Natural Rug Cleaning

Facilities managers have double duty of keeping a clean, well-run facility and making sure the office environment is a healthy workplace. Rising awareness of “sick building syndrome” has added extra pressure to take steps to make sure the building is conducive to the wellbeing and productivity of their staff. Some offices have the option of using carpet & furniture that won’t off-gas formaldehyde, air & water purifiers, and no or low-VOC paint, but one of the most simple and cost-effective ways to reduce the toxins in your office environment day in and day out is to use environmentally-friendly cleaning products. Here are some tips for finding non-toxic, green cleaning products that don’t that have poisonous fumes and won’t leave harmful residues.

Avoid:

1. Volatile Organic Compounds - In learning what to avoid, you will come across the term “Volatile Organic Compounds”, conveniently abbreviated as VOCs. In layman’s terms, this would the fumes released by certain solids and liquids, which according to the EPA are as much as ten times the density inside a buidling as outside. It will certainly be no surprise that the a lack of ventilation in enclosed buildings is a prime factor in the concentration of these VOCs. These compounds are released not only by common cleaning supplies, but by such surprising additions as dry cleaned clothing and air fresheners. Paint and paint remover and plywood and pressed board used on and in walls emit their own mix of VOCs and can contribute to sick building syndrome.

In learning about Volatile Organic Compounds, one also learns of the detrimental health effects, both long and short-term, of exposure. Some of the most common include eye irritation, headaches, flu-like symptoms, dizziness, and the triggering of asthma attacks. The most severe can be life threatening, such as cancer. Does your office use a spot cleaning for carpeting or fabric cleaning? How about a floor cleaner or bathroom and kitchen cleaners or glass and multi-purpose cleaners? If the answer is yes and they are not non-toxic cleaners, you are exposed to VOCs. Reduction of these Volatile Organic Compounds is important for everyone, but even more so for the elderly, people with lesser functioning immune systems, and pregnant and nursing women.

Perhaps your cleaning crew comes in after hours and therefore you think you are not exposed to these VOCs. After all, you aren’t in the immediate area, right? This is, unfortunately, not accurate as these fumes can and do stay in the air for hours after their use. Even sitting in a closet, the bottles emit gasses. Unless your building has been upgraded recently to include a purification and ventilation system that continuously cleans the air, your exposure is not mitigated.

2. Solvents - Some of the chemical ingredients in solvents are dangerously toxic to the environment and the people exposed to them. These would include Propylene Glycol Ethers (PGEs), esters, alcohols, and Ethylene Glycol Ethers (EGEs). The toxic nature includes carcinogenic properties and would add to the Volatile Organic Compounds present in the air.

Look For:

1. Neutral pH - The determination of what exactly is a neutral pH can be easily understood. Neutral has been given a value of 7.0 and is based on how the product reacts with the environment once it enters the water system, the effect on the surface being cleaned, and the outcome of usage on the skin. Acids, such as battery acid, has a value under 7.0, while the opposite – alkali – has a value of over 7.0 and would include such items as bleach. The 7.0 pH neutral is not reactive to surfaces.

A neutral pH cleaning product won’t harm even the most sensitive surfaces, such as marble, and you don’t have to worry about it throwing off the pH balance of your skin. Even with frequent use, a neutral pH product without any harsh chemicals will keep your cleaned surfaces, such as desks, conference tables, countertops and carpets free of harmful residue.

2. Biodegradable - While facilities managers are concerned about the internal surroundings of their buildings, it is also important to consider the effects of what they use inside on the outside environment. Our environment gets exposed to everything we wash down the drain. Cleaning chemicals commonly pollute our environment instead of dissipating into non-harmful co-factors, but even the amount of time it takes to biodegrade makes some cleaning products superior to others. Look for cleaners that meet the EPA’s highest standard of biodegradability within 28 days with no aquatic toxicity.

3. Plant-Based - The use of plants for medicinal and health purposes is a long-established fact. Add the cleansing properties and you have a complete arsenal, all non-toxic and organic. No synthetic chemical compound offers the non-toxic benefits of the plant-based products. Fortunately, the plant-based compounds clean as well as or better than their harmful counterparts, including less to no Volatile Organic Compounds in the work environment.

Building and facility managers are charged with making the best decisions for the overall safety and health of the workers in their buildings.