Log in
LEED v4
Existing Schools
Indoor Environmental Quality

Green cleaning policy

LEED CREDIT

Schools-EBOM-v4 EQp3: Green Cleaning Policy Required

LEEDuser’s viewpoint

Frank advice from LEED experts

LEED is changing all the time, and every project is unique. Even seasoned professionals can miss a critical detail and lose a credit or even a prerequisite at the last minute. Our expert advice guides our LEEDuser Premium members and saves you valuable time.

Credit language

USGBC logo

© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.

Requirements

Option 1. In-house green cleaning policy
Establishment
Have in place a green cleaning policy for the building and site addressing the green cleaning credits, goals and strategies, and personnel listed below. At a minimum, the policy must cover green cleaning procedures, materials, and services that are within the building and site management’s control, and include the organization responsible for cleaning the building and building site. Address the requirements of the following credits:
  • EQ Credit: Green Cleaning—Purchase of Cleaning Products and Materials
  • EQ Credit: Green Cleaning—Cleaning Equipment
Goals and Strategies
  • Establish standard operating procedures addressing how an effective cleaning and hard floor and carpet maintenance system will be consistently used, managed, and audited.
  • Address protection of vulnerable building occupants during cleaning.
  • Address selection and appropriate use of disinfectants and sanitizers.
  • Develop guidelines addressing the safe handling and storage of cleaning chemicals used in the building, including a plan for managing hazardous spills and mishandling incidents.
  • Develop goals and strategies for reducing the toxicity of the chemicals used for laundry, ware washing, and other cleaning activities.
  • Develop goals and strategies for promoting the conservation of energy, water, and chemicals used for cleaning.
  • Develop strategies for promoting and improving hand hygiene.
Personnel
  • Develop requirements for maintenance personnel. Specifically address contingency planning to manage staffing shortages under a variety of conditions to ensure that basic cleaning services are met and critical cleaning needs are addressed. Include a process to obtain occupant and custodial staff input and feedback after contingency plans are implemented.
  • Determine the timing and frequency of training for maintenance personnel in the hazards of use, disposal, and recycling of cleaning chemicals, dispensing equipment, and packaging.
Performance
Implement a high-performance cleaning program based on the above policy and track performance goals associated with this policy.
Option 2. Certified cleaning service
Establishment
None.
Performance
Clean the building with a cleaning service provider, either in-house custodial staff or a contracted service contractor, certified under one of the following:
  • Green Seal’s Environmental Standard for Commercial Cleaning Services (GS-42); or
  • International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA) Cleaning Industry Management Standard for Green Buildings (CIMS-GB); or
  • Local equivalent for projects outside the U.S.
Confirm that the building or contractor was audited by the third party within 12 months of the end of the performance period. In addition, the cleaning contractor must develop goals and strategies for promoting the conservation of energy, water, and chemicals used for cleaning the building. See all forum discussions about this credit »

What does it cost?

Cost estimates for this credit

On each BD+C v4 credit, LEEDuser offers the wisdom of a team of architects, engineers, cost estimators, and LEED experts with hundreds of LEED projects between then. They analyzed the sustainable design strategies associated with each LEED credit, but also to assign actual costs to those strategies.

Our tab contains overall cost guidance, notes on what “soft costs” to expect, and a strategy-by-strategy breakdown of what to consider and what it might cost, in percentage premiums, actual costs, or both.

This information is also available in a full PDF download in The Cost of LEED v4 report.

Learn more about The Cost of LEED v4 »

Frequently asked questions

What if my project has rules or regulations that contradict the policy requirement, such as using bleach in a school or using abrasive cleaners in a healthcare environment?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

Our project consists of a building with multiple tenants. The core areas are maintained by building management but the tenants are responsible for their own cleaning. Can I still achieve the prerequisite?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

What happened to the green cleaning program credit?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

I use a third-party-certified cleaning vendor. Which audits are required?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

Our project’s custodial vendor is certified by the British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICS). Does this program qualify as a local equivalent for projects outside the U.S. (per Option 2)?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

See all forum discussions about this credit »

Addenda

4/14/2017Updated: 4/24/2017
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Revise Campus language to:
Group Approach
All buildings in the group may be documented as one. The same green cleaning policy or certified cleaning service contract may be used for all the buildings within the LEED project boundary.

Campus Approach
Option 1: Eligible. The policy may be implemented on a campus-wide basis and must address any unique features of the buildings included.
Option 2: Ineligible. Each LEED project may pursue the credit individually.
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
No
7/1/2014Updated: 2/14/2015
Rating System Correction
Description of change:
Under Option 2, Performance, modify the second sentence so it reads "Confirm that the building or contractor was audited by the third party within 12 months of the performance period."
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
7/1/2014Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Under Option 2, Performance, modify the second sentence so it reads "Confirm that the building or contractor was audited by the third party within 12 months of the performance period."
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
See all forum discussions about this credit »

Documentation toolkit

The motherlode of cheat sheets

LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit is loaded with calculators to help assess credit compliance, tracking spreadsheets for materials, sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions, and examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects for you to check your work against. To get your plaque, start with the right toolkit.

