This prerequisite lays the groundwork for achieving the IEQ credits for green cleaning (for an overview of all the green cleaning credits and how they relate to each other, see the diagram at right). A green cleaning policy provides your team with a document of guiding principles and a single reference point for questions.

You don’t have to hit your targets, such as the percentage of compliant cleaning products that you intend to use, but you do have to implement the policy to the best of your ability. The green cleaning credits award actual attainment of your goals. 

Early is best

It’s critical to create your green cleaning policy early. It will inform the later parts of the EBOM process and facilitate your team’s decision about which additional green cleaning credits you will pursue. Inserting all requirements for the other green cleaning credits directly into the policy at the outset will make it easier to review them later. You can always refine the policy later by removing extraneous language and requirements for credits you may have chosen not to pursue. 

Keep it simple

The key to making your policy effective is keeping it simple, straightforward, and easy to use. Flexibility is a plus—for example, when you address green cleaning products, list the standards that products should meet and include some questions to ask vendors, but leave some room for discretion about exactly which products should be ordered.

Consider these questions before pursuing this credit

• Is the building’s cleaning program managed in-house or by a cleaning vendor?
• If the cleaning program is handled by an outside vendor, do they have a green cleaning program that they can execute onsite? If not, are they willing to learn to integrate green cleaning practices into their existing program? 
• Do preferred product suppliers carry LEED-compliant options?
• How is training handled for cleaning staff? What does the training curriculum entail?
• Does the project building have a tracking system for purchasing cleaning supplies and equipment?
• Does the project building have a system for collecting occupant feedback?
• What opportunities are there to improve the existing cleaning program?
• Does your building contain spaces with special cleaning requirements, such as laboratories, healthcare, or food preparation spaces?
• What are the existing cleaning products and procedures? Are they written down?
• Is the policy easy to use and helpful as a reference?