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Follow these simple steps to ensure you find the right "green cleaner" for your home or office. Improve the indoor air quality while leaving a smaller carbon footprint for future generations. Using a "green cleaning" service at home or the office is better for the environment and your health.

We spend a large amount of time indoors. Do you suffer from headaches, dry eyes, asthma attacks/symptoms, dizziness, unexplained rashes, or unexplained fatigue? Poor indoor air quality could be adversely effecting your health.

Call around to different cleaning services. Ask for references. Do not go with the first cleaning service you find. Have important green cleaning questions ready to ask. Make sure that you both are on the same page when it comes to green cleaning.

Look for cleaning products that are found on the Green Seal list of certified industrial cleaners. Green Seal is a non-profit agency that developed a cleaning supply list at www.greenseal.org geared towards safeguarding the environment through the purchase and use of environmentally responsible cleaning products. Green Seal has certified cleaners like:

* Office Depot, Office Depot Green All Purpose Cleaner

* Spray Nine, Adirondack Green Multi-Surface Bathroom Cleaner

* Sunshine Makers, Simple Green Clean Building Carpet Cleaner

* Concentrate

* Triple S, EarthCare Infinity Glass Cleaner Unisource, Foam and Lotion Hand Wash

Ask to See the green cleaning plan of your cleaning agency. A good green cleaning plan will be practical and affordable. A green plan should allow for growth since new techniques and cleaners are becoming available every day. Look for a green plan that includes energy star rated equipment, recycling and recycled products, and inexpensive techniques that are simple to implement like:

* Switching dust mops and damp mops to micro fiber flat mops, they catch more dust and improve productivity
* Implementation of a no or low stripping floor care program
* Replacement of paper products made from virgin tree fibers with paper products made from recycled paper
* Replacement of old vacuum cleaners with new HEPA filtered vacuums

Learn more about this author, Elizabeth Blankenship.
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