Custodial Services
Custodial Services plays one of the most important roles on Iowa State's campus by ensuring that all academic and administrative buildings remain clean and sanitary at all times. With the core belief that personal and environmental health are directly linked to an individual's ability to succeed, more than 125 Custodial Services employees work tirelessly to guarantee that all students, faculty and staff have the potential to thrive in their respective academic and professional spaces.
Although Custodial Services adopts a number of sustainable strategies, its decision to adopt the Go Green principles mirrors a larger trend in the cleaning industry as a whole. Due to a rapid increase in consumer demand, the availability and affordability of green cleaning products and practices has never been better. With this in mind, Custodial Services wholly embraces sustainability and works with the 'Green' Cleaning Guidelines document created by the Iowa State University Facilities Planning and Management Custodial Services Department.
Most notably, Custodial Services almost exclusively uses green products to clean all campus facilities. The only exception is a chemical used to strip floors of wax and debris once every few years but alternatives are actively being sought. Other sustainable initiatives include providing input into the design of new buildings, conducting annual audits and reviews to maintain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards, and the installation of chemical dilution systems that increase water efficiency and minimize waste.
Contact Custodial Services by emailing Custodial Facilitators [FPM] at custfac@iastate.edu if you have comments or questions.
"We are continuously looking for new and improved green cleaning methods where we can create less waste and use fewer chemicals. Not only is this strategy good for our environment but it is safer for our staff and customers."
-Michelle Lenkaitis, Senior Manager, Custodial Services