Commercial cleaning companies have a responsibility to provide the best possible service while minimally impacting our precious environment. When using the chemicals and products that help keep your place of work clean, commercial cleaning services must monitor the products which they use in order to stay green.
VOCs are “Volatile Organic Compounds” and are the worst environmental hazards found in cleaners. Some of these compounds including phosphorus, nitrogen and ammonia are in fact dangerous but are also very instrumental in the cleaning process. Ammonia helps with sanitizing and removing allergens, nitrogen is used in surface cleaning and actually helps remove VOCs, and phosphorus helps cut through soap scum. So there is good reason these compounds can be found in our cleaning supplies.
When being rinsed down sinks or flushed down toilets a bulk of pollutants are then removed but still some remain in the pipes and get into the water supplies. Some VOCs become airborn and can contribute to air pollution. In some places the pollution is so bad that there are bans put on certain cleaners.
What are commercial cleaning companies doing to help with making the profession more green? More education about the products being used and the dangers of them. Commercial cleaning companies are buying premium, properly made cleaners and regulating the amount used. Using methods that avoid these VOCs is also being done whenever possible.
