Sam Greaves, MD and fourth generation owner of The Cleenol Group, a manufacturer and supplier of commercial and industrial cleaning and hygiene products – find out more at https://cleenol.com/
At Cleenol, we’re committed to creating a safer, cleaner world and we have many years’ experience in helping our customers to achieve a safe and clean working environment.
While achieving clean and hygienic surfaces may be the ultimate aim for workplaces across many industries, the products used to achieve this can have a negative impact on air quality.
When we think about air quality, we might automatically think about carbon emissions or the impact of pollution on the ozone layer. While this is obviously a cause for concern, in the United Kingdom, the average person spends 90% of their time indoors, so the importance of good indoor air quality should not be underestimated.
Cleaning products often contain volatile organic compounds or VOCs, which can negatively affect the quality of air, particularly in enclosed environments, impacting the health of those indoors.
What are VOCs?
A volatile organic compound (VOC) is defined as “a type of compound (= a chemical that combines two or more elements) containing carbon that easily changes into a gas and that can be harmful to people’s health, or to the environment[1]”. These compounds can accumulate in the air, particularly in enclosed spaces and can be inhaled by the people who use them or those who inhabit the environments in which they are used.
VOCs are usually added to cleaning products to de-stabilise dirt or grease, or to add fragrance to a product to hide unpleasant smells. These are often used in excess and can also react with the air in which they are used, in turn, creating further VOCs. Poor indoor air quality has been linked to a number of health conditions such as asthma, pneumonia, and even lung cancer[2].
Our commitment to a cleaner, safer world
At Cleenol, we’re committed to creating a cleaner, safer world and we care deeply about the health and well-being of people and the environment. This is why all our formulations are developed to provide cleaning and hygiene solutions that have limited environmental impact including low levels of VOC’s. Our cleaning products are designed to effectively perform the task they are designed to do, rather than mask the problem with unnecessary fragrances or chemicals.
We are also advocates for the responsible use of cleaning and hygiene products. We have created safety and dilution instructions across our entire product range, to ensure they are used in a way that is safe for people and the environment. We enable our customers in sectors such as education, healthcare, sport and leisure, catering and food production and many more, to safely meet their hygiene standards, while minimising harm to people and the environment.
[1] https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/voc
[2] https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200909-why-indoor-air-pollution-is-an-overlooked-problem
