Detergents Out! MIT’s Endicott House Goes Green

MIT Endicott House, a stately conference center in Dedham, has radically transformed its cleaning processes. This fall, Institute managers eliminated chemical sanitizers and detergents from its housekeeping and food services, replacing conventional products with a solution derived from electrolyzed water.

Using this new product saves money, cuts energy use, reduces chemical exposure to guests and staff, and the waste water is virtually free of contaminating substances, they say.

This revolutionary technology, the PathoSans Electrolyzed Water System sold through Massachusetts-based Lynnfield Green Technologies, electrochemically converts salt and water into a safe, non-toxic sanitizer proven to be more powerful than bleach. The solution cleans floors, carpeting, and and dishes. Now the entire facility, including guest rooms, conference rooms, common areas, and the kitchen, is cleaned and sanitized with electrolyzed water. Learn more about the technical process.

The new cleaning method is just another step in an ongoing effort that has made Endicott House, a 1934 French-style mansion, the greenest facility of its kind. “We compost, recycle everything from cardboard boxes to wooden palates and plastic bottles, and now we have virtually eliminated toxic chemical cleaners and sanitizers," says General Manager Michael Fitzgerald. "We are the first conference center in the U.S. to adopt this technology.”

Learn more about MIT Endicott House’s green initiatives including recycling fryer oil to bio-diesel fuel, providing organic guest soaps and shampoo, and composting landscape and garden waste.