Florida International University
OP-11: Cleaning Products Purchasing

Paper Goods: All paper supplies (toilet tissue, paper roll towel, junior jumbo toilet tissue, and toilet seat covers) in all bathrooms on all campuses are Green Seal Certified. This means that these products are not only 100% recycled material but had a minimal impact on the environment during manufacturing, and that the manufacturing procedures used to produce these recycled materials are environmentally friendly oriented processes as well. Trash Bags: All trash bags used by our unit are 100% biodegradable. Cleaning Chemicals: Most cleaning chemicals to clean our campus facilities bought by the Custodial Services Department are environmentally friendly even though they are of commercial grade. Great effort has been spent to remove harsh and harmful chemicals, and in some cases the manufacturer has been instructed by FIU to remove certain ingredients from products sold to the university in order to make them more environmentally friendly. In addition, most cleaning chemicals currently used to clean our facilities either carry the EPA “Design for the Environment” certification or the Green SealTM certification. As a clarification Green Seal is an independent organization that certifies products as green and awards the Green Seal to qualified products. The EPA is the governmental agency that certifies chemicals as green or environmentally friendly and awards a “Design for the Environment” certification for qualified products. All cleaning chemicals used by the Custodial Services Department are correctly blended by the use of chemical blend centers. This eliminates immediate contact with the chemicals and ensures proper dilution of the products and prevents over dilution as so often happens when people manually “eyeball” dilution ratios. This is extremely important as even “Green” products can be harmful if not properly used and properly diluted to the correct ratio for its intended use. Cleaning Equipment: Most cleaning equipment used by the custodial services unit was purchased with the environment in mind. This means for example that all vacuum cleaners have HEPA filtration and carry the CRI Green Label (Carpet and Rug Institute) certification; all carpet extraction equipment uses 50% less water than previous models and have dual operating modes (low moisture modes) for further reduction in energy and water usage: all floor scrubbers use 50% less water than previous models (Considering that we have a little over 2 million cleanable square feet of carpeted areas this means a significant reduction in water usage); hard floor burnishers have HEPA filtration: and last but not least hot water is no longer used in our cleaning process which is an additional reduction in energy use.

Data submitted does not include FIU's Graham Center, Wolfe University Center, or Parking & Transportation. Data was submitted by Housing Facilities and Facilities Management Custodial Services which serve the majority of buildings on campus.