on hand after May 9, but all new purchases after that time must be green. Many schools, in order to offset the potential increase in costs, have joined cooperatives allowing them to purchase supplies directly from manufacturers. “They don’t clean as well,” Larkins said of the products moving into her storeroom, but “the vendor can come and make them stronger if we complain about them not cleaning as well.