Greenwashing in commercial cleaning is more common than most Lehigh Valley business owners realize, and it costs more than just money. When a cleaning company calls itself green without the credentials to back it up, the employees inside your building are breathing the same chemical exposure as if no switch had been made at all. Understanding how to recognize greenwashing in commercial cleaning is one of the most practical things a facility manager or business owner can do.
How to Identify Greenwashing Commercial Cleaning Claims
Greenwashing happens when a company presents its products or services as environmentally friendly without independent verification to support that claim. In the commercial cleaning industry, it is widespread and easy to miss because the language sounds credible. Words like natural, eco-friendly, non-toxic, and plant-derived carry no legal definition and require no federal review. Any cleaning company can print them on a website or a product bottle without meeting any standard at all.
The most common forms of greenwashing in commercial cleaning include vague language with no certification behind it, unverifiable claims about ingredients, and the absence of any named product or federal registration number. If a cleaning company tells you they use green products but cannot tell you the product name, the EPA registration number, or the federal certification label on the bottle, that is greenwashing.
The Difference Between a Marketing Claim and a Federal Certification
There is a clear line between what a company says about itself and what a federal agency has independently verified. The EPA Safer Choice program represents the federal side of that line. To earn the EPA Safer Choice label, every ingredient in a cleaning product must be reviewed by United States Environmental Protection Agency scientists for safety to human health and the environment. Products with ingredients that do not meet the standard do not receive the label. It cannot be self-applied.
The same standard applies to disinfection. An EPA registered disinfectant carries a federal registration number that can be looked up and verified on the EPA’s public database. A company that claims to use a green disinfectant but cannot provide that registration number is making an unverifiable claim. That is the definition of greenwashing.
Questions That Expose Greenwashing in Commercial Cleaning Immediately
There are three questions that will tell you within minutes whether a commercial cleaning company’s green claims are real or manufactured.
What specific products do you use? A company with a genuine green cleaning program can name every product used in your facility. They are not vague about it because they have nothing to hide.
Are those products EPA Safer Choice certified or EPA registered? The answer should come with the ability to show you the label or the federal registration number. If the answer is a variation of we use environmentally friendly products without a specific certification named, that is greenwashing.
Can you show me documentation? Product data sheets, EPA registration certificates, and certification labels are standard documents a legitimate green cleaning company has on hand. If a cleaning company hesitates or deflects on this question, that tells you everything you need to know.
How Greenwashing Commercial Cleaning Affects Your Employees
The practical consequence of greenwashing is that your employees are still being exposed to the same volatile organic compounds, synthetic fragrances, and petroleum-based solvents that a genuine green cleaning program eliminates. VOCs evaporate at room temperature and continue circulating through your building’s ventilation system long after the cleaning crew has left. Headaches, respiratory irritation, eye and throat discomfort, and afternoon fatigue in office environments are frequently linked to indoor chemical exposure from conventional cleaning products.
A company that greenwashes its cleaning program is not just misleading you about its products. It is allowing that chemical exposure to continue while you believe it has been addressed.
What a Verified Green Cleaning Program Looks Like
At Angst Cleaning, every product in our green cleaning program carries a credential you can verify independently. Our EPA Safer Choice certified cleaners include ECOS Pro Orange Plus All Purpose Cleaner and Seventh Generation All Purpose Cleaner, both confirmed on the label and searchable in the EPA Safer Choice product database. Our disinfecting products carry EPA registration numbers and USDA Certified Biobased 100% designation. Our botanical disinfectant is on EPA List N, the official EPA list of disinfectants approved against SARS-CoV-2.
We also hold two IJCSA certifications covering chemical hazards and green cleaning, and our program includes a color-coded microfiber zone system that prevents cross-contamination between restrooms, kitchens, and office work areas. None of these credentials are marketing language. Every one of them can be verified.
For a full breakdown of our certifications and the products behind our green cleaning program, visit our green cleaning certifications and products page.
We choose local, so should you.
To learn more about our green cleaning program or request a free estimate, contact Angst Cleaning at 610-730-1924 or contact@angstcleaning.com. We serve businesses in Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, and throughout the Lehigh Valley seven days a week.
Proudly family-owned and operated since 1996, with dedicated teams serving businesses throughout the Lehigh Valley seven days a week.
