Basically, if your nose can smell the ingredients, there is a good chance that the product has the potential of harming people and polluting the building. VOCs is the abbreviation for “Volatile Organic Compounds”, which are chemicals that are bad for people.

The easiest way to understand the threat of VOCs is to take a smell from a bottle of bleach or ammonia. I do not recommend this; but if you dare, a direct smell of strong chemicals will cause an immediate and strong reaction.

Volatile Organic Chemicals

• Volatile gas means evaporated chemical pushed into the air

• If the product was toxic to drink, it is also a toxic gas

• VOCs do not go away but circulate in the building for weeks

• VOCs eventually crystalize with the dust and dirt

• VOCs are a big factor that can cause Sick Building Syndrome

Cleaning products, pesticides, fragrances, polishes, and various spray products are a constant reinforcement to a toxic building. Like a small chemical leak into a stream that seems of no impact, years of pollution will ruin the water and kill the fish.

Every building is a “Closed System” that should bring in fresh air through the HVAC system, there is little opportunity for the toxic gases inside to actually be removed.

Imagine, a nightly cleaning service bringing hundreds of gallons of cleaning chemicals in each night, monthly pest treatments, routine use of fragrances, and spray polishes.