News
ENLARGE
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Some struggle to find the right livelihood just once.
Brett Walton found it perhaps three times.
He grows organic fruits and vegetables on East Orchard Mesa.
He also operates a business called BioGreen, which provides organic lawn care services in the Grand Valley.
A year ago he added another business, cleaning indoor spaces in a healthy and sustainable manner.
Along with his son Ben, Walton runs A Greener Cleaner, an environmentally responsible cleaning service that uses products that do not leave toxic odors or fumes.
It all started one day when Walton was talking to one of his lawn care customers. A cleaning person walked by carrying totes of cleaning supplies. Walton’s client said to him, “Those people are killing me. The materials bother me, they bother my employees and our customers.”
She was talking about the chemical-laden cleaning supplies.
Walton went home and began researching methods and materials for nontoxic cleaning.
“That initiated the growth of A Greener Cleaner,” Walton said.
Walton uses biodegradable, nontoxic and mostly plant-based products, some containing essential oils. All supplies are certified by Green Seal, a nonprofit organization that provides science-based environmental certification standards.
He does not use aerosol products, known to release harmful organic compounds and fluorocarbons into the air.
Other ingredients on Greener Cleaner’s no-use list include such things as chlorine, ammonia, petroleum-based surfactants, animal products and harmful detergents.
Walton and his son make a distinction between cleaning and disinfecting. After each of their crews vacuum and collect the trash, they clean. Then they disinfect high-touch areas such as door knobs, light switches and water faucets.
“Our goal is to stop cross-contamination, which helps prevent sick-building syndrome,” Walton said.
You won’t find a feather duster in their supplies.
“All that does is move dust from the mantle to the hearth or the table to the floor,” Walton said. “It doesn’t get rid of the dust. Our goal is to remove those elements that compromise indoor air quality.”
Greener Cleaner customers include those who work in commercial buildings, financial institutions, law firms and oil and gas office buildings.
One of those clients is Timberline Bank, 633 24 Road.
“We want to do our part as much as we can,” said Assistant Vice President Linda Barley. “We all believe that it’s very important. The better we can be to our environment, the better our environment will be to us.”
Plus, “it was going to be a cost savings in the long run,” she added.
Costs of service are determined “by production,” depending on various factors, Walton said. He visits potential customers to give free estimates.
“We’re very competitive price wise,” Walton said. “None of our materials are any more expensive than a lot of conventional (products). A lot of conventional cleaning products have petrol chemical elements to them and are experiencing increasing costs of manufacturing.”
Walton has been able to keep his overhead manageable by enlisting the help of The Business Incubator, a nonprofit program that assists fledgling or expanding businesses in Mesa County.
Ben has attended seminars on accounting and bookkeeping at the Incubator.
Both BioGreen — which Walton started three years ago — and Greener Cleaner are based out of the Incubator campus, at 2591 B 3/4 Road.
Walton first talked to Annalisa Pearson, who manages the Incubator’s commercial kitchen, about how to use his organic produce to its fullest.
“She was a great source of information and advice,” Walton said.
“From the standpoint of having someone to bounce ideas off, go over finances, even get advice on growth and marketing — they’ve been a wealth of information and assistance. They’ve made it affordable for us to start by giving us a place to lease.”
A Greener Cleaner can be reached at 242-7336 or e-mail at email@visitagreenercleaner.com.
Reach Sharon Sullivan at ssullivan@gjfreepress.com.
Brett Walton found it perhaps three times.
He grows organic fruits and vegetables on East Orchard Mesa.
He also operates a business called BioGreen, which provides organic lawn care services in the Grand Valley.
A year ago he added another business, cleaning indoor spaces in a healthy and sustainable manner.
Along with his son Ben, Walton runs A Greener Cleaner, an environmentally responsible cleaning service that uses products that do not leave toxic odors or fumes.
It all started one day when Walton was talking to one of his lawn care customers. A cleaning person walked by carrying totes of cleaning supplies. Walton’s client said to him, “Those people are killing me. The materials bother me, they bother my employees and our customers.”
She was talking about the chemical-laden cleaning supplies.
Walton went home and began researching methods and materials for nontoxic cleaning.
“That initiated the growth of A Greener Cleaner,” Walton said.
Walton uses biodegradable, nontoxic and mostly plant-based products, some containing essential oils. All supplies are certified by Green Seal, a nonprofit organization that provides science-based environmental certification standards.
He does not use aerosol products, known to release harmful organic compounds and fluorocarbons into the air.
Other ingredients on Greener Cleaner’s no-use list include such things as chlorine, ammonia, petroleum-based surfactants, animal products and harmful detergents.
Walton and his son make a distinction between cleaning and disinfecting. After each of their crews vacuum and collect the trash, they clean. Then they disinfect high-touch areas such as door knobs, light switches and water faucets.
“Our goal is to stop cross-contamination, which helps prevent sick-building syndrome,” Walton said.
You won’t find a feather duster in their supplies.
“All that does is move dust from the mantle to the hearth or the table to the floor,” Walton said. “It doesn’t get rid of the dust. Our goal is to remove those elements that compromise indoor air quality.”
Greener Cleaner customers include those who work in commercial buildings, financial institutions, law firms and oil and gas office buildings.
One of those clients is Timberline Bank, 633 24 Road.
“We want to do our part as much as we can,” said Assistant Vice President Linda Barley. “We all believe that it’s very important. The better we can be to our environment, the better our environment will be to us.”
Plus, “it was going to be a cost savings in the long run,” she added.
Costs of service are determined “by production,” depending on various factors, Walton said. He visits potential customers to give free estimates.
“We’re very competitive price wise,” Walton said. “None of our materials are any more expensive than a lot of conventional (products). A lot of conventional cleaning products have petrol chemical elements to them and are experiencing increasing costs of manufacturing.”
Walton has been able to keep his overhead manageable by enlisting the help of The Business Incubator, a nonprofit program that assists fledgling or expanding businesses in Mesa County.
Ben has attended seminars on accounting and bookkeeping at the Incubator.
Both BioGreen — which Walton started three years ago — and Greener Cleaner are based out of the Incubator campus, at 2591 B 3/4 Road.
Walton first talked to Annalisa Pearson, who manages the Incubator’s commercial kitchen, about how to use his organic produce to its fullest.
“She was a great source of information and advice,” Walton said.
“From the standpoint of having someone to bounce ideas off, go over finances, even get advice on growth and marketing — they’ve been a wealth of information and assistance. They’ve made it affordable for us to start by giving us a place to lease.”
A Greener Cleaner can be reached at 242-7336 or e-mail at email@visitagreenercleaner.com.
Reach Sharon Sullivan at ssullivan@gjfreepress.com.
