Compass cleans with electrolyzed water - by Daron Greelish

Water, salt and electricity has become the three components a new sustainable way Compass Facility Services, Inc. is providing cleaning services for three Boston landmark properties. Compass has been investing in green cleaning technology in place of conventional green cleaning products. Most recently, at Faneuil Hall Market Place Center and South Station train concourse and office building. How? By implementing Tennant Company’s Orbio OS3 System, which is an On-Site Generator (OSG) creating two types of cleaning solutions. OSG technology operates much like your hot water heater, but instead of generating hot water, its generating cleaning solutions that are available when you need it. Orbio OSG systems use an electrolysis process to convert water, electricity and a small amount of salt into cleaning and disinfecting solutions. The Orbio machines Compass has invested in will greatly reduce our environmental footprint. Even with conventional green cleaning products there is the use of water; dyes, perfumes, some VOC’s, plastic bottles, cardboard for packaging and also in the delivery process. All of these things combined have a positive result on maintaining good indoor air quality. We are generating our own green cleaning solutions right on-site with just water and salt. 

The Orbio OS3 Generator creates two cleaning solutions; the MultiSurface Cleaner and the MultiMicro 200 disinfectant/sanitizer. The technology is very versatile. Applicable for all surface types from mirrors; hard floors, total restroom sanitizer/disinfectant, degreaser, for use in automatic scrubbers, food prep surfaces and even as a carpet extraction solution. 

Need LEED Certification points? By implementing this technology, your facility could get two LEED credits. That is huge considering how easy and cost effective it can be to partner with an experienced janitorial contractor that can help any building type make these improvements.

I was a little bit skeptical when I first heard about this technology. I mean seriously, cleaning with just water? But I was very intrigued and wanted to learn more about it. I found that the data from Tennant Company, the maker of Orbio, speaks for itself along with the real-world testing that we did at some of the busiest properties in the city of Boston. So what do the products smell like, you may be asking? From experience some customers and their employees either like cleaning solutions with strong deodorizing properties or they don’t. And some people can have respiratory reactions. The two dilutions this technology produces have a very low key, pleasant clean odor. Let’s face it; there should be some sort of odor while or after cleaning takes place, for the most part. This odor is a perfect happy medium and is in no way overpowering and in some settings may not even be noticeable. To me, it’s a pleasant odor that cannot be replicated by any other traditional green cleaning product.

Compass Facility Services feels that as janitorial contractors we have an obligation to our customers and the planet to minimize the impact we have on the environment. That’s why sustainability practices are an important part of our services.

We understand that our clients and prospective customers want to conserve and have clean and healthy facilities. We try to consider sustainability in most aspects of our janitorial and maintenance services, including company operations.

By implementing green cleaning initiatives and new technologies such as Orbio; Compass can considerably reduce its footprint in today’s commercial cleaning world. We try to make these practices a staple of our organization and show their positive impact. Commercial real estate is forever changing and at a high pace, so should we as cleaning contractors. Clean is clean, we are not trying to reinvent the wheel. But, we are out there on the front lines to produce healthy workplaces for the masses. That’s our job. With new technology like this in the cleaning industry, I think we are headed in the right direction and it makes me feel good about what I do.

Daron Greelish, vice president, Compass Facility Services, Georgetown, Mass.