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LEED v2009
Existing Building Operations
Indoor Environmental Quality
Green Cleaning Policy

LEED CREDIT

EBOM-2009 IEQp3: Green Cleaning Policy Required

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XX%

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LEEDuser expert

Alexis Voeltner

LEED AP O+M, BREEAM In-Use Licensed Assessor, Fitwel Ambassador

UL Solutions
Sustainability Project Manager

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

Requirements

Have in place a green cleaning policy for the building and site addressing the following green cleaning credits and other requirements:

  • Purchase sustainable cleaning and hard floor and carpet care products meeting the sustainability criteria outlined in IEQ Credit 3.3: Green Cleaning—Purchase of Sustainable Cleaning Products and Materials.
  • Purchase cleaning equipment meeting the sustainability criteria outlined in IEQ Credit 3.4: Green Cleaning—Sustainable Cleaning Equipment.
  • Establish standard operating procedures addressing how an effective cleaning and hard floor and carpet maintenance system will be consistently utilized, managed and audited. Specifically address cleaning to protect vulnerable building occupants.
  • Develop strategies for promoting and improving hand hygiene, including both hand washing and the use of alcohol-based waterless hand sanitizers.
  • Develop guidelines addressing the safe handling and storage of cleaning chemicals used in the building, including a plan for managing hazardous spills or mishandling incidents.
  • Develop requirements for staffing and training of maintenance personnel appropriate to the needs of the building. Specifically address the training of maintenance personnel in the hazards of use, disposal and recycling of cleaning chemicals, dispensing equipment and packaging.
  • Provide for collecting occupant feedback and continuous improvement to evaluate new technologies, procedures and processes.
This policy must adhere to the LEED 2009 for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance policy model (see Introduction). At a minimum, the policy must cover the green cleaning procedures and materials that are within the building and site management’s control.
Credit substitution available
You may use the LEED v4 version of this credit on v2009 projects. For more information check out this article.
See all forum discussions about this credit »

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Cost estimates for this credit

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Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference between the policy and the program?

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Does being a GS-42 Certified Provider assist in meeting the prerequisite and associated credit requirements?

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Addenda

11/2/2009Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Replace the term description with the text "Green cleaning is the use of cleaning products and practices that have lower environmental impacts and more positive indoor air quality impacts than conventional products and practices."
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
8/1/2011
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:

We want to request an interpretation of the requirements for LEED EB EQc3.3 stated in a previous CIR dated 4/24/2004. The CIR appears to be written for new construction and for sale unit properties (such as condos).The 2004 LEED NC CIR states that multi-unit residential buildings must meet the requirements for commercial buildings (covering common area, owner controlled areas of the building), and the following for the residential, tenant controlled areas:Item #1: Educate the residents on the green cleaning concepts and products via discussion and written materials upon move-in and periodically thereafter.Item #2: Provide an estimated six-month supply of green cleaning products to residents, as wellas information on how to easily purchase refills and/or replacements.Assume that a Multi-Family Residential Apartment (Rental) Property complies with the following:1.The property that is applying for LEED EB certification meets all the requirements for LEED EB Green Cleaning credits for common spaces/owner controlled spaces including the cleaning policy and plan, products purchased and used, equipment purchased and used, and also follows the same green cleaning procedures whenever they have access to residential apartment units (including during all

Ruling:

The project has proposed an alternative compliance path for 2009 Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance projects that include multi-family residential units for IEQ Prerequisite 3: Green Cleaning Policy, IEQ Credit 3.1: Green Cleaning High Performance Cleaning program, and IEQ Credit 3.3: Green Cleaning- Purchase of Sustainable Cleaning Products and Materials using Innovation in Design credit requirements outlined in Formal Inquiry dated 04/08/2004 ID #766 for multi-family New Construction projects. The proposed approach is not acceptable. For IEQ Prerequisite 3: Green Cleaning Policy and IEQc3.1: Green Cleaning-High-Performance Cleaning Program, the green cleaning policy and program includes resident areas. Additional steps should be taken to educate the residents on the green cleaning concepts and recommended products via discussion and written materials upon move-in and periodically thereafter. Examples of acceptable steps could include a written program, a brochure, a coupon for discounted purchase, or a bulk supply of cleaning supplies available at maintenance office. For existing building projects with multi-family spaces attempting IEQ Credit 3.3: Green Cleaning- Purchase of Sustainable Cleaning Products and Materials the percent of total annual purchases must include all cleaning purchases made for the building, regardless of who purchased the products (residents or building staff).

Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
See all forum discussions about this credit »

Checklists

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Documentation toolkit

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Credit achievement rate

XX%

Upgrade to LEEDuser Premium to see how many projects achieved this credit. Try it free »

LEEDuser expert

Alexis Voeltner

LEED AP O+M, BREEAM In-Use Licensed Assessor, Fitwel Ambassador

UL Solutions
Sustainability Project Manager

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USGBC logo

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

Requirements

Have in place a green cleaning policy for the building and site addressing the following green cleaning credits and other requirements:

  • Purchase sustainable cleaning and hard floor and carpet care products meeting the sustainability criteria outlined in IEQ Credit 3.3: Green Cleaning—Purchase of Sustainable Cleaning Products and Materials.
  • Purchase cleaning equipment meeting the sustainability criteria outlined in IEQ Credit 3.4: Green Cleaning—Sustainable Cleaning Equipment.
  • Establish standard operating procedures addressing how an effective cleaning and hard floor and carpet maintenance system will be consistently utilized, managed and audited. Specifically address cleaning to protect vulnerable building occupants.
  • Develop strategies for promoting and improving hand hygiene, including both hand washing and the use of alcohol-based waterless hand sanitizers.
  • Develop guidelines addressing the safe handling and storage of cleaning chemicals used in the building, including a plan for managing hazardous spills or mishandling incidents.
  • Develop requirements for staffing and training of maintenance personnel appropriate to the needs of the building. Specifically address the training of maintenance personnel in the hazards of use, disposal and recycling of cleaning chemicals, dispensing equipment and packaging.
  • Provide for collecting occupant feedback and continuous improvement to evaluate new technologies, procedures and processes.
This policy must adhere to the LEED 2009 for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance policy model (see Introduction). At a minimum, the policy must cover the green cleaning procedures and materials that are within the building and site management’s control.
Credit substitution available
You may use the LEED v4 version of this credit on v2009 projects. For more information check out this article.

XX%

Upgrade to LEEDuser Premium to see how many projects achieved this credit. Try it free »

Got the gist of IEQp3 but not sure how to actually achieve it? LEEDuser gives step-by-step help. Premium members get:

  • Checklists covering all the key action steps you'll need to earn the credit.
  • Hot tips to give you shortcuts and avoid pitfalls.
  • Cost tips to assess what a credit will actually cost, and how to make it affordable.
  • Ideas for going beyond LEED with best practices.
  • All checklists organized by project phase.
  • On-the-fly suggestions of useful items from the Documentation Toolkit and Credit Language.

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’s the difference between the policy and the program?

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.)

Does being a GS-42 Certified Provider assist in meeting the prerequisite and associated credit requirements?

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.)

11/2/2009Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Replace the term description with the text "Green cleaning is the use of cleaning products and practices that have lower environmental impacts and more positive indoor air quality impacts than conventional products and practices."
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
8/1/2011
LEED Interpretation
Inquiry:

We want to request an interpretation of the requirements for LEED EB EQc3.3 stated in a previous CIR dated 4/24/2004. The CIR appears to be written for new construction and for sale unit properties (such as condos).The 2004 LEED NC CIR states that multi-unit residential buildings must meet the requirements for commercial buildings (covering common area, owner controlled areas of the building), and the following for the residential, tenant controlled areas:Item #1: Educate the residents on the green cleaning concepts and products via discussion and written materials upon move-in and periodically thereafter.Item #2: Provide an estimated six-month supply of green cleaning products to residents, as wellas information on how to easily purchase refills and/or replacements.Assume that a Multi-Family Residential Apartment (Rental) Property complies with the following:1.The property that is applying for LEED EB certification meets all the requirements for LEED EB Green Cleaning credits for common spaces/owner controlled spaces including the cleaning policy and plan, products purchased and used, equipment purchased and used, and also follows the same green cleaning procedures whenever they have access to residential apartment units (including during all

Ruling:

The project has proposed an alternative compliance path for 2009 Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance projects that include multi-family residential units for IEQ Prerequisite 3: Green Cleaning Policy, IEQ Credit 3.1: Green Cleaning High Performance Cleaning program, and IEQ Credit 3.3: Green Cleaning- Purchase of Sustainable Cleaning Products and Materials using Innovation in Design credit requirements outlined in Formal Inquiry dated 04/08/2004 ID #766 for multi-family New Construction projects. The proposed approach is not acceptable. For IEQ Prerequisite 3: Green Cleaning Policy and IEQc3.1: Green Cleaning-High-Performance Cleaning Program, the green cleaning policy and program includes resident areas. Additional steps should be taken to educate the residents on the green cleaning concepts and recommended products via discussion and written materials upon move-in and periodically thereafter. Examples of acceptable steps could include a written program, a brochure, a coupon for discounted purchase, or a bulk supply of cleaning supplies available at maintenance office. For existing building projects with multi-family spaces attempting IEQ Credit 3.3: Green Cleaning- Purchase of Sustainable Cleaning Products and Materials the percent of total annual purchases must include all cleaning purchases made for the building, regardless of who purchased the products (residents or building staff).

Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No

LEEDuser expert

Alexis Voeltner

LEED AP O+M, BREEAM In-Use Licensed Assessor, Fitwel Ambassador

UL Solutions
Sustainability Project Manager

See all LEEDuser forum discussions about this credit » Unsubscribe from discussions about EBOM-2009 IEQp3