Avoid SIck Building Syndrome With Green Commercial Cleaning Supplies

Sick Building Syndrome has become a common part of the work place culture and one of the easiest ways to avoid it is by using green commercial cleaning supplies. There are many factors that go into making a building a healthy place and it is in your interested to figure out what they are. A healthy work force is a productive work force and that has a huge impact on the bottom line of a business and their overall competitiveness in the work place.

There are many things to take into consideration such as water quality, paint type, outgassing of furniture, sanitization of nearly everything as well as a million other things. In a building or office with many people in close quarters it is essential that your janitorial program be up to par or that you go above and beyond.

• Find a company that is willing to use green commercial cleaning supplies on a large scale. Here are some things that should be considered when choosing cleaning supplies for your company.
• First and foremost avoid Volatile Organic Compounds or VOCs for short. VOCs are really pretty simple, they are nothing more than toxic chemicals that are released by solids or liquids. They can be released by furniture, carpet, or cleaning products. The fact that they are being released indoors makes them all the more harmful and contributes to indoor air pollution which can actually be worse than outside air pollution.
• VOCs are responsible for many detrimental issues in the health of todays populations. They can be attributed to rising rates of cancer, dizziness, asthma, irritated eyes and many other symptoms. The scary part is that they could very well be responsible for many more problems than we are currently aware of due to the fact that they have only recently discovered. It is virtually impossible to eliminate all VOCs but we can take steps to reduce our exposure and try to limit the addition of new VOCs to our environment.
• Good ventilation is key to reducing exposure. The older furniture, building materials, carpets, etc. get the fewer VOCs they release. New car smell is an example of VOCs, as the car ages you can no longer smell the VOCs because they have all dissipated. Buying used office furniture and selecting green commercial cleaning supplies is a great way to reduce the amount of VOCs introduced into your work environment.
• Cleaning solvents are dangerous and are often used in the commercial cleaning industry as a highly concentrated form of cleaner. These toxic chemicals are responsible for many illness and are especially harmful to people with compromised immune systems.
• Here are some ideas of things that you can suggest that your janitorial service use. If they are not willing to clean in an environmentally responsible manner offer to buy the commercial cleaning supplies for them. If they are still unwilling find a service that will be happy to accommodate you needs.
• A neutral pH balance is an important consideration. This does not take into account the different varieties of chemicals that can be present in cleaning supplies but it does mean that whatever you are using is non reactive. A neutral pH balance is 7 and is much more likely to be non harmful. Think battery acid then realize that many common household cleaners have a pH that is similar to that of battery acid.
• Biodegradable products are always a plus. When I say this I realize that it is a bit of a loaded statement because virtually everything is biodegradable to some extent. What I am talking about are products that will quickly be broken down and absorbed by our environment instead of contributing to pollution. Remember anything that is washed down the drain will ultimately end up in our water supply. It is up to you to be responsible and realize how important that water supply is to out survival.
• If you can find plant based cleaners you are way ahead of the game. Using petroleum based cleaners is simply foolish. There are so many good alternative out there that using a nonrenewable resource as a commercial cleaning supply is amazingly short sighted. Plant based cleaners are renewable and safe, they do not contain VOCs

Keeping a work environment clean and sanitary is a balancing act and often an expense that managers do not really take into consideration. It is easy to cut the budget for janitorial service but this also has the potential to have disastrous consequences. If you are a manager in charge of keeping your workforce healthy it is your responsibility to make wise choices that will contribute to the heath and safety of your employees. Making the decision to use green commercial cleaning supplies can take you a long way towards sanitation, good PR and a healthy work force.