Maintaining a fresh and pleasant indoor environment is essential for the health and productivity of those within your facility. Studies show that smells can directly impact employees’ moods, which in turn affects their productivity. Advances in odor control technologies are revolutionizing how facilities maintain indoor air quality (IAQ). These solutions are helping keep facilities smelling fresh and free from harmful indoor pollutants.
Impact of Odors and VOCs
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are human-made chemicals emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. Although not visible to the human eye, these compounds can linger in the air, affecting the health and comfort of your facility’s occupants. VOCs are known for their strong odors and are commonly found in products such as cleaners and disinfectants. When released, they adversely impact your IAQ. Additionally, exposure to VOCs can cause eye, nose, skin and throat irritation along with headaches.
Key Practices for Maintaining a Healthy IAQ
The indoor air can be 2 to 5 times more polluted than the outside air due to lack of ventilation, making it crucial to address indoor pollutants for the health of your facility occupants. Reducing VOCs and controlling odors are essential to maintaining a healthy indoor environment. Here are several effective practices:
Use Third-Party Certified Products
One effective way to reduce VOCs is to use third-party certified cleaning products. These products undergo rigorous life cycle assessments (LCAs) to determine their environmental impact and ensure they do not contain harmful VOCs. Switching to third-party certified cleaning products can help your facility maintain a healthy IAQ.
Switch to Electrochemically Activated Solutions
PathoSans is at the forefront of odor control technology with its electrochemical activation (ECA) technology. This technology uses salt, water and electricity to create a sodium hydroxide cleaner, PathoClean®, and a hypochlorous acid sanitizer, PathoCide®These ECAs can effectively neutralize VOCs and sulfur compounds into odorless substances while containing no VOCs. Additionally, because PathoSans products treat odors at the cause, there are no fragrance additives or other chemicals that mask the odors as these can cause irritations to those with sensitives.
Routine Cleaning
Having a consistent cleaning regimen is crucial for controlling odors in your facility. Consistently maintaining and monitoring your IAQ can help prevent the buildup of harmful compounds. Additional cleaning help can help manage these cleaning demands effectively.
At GSF USA, our Écologique cleaning program, certified by Green Seal®, uses sustainable cleaning chemicals along with environmentally sourced consumables to help create a safer, more sustainable environment for our customers and their facility occupants.
Control Odors, Control your IAQ
Understanding and addressing the sources of VOCs and implementing effective odor control measures are essential to creating a healthier, more productive facility. By taking proactive measures to manage indoor air quality, such as switching your cleaning products, you can help ensure a more comfortable and safe environment for everyone in your facility.
At GSF USA, we’re proud to invest in a better method of cleaning and odor control with PathoSans. For more information, contact our offices here.
