University of Pennsylvania
IN-8: Certified Green Cleaning

As outlined in Penn’s Green Housekeeping Plan, cleaning products and materials shall meet the sustainability requirements outlined in LEED Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance IEQ Credit 3.3. (Should criteria be revised in subsequent versions of LEED EB-O&M, the program will strive to meet new requirements.) Cleaning products covered by the LEED standard include cleaning chemicals, materials and products, floor finishes and strippers, disposable janitorial paper products, trash liners, and hand soap. This LEED requirement is that 30% of total purchases (by cost) meet at least one of the appropriate specified standards listed. As part of their yearly training, housekeepers are retrained in existing standard cleaning policies, many of which are considered green cleaning, and are trained in any new policies. For example, in the 2017-2018 academic year, Penn housekeeping will transition from using paper towels to washable and reusable microfiber towels, where applicable. Because of the improved cleaning capabilities of microfiber cloths, the switch to microfiber will decrease the use of harsh chemicals and greatly reduce the number of one-time use paper towels being used across campus. As part of this move, housekeeping management staff have begun an extensive training program for housekeepers on the proper use of microfiber cloths. Microfiber cloths will be laundered off-campus by Wash-Cycle-Laundry, a local, triple bottom-line, and sustainable company. The services provided to Penn by Wash-Cycle-Laundry are innovative, earth friendly, locally sourced, and generate upwardly mobile job opportunities for vulnerable job seekers in the area.