Mats and the GREEN Cleaning Market

What is GREEN Cleaning?
The concept of Green Cleaning began with Presidential Executive Order 13101 dated September 14, 1998, titled "Greening the Government Through Waste Prevention, Recycling, and Federal Acquisition." In the order a policy was established to prefer pollution prevention, recycling and safe disposal in government facilities. Over the years, this has expanded to the commercial market. Green Cleaning now means the best use of products that reduce indoor pollution as well as reduce environmental pollution and favor sustainable materials.

What is the Green Cleaning Market?
During a recent ISSA meeting, representatives from the EPA, Green Seal, U.S. Green Building Council and other organizations defined the market as "a broad scope of concerns including products (i.e., chemicals janitorial paper products, mats, equipment, etc.), processes, and the safety and health of building occupants and cleaning professionals."

What Products Are Sold to the GREEN Cleaning Market?
The obvious products that come to the forefront of the Green Cleaning marketplace are chemicals and paper due to their potential toxicity and/or recycle/disposal properties. Other products, such as mats, play and important role in improving indoor air quality. For example, in discussing mats, these organizations (EPA, Green Seal, U.S. Green Building Council, etc.) have referred to them as "... the first line of defense." In addition, they call for a minimum of 10-12 feet of mats at the entrance of a building as a way to keep dirt and moisture contained, thereby reducing the need for cleaning and reducing the quantity of chemicals required for that purpose. LEEB-EB, the nationally-recognized, voluntary standard for green-existing buildings, sponsored by the the U.S. Green Building Council, also recommends entryway systems as a way to improve indoor air quality (IAQ).

Where do Mountville/Andersen Mats Fit in the GREEN Cleaning Market?
75 to 80% of contaminates that enter a building come through entryways. A quality matting system stops these contaminates at the door. Stopping these contaminates not only reduces cleaning labor costs and reduces wear on floor surfaces, but also substantially reduces the need for cleaning chemicals that might be harmful to the building occupants and the environment.

Quality matting systems like the Waterhog construction pioneered by Mountville/Anderson provides the maximum performance for preventing soil and water from entering a building and therefore helping to keep a building "Green." The bi-level construction accomplishes this capability by providing an upper surface for walking and a lower area where soil and water are stored until removed by cleaning. Waterhog mats utilize this permanent, rubber-reinforced, bi-level construction, thereby trapping large quantities of moisture and dirt, minimizing the effects of soil and water being tracked further into the facility.

Low-performance mats such as those with unsupported ribbed or square-patterned face yarn will not hold up under foot pressure, thus allowing more water and dirt to reattach to shoes and be tracked into facilities. A permanent, bi-level construction extends the performance life of a mat, reducing the need to dispose of mats frequently. Lower-quality mats must be replaced four to five times more often than Waterhog mats, contributing significantly more waste to our landfills. Another common problem with lower-quality mats is the fact that users of these products do not always understand when the product has reached its useful life. In these cases the lower-quality mat is left in place after it stops performing its function. Contaminates are then allowed to enter the facility with all of the ill effects outlined above.

Additionally, Waterhog mats are manufactured with a rubber backing that contains 10 to 15% recycled rubber content, making them more green-friendly than other rubber mats in the market today.