Consider VOCs when Going for the Best Commercial Cleaning Products

When you are picking the best commercial cleaning products here’s something to think about…… Green Seal reports that cleaning products are responsible for approximately eight percent of total non-vehicular emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This is significant enough that the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) of California has chosen to do something about it. SCAQMD is the air pollution control agency for Orange County and major portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties

Commonly used cleaning products are a source of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions and contribute to the formation of smog, inhibit plant growth, and can cause respiratory problems in certain people. These health concerns are significant and a reason to consider VOCs when seeking the best commercial cleaning products. Such products include air fresheners, floor care products, all-purpose cleaners and degreasers, bathroom and tile cleaners, carpet and upholstery cleaners, automobile soaps, glass cleaners, and metal polishes/cleansers.

The California Air Control Board began to regulate the maximum VOC levels allowed in various consumer products due to concerns over air quality in 1993. In 2012 SCAQMD went even further when they announced a new “Clean Air Choices” voluntary certification program with the objective of raising the profile of ultra-low-polluting commercial cleaning products in the marketplace. For the cleaning product categories that are not represented by other green certifications, this program is also helpful in the product selection for the best commercial cleaning products.

All cleaning products that have been granted a Clean Air Choices Cleaner certificate have passed stringent, independent, laboratory protocol chemical tests by SCAQMD. In addition to a VOC limit of 10 grams per liter or less, a product must also meet environmentally preferable qualifications. Additionally, the product must be tested to verify that no prohibited ingredients in quantities of 0.1 percent or more are present. Prohibited ingredients include:

• Toxic Air Contaminants
• Great Waters Pollutants of Concern
• Hazardous Air Pollutants
• Global Warming Compounds
• Ozone Depleting Compounds
• Alkylphenol ethoxylates
• Dibutyl phthalates
• Heavy Metals (including arsenic, lead, cadmium, cobalt, copper, chromium, mercury, nickel and zinc)
• Carcinogens as listed by: International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), National Toxicology Program, USA EPA, Occupational Health and Safety Administration
• Carcinogens and Reproductive Toxins as listed in Proposition 65

To protect against greenwashing, the Clean Air Choices certificate becomes invalid if the material is reformulated or changes such that it no longer meets the strict criteria of the program.

Presently there are only eight companies that have stepped up to the plate. (As compared to the hundreds of manufacturers that have the Green Seal, EcoLogo, and/or EPA DfE certification.) As a leader and early adopter in the green cleaning products industry since the 1980’s, it is no surprise that Rochester Midland Company is amongst the first.

Rochester Midland  makes sustainable facility maintenance easy with a suite of five products that each have less than one percent of VOCs that is designed to do it all, including the floors, restrooms, and infection control. Lower VOCs mean happier workers and building occupants. Lower VOCs can mean lower absenteeism, fewer work complaints, and a healthier building. Whether the facility is a school, health care facility, or office building, the building can be maintained with the following green cleaning products. Note the certified levels of VOC.

• SNAP EnviroCare Tough Job with a VOC content of only 0.01 percent,
• Proxi Multi-Surface Cleaner with a VOC content of only 0.05 percent,
• SNAP EnviroCare Neutral Disinfectant with a VOC content of only 0.01 percent,
• EnviroCare Floor Stripper with a VOC content of only 0.95 percent, and
• Envirocare Floor Finish without any VOC content or 0

Use of the green janitorial supplies that have been certified under this program should be an important criteria in identifying the best commercial cleaning products.

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