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Stephen Ashkin
The Ashkin Group LLC
President
SPECIAL REPORT
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Credit language
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Requirements
Operate the project using green cleaning best practices.
Option 1. In-House Green Cleaning Policy
Have in place a green cleaning policy for the green cleaning procedures, materials, and services that are within the project and site management’s control. Include the following elements:
Performance Targets
- Use of cleaning products and materials that meet the green cleaning criteria in EQ Credit: Green Cleaning
- Use of cleaning equipment that meets the criteria in EQ Credit: Green Cleaning
Goals and Strategies
- Standard operating procedures for effective cleaning of hard floors and carpets that will be consistently used, managed, and audited.
- Provisions for addressing protection of building occupants during cleaning, including vulnerable populations.
- Guidelines for selection and appropriate use of disinfectants and sanitizers.
- Guidelines for safe handling and storage of cleaning chemicals used in the building, including a plan for managing hazardous spills and mishandling incidents.
- Strategies for reducing the toxicity of the chemicals used for laundry, ware washing, and other cleaning activities.
- Strategies for conserving energy, water, and chemicals during cleaning.
- Strategies for promoting and improving hand hygiene.
Personnel
- Requirements for maintenance personnel including 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.
- Timing and frequency of training for maintenance personnel in the hazards of use, disposal, and recycling of cleaning chemicals, dispensing equipment, and packaging.
Option 2. Certified Cleaning Service
Clean the project with a cleaning service certified and in good standing 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.
In addition, work with the cleaning contractor to create goals and strategies for conserving energy, water, and chemicals during cleaning.
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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
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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.) |
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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.) |
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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.) |
Addenda
Our project is a GBAC STAR facility. Can this be used to demonstrate compliance with the LEED v4.1 O+M EQ prerequisite Green Cleaning Policy?
Yes, the ISSA GBAC STAR Green Building Accreditation program can be used to comply with v4.1 O+M EQ prerequisite Green Cleaning Policy, Option 2 as an alternative to the certified cleaning services.
Documentation toolkit
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© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Requirements
Operate the project using green cleaning best practices.
Option 1. In-House Green Cleaning Policy
Have in place a green cleaning policy for the green cleaning procedures, materials, and services that are within the project and site management’s control. Include the following elements:
Performance Targets
- Use of cleaning products and materials that meet the green cleaning criteria in EQ Credit: Green Cleaning
- Use of cleaning equipment that meets the criteria in EQ Credit: Green Cleaning
Goals and Strategies
- Standard operating procedures for effective cleaning of hard floors and carpets that will be consistently used, managed, and audited.
- Provisions for addressing protection of building occupants during cleaning, including vulnerable populations.
- Guidelines for selection and appropriate use of disinfectants and sanitizers.
- Guidelines for safe handling and storage of cleaning chemicals used in the building, including a plan for managing hazardous spills and mishandling incidents.
- Strategies for reducing the toxicity of the chemicals used for laundry, ware washing, and other cleaning activities.
- Strategies for conserving energy, water, and chemicals during cleaning.
- Strategies for promoting and improving hand hygiene.
Personnel
- Requirements for maintenance personnel including 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.
- Timing and frequency of training for maintenance personnel in the hazards of use, disposal, and recycling of cleaning chemicals, dispensing equipment, and packaging.
Option 2. Certified Cleaning Service
Clean the project with a cleaning service certified and in good standing 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.
In addition, work with the cleaning contractor to create goals and strategies for conserving energy, water, and chemicals during cleaning.
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.) |
|
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 is a GBAC STAR facility. Can this be used to demonstrate compliance with the LEED v4.1 O+M EQ prerequisite Green Cleaning Policy?
Yes, the ISSA GBAC STAR Green Building Accreditation program can be used to comply with v4.1 O+M EQ prerequisite Green Cleaning Policy, Option 2 as an alternative to the certified cleaning services.
LEEDuser expert
Stephen Ashkin
The Ashkin Group LLC
President
