The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) recently revised its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) standard to make green cleaning a prerequisite. Now all buildings seeking LEED-EB certification must have a green cleaning policy.

The USGBC recently added credits for those institutions conducting an audit of their facilities using APPA's Custodial Staffing Guidelines for Educational Facilities, recognizing buildings that have superior cleaning programs. Institutions can earn up to two LEED points for using APPA's guidelines as part of the Quality Cleaning section of LEED's Operations and Maintenance guide to determine the appearance level of the facility.

The intent of the assessment, according to the LEED guide is, "to reduce the exposure of building occupants and maintenance personnel to potentially hazardous chemical, biological, and particulate contaminants — which adversely affect air quality, human health, building finishes, building systems, and the environment — by implementing, managing, and auditing cleaning procedures and processes."