“Our green cleaning program has my employees working smarter, not harder, and we’re helping the environment and the health of our students.”
- Bill Hammon

Bill Hammon has worked in the building maintenance industry for more than 20 years. As director of building maintenance for the town government of Mansfield, CT, Hammon is responsible for the maintenance of some 27 buildings encompassing about half a million square feet and includes all of the town’s schools.

About a year ago, Hammon suggested to the town manager and superintendent of schools that all the town buildings implement a Green Cleaning program. The idea was enthusiastically received and Hammon reports the whole process has been a great experience that has generated excellent results.

Recently, The Ashkin Group interviewed Hammon about his new insights on industrial cleaning strategies and the unexpected benefits of the town’s Green Cleaning program.

The Ashkin Group: What motivated you to make the switch to a Green Cleaning program?

Hammon: I decided out of concern for the health of my workers and our building occupants. When I started evaluating green cleaning products, I realized they were safer.

The Ashkin Group: Did you change your cleaning products vendor in the process?

Hammon: I did not change our supplier. I simply told them we wanted to make this change and asked if they could do it. They said “certainly!” and shared that in fact they were looking for a customer “guinea pig” to try their Green Cleaning products. So the same supplier is now providing me with green certified cleaning materials.

The Ashkin Group: How did you implement the switch to Green Cleaning?

Hammon: As the our cleaning equipment wore out, we replaced it with green certified new cleaning equipment such as floor polishers, floor scrubbers and microfiber cloths. All of my staff saw better results, for example, by using a floor polisher with a vacuum attachment and vacuums with high efficiency filters.

At this stage we are about 85 percent converted to a Green Cleaning process.

The Ashkin Group: What were the challenges you faced?

Hammon: The switch was a hard sell to my workers because it had previously been tried about 8 or 10 years ago and it didn’t work. I made it work this time by bringing in the supplier to conduct trainings on how to use each product. The supplier, as an outside expert, had more credibility than anyone else. With the training, our workers were willing to give it a go. I continue to bring in experts from our supplier and schedule trainings for my custodial staff whenever students are out of school and when teachers have their own “professional days.”

The Ashkin Group: You’ve mentioned seeing results you didn’t expect, would you elaborate?

Hammon: Efficiency for one. An example is that we now strip floors and apply wax the same way throughout all our buildings—rather than doing it 10 different ways in 10 different buildings as we did before. Also, with the new Green Cleaning techniques, we don’t have to strip and re-wax our floors as often.

Because we have increased efficiency, my custodians now have time to disinfect telephones, doorknobs, tabletops, desktops and many other surfaces in our schools that students constantly touch. But what I didn’t expect is that the result has been we have improved attendance by approximately 20 percent during the past year. We believe this improvement is directly related to the increased disinfecting techniques we now have the time to carry out in the schools.

Because of our Green Cleaning program, we change the filters in our air handlers more often and that has reduced the number of student asthma attacks. We react instantly to any sign of mold or mildew. For example, pipes with condensation. Today we insulate the pipes so they don’t drop condensation onto ceiling tiles.

Students and teachers say they have cleaner rooms, the atmosphere is nicer and they like it.

The Ashkin Group: Any tips or insights for other building maintenance directors?

Hammon: You need your staff to buy in so you have to train them. If your staff don’t think it will work, it won’t work so you must convince them it will

One way to help convince workers to make the change is by simplifying their standard tasks by using new and improved Green Cleaning equipment.

It is the right thing to do! Today, we have a less negative impact on the environment. We use less water and safer cleaning chemicals.

Green Cleaning has NOT increased our cleaning costs.

My people work smarter, not harder, and we’re helping the environment and the health of our students.