NATIONAL REPORT—Sustainability is about synergy and how every piece of the pie contributes to overall sustainability—and this includes cleaning solutions. Many organizations are now promoting their sustainable business operations through the cleaning products they select to maintain their facilities. This is where citric-acid-based cleaning solutions come into focus. These are environmentally friendly cleaning solutions made from renewable resources that have a reduced impact on the environment—and—contribute significantly to sustainability.
According to Hannah Joannse with ProNatural Brands, a marketer of these products, citric-acid-based cleaning solutions promote sustainability in several ways, including:
- They are biodegradable. This term is bantered around quite a bit, so let’s clarify what it means. If a product is biodegradable, it breaks down into natural materials that do not harm other living things. It’s part of something called biodegradation, which is part of the natural cycle of life.
- Citric-acid-based cleaning solutions are non-toxic. Non-toxic means a product is safe for humans and other living things and does not contain ingredients that are potentially or proven harmful.
- For commercial and hotel cleaning operations, some citric-acid-based cleaning solutions are available in concentrated form. This reduces transport needs, fuel, and greenhouse gases—again promoting sustainability. However, these are also available in RTU—ready-to-use—formulas, eliminating dilution.
- Finally, these products have proven very versatile. While initially formulated for use in the food service industry, they can also be used on a variety of surfaces, countertops, and even floors. “This means one cleaning solution can be used for many tasks,” says Joannse. “This reduces the number of cleaning products needed and helps reduce costs and waste.”
We should add that these cleaning solutions, marketed by several different manufacturers, are also selected by consumers. In fact, consumers have long used these products because they find them safer around children and because of their sanitizing and disinfecting properties.
But Do They Work?
“Citric-acid-based cleaning solutions work by breaking down mineral and metal deposits, as well as soils and impurities on surfaces,” says Joannse. “This allows these contaminants to be more easily removed from the surface.”
Joannse adds that they were first used in ancient Roman times “as a cleaning agent, de-greaser, anti-fungicidal, sanitizer, and disinfectant, often replacing bleach, which though powerful, was also known to be potentially dangerous to use. [Further] because they are derived from lemons and limes, they were also used to help eliminate odors.”
Further answering our question, do they work, at least one citric-acid-based sanitizer and disinfectant has been EPA-registered for sanitizing and disinfecting. Sanitizers and disinfectants that have been EPA registered are independently analyzed and, according to the EPA, “subjected to more rigorous EPA testing requirements and must clear a higher bar for effectiveness.” This means they have been tested and proven to reduce the number of pathogens on a surface or eliminate (kill) all viruses and bacteria on surfaces as listed on the product’s label.
However, Joannse also adds they should not be used on porous surfaces such as marble, granite, or hardwood. “Citric acid can eat away at these surfaces,” she says.
More hotels around the world, large and small, are releasing sustainability reports. These reports not only tell investors and stakeholders if a property is operating more sustainably, but they also provide information regarding any significant steps the property is taking to reduce risk, eliminate waste, improve communities, and protect the health of staff, guests, and the environment. This is why many are now considering citric-acid-based cleaning solutions and why sustainability has become the new focus of the professional cleaning industry.
Robert Kravitz is a frequent writer for the professional cleaning industry.
