Blue Cleaning Saves Green

Blue Cleaning

Tennant’s effective and environmentally friendly products have helped revolutionize the way a wide variety of institutions polish and scrub their floors.

For colleges and universities, cleaning with electrically activated water (EAW) has evolved in recent years from an intriguing concept to a proven, very deployable alternative to cleaning with conventional packaged chemicals. In its early form, EAW emerged as a disruptive technology that electrically converts water into a solution that cleans effectively, reduces the cost to clean, improves safety, minimizes the environmental impact of cleaning operations and reduces chemical-related tasks, costs and concerns.

In 2007, broad adoption of EAW truly began when Tennant Company launched ec-H2O technology as an “on-board technology” for hard floor scrubbers. Since then, Tennant has sold more than $600 million worth of scrubbers to a wide array of institutions.

As adoption escalated, customers in the education market began looking for EAW solutions that would allow them to clean more surfaces such as glass, tables, stainless steel and carpeting. From there, the next generation of on-site EAW generators emerged. The early on-site generation EAW systems offered high cleaning solution productivity rates. But they were large, had only a cleaning output and required centralized filling. As a result, these EAW systems were exceptionally effective for cleaning large facilities, but were not practical for broad-scale adoption across university campuses.

Aramark, a global services company that provides facility management and building services to colleges and universities throughout the U.S., recognized the potential for EAW early on. The company identified EAW as a core technology for achieving cost savings, campus safety and sustainability goals at the schools it served.

“The results (using EAW technologies) were so compelling that we formalized our approach and now call it Blue Cleaning,” says Matt Judge, senior director of innovation and expertise for Aramark.

“We are not making incremental improvements or taking small steps toward cost reduction, safety and sustainability goals,” notes Judge. “Our Blue Cleaning processes and the EAW technologies we are deploying allow colleges and universities to make huge leaps forward.”

www.tennantco.com

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Moline-Coal Valley School District to Consolidate Two Schools into New Facility

    The Moline-Coal Valley School District in Moline, Ill., recently broke ground on a new elementary school that will consolidate the students and staff from two existing schools, according to local news. Robert Ontiveros Elementary School will serve as the new home for Lincoln-Irving Elementary School and Willard Elementary School.

  • Can AI Help Build Stronger Communities in Student Housing?

    Student housing success is shifting from operational performance to student experience, with belonging now at the center. A recent 2025 report underscores a growing emphasis on student well-being, community, and engagement, signaling that expectations now extend beyond logistics to ensure students feel supported in their living environments. AI is enabling that shift by reducing administrative workload and giving teams more time to focus on meaningful student engagement.

  • Pitzer College

    Designing for Change in Higher Ed Learning Environments

    Higher education will continue to evolve, and learning environments must evolve with it. By prioritizing adaptable infrastructure, thoughtful reuse, strong energy performance, and wellness-centered design, campuses can create spaces that support learning today while remaining flexible for the future.

  • Cal Poly Humboldt Starts Construction on Healthcare Education Hub

    California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt in Arcata, Calif., recently announced that work has begun on a renovation project that will turn the Stewart Building into a new Healthcare Education Hub, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Sundt Construction Inc. for construction services.