Managers of buildings and other facilities where workers perform know that diseases can rapidly spread in an unclean environment. There are in place certain industry standards that require such things as daily cleaning of lunchrooms to guard against and prevent food contamination, and cleaning and sanitizing bathroom facilities to prevent the spread of E. coli and other pathogens. This would extend to the desks and meeting rooms where groups of people in various stages of health would gather, potentially spreading cold and flu germs in any season. While the term “sick building syndrome” is still making its way into the lexicon, the compromises to a worker’s health from such a building are becoming well known. Knowledgeable managers are beginning to consider and utilize products such as purifiers for water and air, carpeting and furniture that don’t emit toxic fumes, and low and no VOC paint. One step in the right direction is the use of non-toxic natural multipurpose cleaning products. Some specifics about these products are provided for your information.
Avoid:
1. Volatile Organic Compounds – One of the things to avoid is something called Volatile Organic Compounds or VOCs. What this means exactly is that toxic fumes are released from certain liquids and solids. The ratio of this release is consistently higher indoors (with the EPA noting this can be up to ten times higher) than outdoors. Many would be surprised to know that some of the most common and popular cleaning supplies, as well as the paint on the walls, plywood or pressed board used in walls, and paint and paint removers emit these fumes. Even more surprising would be that dry cleaned clothing and even air fresheners can prove toxic indoors. Greatly contributing to this is that the air inside buidlings does not provide good enough ventilation to disapaite the fumes.
VOCs cause short and long-term health-harming effects, such as headache, eye irritation, dizziness, flu-like symptoms, triggering asthma, and even life-threatening conditions like cancer. These VOCs can be present in glass cleaners, multi-purpose cleaners, floor cleaners, bathroom & kitchen cleaners, as well as many products used for spot cleaning on fabrics, such as carpet and upholstery. Pregnant and nursing women, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems are even more susceptible to the negative effects of breathing VOCs, but it is important to take steps to reduce them for everyone’s sake.
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 – 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.
Easily damaged surfaces, such as marble, are unaffected by neutral pH all natural cleaning products. Even the most sensitive skin is unharmed by neutral pH products that exclude all harsh chemicals. No matter how often a neutral pH product is used, there is no harmful residue buildup on the surfaces that are cleaned, such as countertops, conference tables, desks, and carpets.
2. Biodegradable – All of the chemicals we wash down the drain get put into the water supply unchanged. This affects many levels of plant and animal life and ultimately must be removed from the water prior to consumption. How much better is it to use products that biodegrade within the shortest time as those meeting the highest standards of the EPA do? The most used cleaning products are also the ones that are so deleterious to the environment. Changing to products that biodegrade in under 28 days with no aquatic toxicity is the responsible, eco-friendly choice to make.
3. Plant-Based – Returning to using the natural ingredients of the planet means using chemical-free and toxic-free ingredients to clean. With plant-based products, there is a much less chance of the emission of dangerous Volatile Organic Compounds as they are not included in this makeup. Plant-based brands ensure you reach the level of cleanliness you expect with the more harmful products, without synthetic chemicals.
Removing harsh chemicals while maintaining the same standard of cleanliness is the goal of using green multipurpose cleaning product. Add in the reduction in environmental impacts with the use of eco friendly cleaning products and you have one smart manager!!Making the best decision for the health of the workers is easy when it comes to replacing toxic chemical cleaners with all natural multipurpose cleaning products. Healthier workers are more productive and using all natural cleaning products can greatly contribute to this.
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