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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.

Thing To 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.

You may think that if you are not in the immediate area where VOC-emitting cleaning products are used, then you are not being exposed. This is not true, unless your building uses an air purification or ventilation system that is constantly cleaning the air. Although your nose may become used to the smell, the actual fumes last for hours in the air. Even less known is that the fumes are present just from the bottles sitting in the area where they are stored.

2. Solvents – Contributing to the Volatile Organic Compounds in the air are the chemicals found in solvents. Some of these are noted to have carcinogenic and toxic properties. A surprising number are in common usage, such as Ethylene Glycol Ethers (EGEs), alcohols, Propylene Glycol Ethers (PGEs), and esthers.

Look For:

1. Neutral pH – What exactly is meant by the term “neutral pH”? There are three factors involved: the reaction of the cleaning product with the surfaced being cleaned, the reaction with the environment when interacting with the water system, and the reaction of the product with your skin. A neutral pH means that when the product touches a surface it is non-reactive. For example, a pH value over 7.0 is considered to be an alkali, such as bleach. Battery acid, unsurprisingly, is acidic with a pH under 7.0. A product is determined to be neutral if the pH is 7.0.

The great thing about using a neutral pH product is that the surfaces that need the most cleaning, such as desks, conference tables, carpets and countertops, all avoid harmful residue that is so common with other cleaning products. Marble, one of the surfaces that require experience and the right product to clean, are never damaged by a neutral pH cleaner. Even more important, exposed skin is unharmed by such chemical free cleaners.

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.? Removing harsh chemical cleaners while maintaining the same or better standard of cleanliness is the inevitable outcome of using natural multipurpose cleaner.? Contributing to an improved level of air and surface quality encourages healthier surroundings for workers.? Add in the large reduction in environmental impacts with the use of commercial natural home cleaning products and you have one smart manager!

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