5 reasons why your business should replace harsh cleaning chemicals with eco-friendly alternatives
If you’re surfaces smell like bleach, you are harming yourself, and worse still, harming the planet.
We associate ‘cleanliness’ with the powerful smell of bleach and other harsh, toxic ingredients because that’s what we’re used to.
These products are effective at clearing away grease, grime, and other mess. However, burning and killing as a cleaning strategy is not only antiquated, it remains dangerous for human use, and over time damages surfaces.
Here are five reasons why your organisation should make the switch from harsh chemicals to eco-friendly alternatives:
Reduce pollution!
Cleaning products are a major contributor to air pollution, with some studies suggesting that they increase air pollution indoors. Furthermore, these harsh chemicals are often washed down drains, polluting waterways, killing marine life, and creating more work for water treatment plants.
ABS has created a range of products that work to naturally break down waste. These solutions are non-hazardous to humans and marine life, and work to regenerate natural systems.
Save money
Many eco-friendly cleaning alternatives are designed to be more concentrated, so you don’t need to use as much, allowing them to last longer. Given that sustainable alternatives are competitively priced, it is now more economically viable to make the shift.
It is estimated a company with 20 employees can save £15,000 a year just by replacing paper towels and wipes with reusable cloths.
Maximise infrastructure
Throughout the United Kingdom, there are thousands of listed buildings that are protected by law to retain their structural significance and in most cases, these buildings have retained their original internal infrastructure.
Traditional cleaning products are packed with a mixture of toxic chemicals which erode pipework over time, leading to costly repairs and replacements that need to align with heritage standards.
URIZAP is a specially formulated bacterial alternative to harsh chemicals that effectively removes the root cause of blockages, eliminating odours in the process and maintaining infrastructure integrity while removing the need for costly repairs or replacement.
Health benefits
Chemical-based cleaners can be corrosive and release harmful fumes and allergens that may cause respiratory irritation, broken skin, chemical burns, allergic reactions and even poisoning if ingested.
A study conducted by Harvard University and the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research discovered that using bleach-based cleaning products just once a week is enough to increase a person’s chance of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by a third.
Reduce single-use plastics
Eco-friendly businesses consciously source the ingredients and packaging for products, often using materials that are recycled, reusable or biodegradable. Using certain alternatives means that you no longer must buy plastic products.
Bathroom deodorisers and urinal inserts are often entirely made up of plastic and require frequent replacement. These are usually masking agents, hiding a bigger problem such as odour-causing blockages. Using a product like URIZAP, that deals with the root cause of the issue, solves the issue for good and allows you to ditch single-use plastic for good!
Switching to sustainable cleaning alternatives is just one simple way of reducing your carbon emissions and implementing greener strategies within your business. The UK government has committed to reducing the country’s carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. This means that every business within the country has a significant part to play in reducing emissions.
Use this sustainability calculator to understand your current carbon usage and what you can do to reduce it.