LEEDuser expert

Stephen Ashkin

The Ashkin Group LLC
President

Get the inside scoop

Our editors have written a detailed analysis of nearly every LEED credit, and LEEDuser premium members get full access. We’ll tell you whether the credit is easy to accomplish or better left alone, and we provide insider tips on how to document it successfully.

USGBC logo

© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.

Requirements

Option 1. In-house green cleaning policy
Establishment
Have in place a green cleaning policy for the building and site addressing the green cleaning credits, goals and strategies, and personnel listed below. At a minimum, the policy must cover green cleaning procedures, materials, and services that are within the building and site management’s control, and include the organization responsible for cleaning the building and building site. Address the requirements of the following credits:
  • EQ Credit: Green Cleaning—Purchase of Cleaning Products and Materials
  • EQ Credit: Green Cleaning—Cleaning Equipment
Goals and Strategies
  • Establish standard operating procedures addressing how an effective cleaning and hard floor and carpet maintenance system will be consistently used, managed, and audited.
  • Address protection of vulnerable building occupants during cleaning.
  • Address selection and appropriate use of disinfectants and sanitizers.
  • Develop guidelines addressing the safe handling and storage of cleaning chemicals used in the building, including a plan for managing hazardous spills and mishandling incidents.
  • Develop goals and strategies for reducing the toxicity of the chemicals used for laundry, ware washing, and other cleaning activities.
  • Develop goals and strategies for promoting the conservation of energy, water, and chemicals used for cleaning.
  • Develop strategies for promoting and improving hand hygiene.
Personnel
  • Develop requirements for maintenance personnel. Specifically address contingency planning to manage staffing shortages under a variety of conditions to ensure that basic cleaning services are met and critical cleaning needs are addressed. Include a process to obtain occupant and custodial staff input and feedback after contingency plans are implemented.
  • Determine the timing and frequency of training for maintenance personnel in the hazards of use, disposal, and recycling of cleaning chemicals, dispensing equipment, and packaging.
Performance
Implement a high-performance cleaning program based on the above policy and track performance goals associated with this policy.
Option 2. Certified cleaning service
Establishment
None.
Performance
Clean the building with a cleaning service provider, either in-house custodial staff or a contracted service contractor, certified under one of the following:
  • Green Seal’s Environmental Standard for Commercial Cleaning Services (GS-42); or
  • International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA) Cleaning Industry Management Standard for Green Buildings (CIMS-GB); or
  • Local equivalent for projects outside the U.S.
Confirm that the building or contractor was audited by the third party within 12 months of the end of the performance period. In addition, the cleaning contractor must develop goals and strategies for promoting the conservation of energy, water, and chemicals used for cleaning the building.

In the end, LEED is all about documentation. LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit, for premium members only, saves you time and helps you avoid mistakes with:

  • Calculators to help assess credit compliance.
  • Tracking spreadsheets for materials purchases.
  • Spreadsheets and forms to give to subs and other team members.
  • Guidance documents on arcane LEED issues.
  • Sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions.
  • Examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects.

What if my project has rules or regulations that contradict the policy requirement, such as using bleach in a school or using abrasive cleaners in a healthcare environment?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

Our project consists of a building with multiple tenants. The core areas are maintained by building management but the tenants are responsible for their own cleaning. Can I still achieve the prerequisite?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

What happened to the green cleaning program credit?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

I use a third-party-certified cleaning vendor. Which audits are required?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

Our project’s custodial vendor is certified by the British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICS). Does this program qualify as a local equivalent for projects outside the U.S. (per Option 2)?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

4/14/2017Updated: 4/24/2017
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Revise Campus language to:
Group Approach
All buildings in the group may be documented as one. The same green cleaning policy or certified cleaning service contract may be used for all the buildings within the LEED project boundary.

Campus Approach
Option 1: Eligible. The policy may be implemented on a campus-wide basis and must address any unique features of the buildings included.
Option 2: Ineligible. Each LEED project may pursue the credit individually.
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
No
7/1/2014Updated: 2/14/2015
Rating System Correction
Description of change:
Under Option 2, Performance, modify the second sentence so it reads "Confirm that the building or contractor was audited by the third party within 12 months of the performance period."
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
7/1/2014Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Under Option 2, Performance, modify the second sentence so it reads "Confirm that the building or contractor was audited by the third party within 12 months of the performance period."
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes

LEEDuser expert

Stephen Ashkin

The Ashkin Group LLC
President

See all LEEDuser forum discussions about this credit » Subscribe to new discussions about Schools-EBOM-v4 EQp3 View the LEED v4.1 version of this credit