WWU custodians to begin cleaning with ionized tap water

Academic Custodial Services at Western Washington University on Aug. 1 will take the next significant step in sustainable green cleaning on campus – using ionized tap water through a new spray bottle device to clean and remove health-affecting bacteria on all cleanable surfaces.

“Using ionized plain water with no chemical additives or cleaning products significantly reduces chemical or cleaning product residues, related odors, reduces costs, and further aligns ACS and Western as leaders in sustainability,” said Bill Managan, assistant director of Operations, Facilities Management. He noted that extensive in-house testing verified this cleaning approach, which sanitizes comparably to the green certified chemicals currently in use.

ACS, as a department within Facilities Management, has received strong campus support to continue their improvements in sustainable cleaning, and has been on the nationally recognized leading edge in the green-cleaning movement for a decade. In 2009, Western won the Green Cleaning Grand Award for Schools and Universities from American School and University magazine, the top award given in the category nationally.

Managan gave thanks to ACS staff and specifically Michael Smith, departmental supervisor, and Jamie Granger, departmental office assistant, for their significant contributions.

For more details on the ionized water approach to cleaning, see the ACS website.