The sustainability movement is no longer a trend, and green initiatives are now a permanent fixture. The need for environmentally sound business decisions extends into the management of all facilities, as evidenced by a wave of products designed to meet environmental goals.
When making purchasing decisions to address cleaning, suppliers and buyers alike should consider microfiber as a greener alternative to other textiles. Microfiber is proven to reduce waste, save water, and improve air qualityall while delivering labor and product cost savings.
An immediately recognizable environmental benefit of using microfiber products is waste reduction. Microfiber cuts back on waste by lasting longer than other cleaning textiles. In fact, the average microfiber cleaning textile can last up to eight times longer than traditional cotton cloths or mops, thereby, reducing the number of discarded products in the landfill.
Microfiber can also reduce the amount of chemicals needed to clean, which, in turn, trims the amount of chemicals that travel through air and water. Chemical cleaning agents can be reduced by up to 95 percent when using microfiber products.
Microfiber also improves the indoor air quality so facility employees, contractors, and visitors breathe in fewer harmful chemicals. In addition, microfiber traps more dirt, dust, and liquid than traditional textiles, which can reduce microbe levels of indoor air by up to 95 percent.
The durability and reduction of chemical use also translates into cost savings. Microfiber can withstand up to 500 regular laundering cycles, so less money is spent buying new cleaning textiles. Money also is saved because fewer chemicals are needed for cleaning. And because microfiber mops clean up to three times faster than traditional string mops, according to an ISSA cleaning time study, microfiber can translate into impressive labor savings.
Quality Counts
There are two main types of microfiber, and it is important to note the difference. The first type is called unsplit microfiber, which is made of small filaments of one material (usually polyester) and is the least expensive type to manufacture. While unsplit microfiber cleans better than more traditional fiber options, it is limited in the amount of small items like fine dust and microbes it can capture and retain.
For optimum green cleaning, use split microfiber. Split microfiber is a blend of two materials, such as nylon and polyester that are extruded together as a small filament just like the unsplit microfiber. The difference is the nylon is split apart from the polyester to create microscopic crevices and openings within the filaments. When used dry, these crevices trap and hold dust particles and bacteria. And when used with a liquid cleaning agent, dust, dirt, and microbes are sucked into these crevices by capillary action. The result is better cleaning in less time, using fewer chemicals and allowing better indoor air quality.
