This is part two of our five- part series this week in honor of Earth Day, featuring "green" Office Live Small Business customers.
One industry really seeing a surge in going green is the cleaning business. From large industrial cleaning companies to small housecleaning services, "green" cleaning is a hot market. U.S. consumers also are increasingly snapping up green cleaning products.
Mintel, a Chicago-based market research company, says the green cleaning category quadrupled sales to $64.5 million in 2008. By 2013, Mintel projects that eco-friendly cleaning products will grow nearly 10-fold to $623 million in business, giving this segment 30 percent of the household cleaners market (compared to only 3 percent in 2008).
So if you're a small business in the cleaning industry, you can tap into this growing market by offering green cleaning products and services, and using your Office Live Small Business website to market them. Here are a few businesses doing just that:
- Deep Green Cleaning Services. This business provides both residential and commercial green cleaning services. The operators devote a page on their website to describe the ways in which they are "Green Cleaning Certified," which can help boost your green credentials.
- Green Eagle Services. If you're among the millions of Americans prone to allergies, this site provides some eye-opening information — plus a detailed explanation of how their allergy-relief cleaning solution works.
- Pink's Green Cleaning Service. On this site from the United Kingdom, I got a brief history lesson about how harsh chemicals came to be used in today's home-cleaning products and some of the health consequences. There are tips on green alternatives such as vinegar, lemon juice, beeswax, and bicarbonate of soda, and what specifically to use each of them for.
- Keen Eye Cleaning Service. This family-owned business not only touts the eco-friendly aspect of using green products, but also brings in the aromatherapy angle as well, reinforced with a slideshow of clean spaces and floral images on its home page.
- Savvy Solutions. This household cleaning service uses its website to communicate their passion for green cleaning and green living by offering a range of free tips and advice on everything from removing stains to setting your hot water heater and more.
What do you think about these sites and the move toward green cleaning? Post a comment here and let us know!
Louise Rasho