Rice University, TX Campus Cleaning Practices
Type: Policy
Status: Ongoing
Source File: http://cohesion.rice.edu/facilities/sustainability/index.cfm?doc_id=7315
Description:
Cleaning Products
Rice's custodians use a Green Seal approved product called H2Orange2, made by EnvirOx, as the general purpose cleaner in all of the campus academic buildings. H2Orange2 consists of hydrogen peroxide, citrus oil, and a biodegradable surfactant. Switching to EnvirOx required no additional costs and no sacrifice in quality. Our custodial teams also use microfiber cloths, which last considerably longer and are more absorbent than traditional rags.
Cleaning Practices
We rely heavily on steam cleaning in the academic buildings. In addition to vacuuming, we clean our carpets with a duplex hydro washer. We use no shampoos or soaps on the carpets. We also use Vapor Steam Cleaning Systems, which can clean for hours on a single quart of water. This replaces mopping, which is often just a means to spreading dirty water around on the floor.
Training
Rice uses a program called Cleanology to teach custodians the science of cleaning and the "whys" of cleaning (as opposed to the "hows"). Cleanology is defined as the study of cleaning and behavior in relation to custodial maintenance. The program enables custodians to achieve the levels of basic, certified, and then registered cleanologists. Read more...