Metal Cleaners
Required
Waxie Stainless Steel Polish/Degreaser (RTU) 750323 Manufacturer(s)
Waxie Vendor(s)
Waxie Product/Service Type
Industrial |
United Labs Liquid Sunshine Heavy Duty Cleaner/Degreaser Manufacturer(s)
United Laboratories Inc. Vendor(s)
United Labs When to Use
Multipurpose degreaser, metal cleaner, whiteboard cleaner, or for other heavy duty cleaning like ovens. Dilute for jobs that are light (128:1), medium (32 to 64:1), and heavy (10:1). Product/Service Type
Industrial |
Suggested
-
US EPA Safer Choice (Formerly DfE) Labelled Products
Manufacturer(s)See productsCity Approved Vendor(s)Other Vendor(s)Product/Service TypeConsumer, Industrial -
UL Ecologo Certified Cleaners & Hand Soaps
Manufacturer(s)See productsCity Approved Vendor(s)Other Vendor(s)Product/Service TypeIndustrial
Limited
Prohibited
Info on this product category: Metal Cleaners
Why Go Green
Green cleaners on this site:
- Have safer ingredients. Cleaning products often contain a variety of hazardous ingredients, including quaternary ammonium compounds, alkylphenol ethoxylates, 2-butoxyethanol, glycol ethers, and ethanolamine. These pose health hazards to workers and building occupants, as well as environmental hazards downstream.
- Reduce waste, by emphasizing recycled and/or recyclable packaging.
- Are sold as concentrates whenever possible, which means that shipping weight is 1/64 – 1/256 that of ready to use products - dramatically reducing fuel requirements for shipping.
- Often use dilution systems to prevent exposure to concentrated products.
- Cost roughly equivalent to conventional products (see our report).
Criteria for Metal Cleaners
Must be certified under Green Seal GS‐53 or recognized under US EPA Safer Choice.
Guide for City Staff
City Custodians:
- Are required to buy these cleaners (if needed):
- Post the City department green cleaning checklist/poster.
- Post tips (for microfibers, disinfecting, dusting, polishing, floor care, kitchens, restrooms) and watch custodial green cleaning training videos in English, Cantonese, and Spanish made by SF Environment.
- Disinfectants are only important for surfaces like doorknobs.
- Switch to microfiber mops and cloths, which can prevent injuries because there's no need for heavy mop buckets.
- Install closed-loop dilution systems (if possible) to prevent employee exposure to hazardous concentrates.
Non-custodial City Staff:
- Try microfiber cloths, which can get rid of 99% of bacteria with plain water.
- Get discounted consumer general purpose cleaners, disinfectants, dish soaps, hand sanitizers.
- Make cleaners (air fresheners, oven cleaners, mold and mildew remover, wood furniture polish) with things like baking soda, castille soap, or lemon juice.
- See other safer consumer products at GoodGuide.
Recycling Instructions
It's illegal to trash cleaners (and other chemicals, electronics, lighting, metal, paints). So do one of the following:
- Use what you already have.
- Give them to someone who needs them.
- Legally and safely dispose them. Post this recycling poster above each trash bin. Then get a pick up.
Guide for Small Businesses & Homes
- Try microfiber mops and cloths, which can get rid of 99% of bacteria with plain water.
- Make your own cleaners from common materials like baking soda, castille soap, or lemon juice.
- See consumer products on GoodGuide.
- Use disinfectants sparingly. The most important surfaces are doorknobs.
- Choose ready-to-use, peroxide- or citric acid-based disinfectants. Avoid disinfectants that list hypochlorites or quaternary ammonium compounds as ingredients (e.g., ammonium chloride).
- Small businesses can save money by switching to industrial/institutional cleaners. Ready-to-use products are 15 times more expensive than concentrates.
- Custodial companies that are SF Green Businesses should watch custodial green cleaning training videos in English, Cantonese, and Spanish and consider posting Custodial Green Cleaning Tips (available in Spanish and Chinese) by SF Environment.
- Legally and safely dispose of cleaners (and other chemicals, electronics, lighting, metal, paints) in the San Francisco Bay Area or rest of the U.S.
Guide for Large Organizations
- Post the Custodial Green Cleaning Checklist/Poster and Tips (available in Spanish and Chinese).
- Watch custodial green cleaning training videos in English, Cantonese, and Spanish made by SF Environment.
- When creating contracts, paste specifications from the Criteria section above.
- Try microfiber mops and cloths, which can get rid of 99% of bacteria with plain water.
- Install closed-loop dilution systems to prevent employee exposure to hazardous concentrates.
- Legally and safely dispose of cleaners (and other chemicals, electronics, lighting, metal, paints) in the San Francisco Bay Area or rest of the U.S.
SF APPROVED is published by San Francisco Department of the Environment.
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