Businesses in Victoria are always on the lookout for ways to boost employee satisfaction and productivity. One great way to do both is to reduce the presence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in your building; that comes from using non-toxic and often fragrance-free cleaning supplies. Here’s what you need to know:
What Are VOCs? The Science Of Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)
To understand how some chemical cleaners can negatively affect a workplace, we need to understand two key terms: Indoor air quality (IAQ) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
What Is Indoor Air Quality?
Indoor air quality (IAQ) describes how suitable the air inside a building is for the people who live or work there. There are several different components that may make up an IAQ assessment, including:
- CO2 levels (high levels of CO2 may indicate poor ventilation)
- Particulate matter (PM) levels (PM 2.5 and other fine particles can irritate lungs)
- Carbon monoxide (CO) levels (carbon monoxide is unsafe and should be absent)
- TVOC levels – the total amount of volatile organic compounds in a building
- Humidity
There are several different IAQ standards, including those put forth by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). These standards are often adopted into building codes, like the National Building Code of Canada (NBC).
IAQ standards can be quite broad. ASHRAE’s own standard for acceptable IAQ is: “Air in which there are no known contaminants at harmful concentrations, as determined by cognizant authorities, and with which a substantial majority (80% or more) of the people exposed do not express dissatisfaction.”
Though these standards (and, in the case of the NBC, legally enforceable codes) can provide frameworks for ventilation, humidity, and even CO levels, it is much more difficult to provide guidance on volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Let’s explore why:
What Are Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)?
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a broad class of chemicals that can impact indoor air quality. They are:
- Volatile because they vapourize (turn from solid or liquid into gas) quickly
- Organic because they contain carbon atoms
- Compounds because they are made up of two or more different elements (including carbon)
VOCs can have a negative impact on IAQ – but they can also have a positive one. There are thousands of different VOCs; few people would shy away from the smell of plants and flowers in a workspace, but those smells can come from VOCs (at least, the strict technical definition of VOCs).
For this reason, governments and standard-makers typically exclude VOCs that are not seen as harmful from their standards. Instead, governments may focus on harmful VOCs like benzene, acetaldehyde, and formaldehyde (among hundreds of others).
To gain a better understanding of some of the VOCs that the Government of Canada focuses on, take a look at its indoor air quality resources for professionals page, which, while focused on residential IAQ, can give business owners insights into which harmful VOCs to watch out for.
Health Canada also offers guidance on improving indoor air quality in office buildings; in that guidance, it specifically recommends that business owners utilize low-VOC cleaning supplies to improve IAQ.
The Link Between Cleaning Chemicals And “Sick Building Syndrome”
Sick building syndrome is a condition where symptoms or even chronic diseases occur as a result of living or working in a building. The sickness can be localized to a particular area in the building or can affect occupants in any area of the building.
The exact causes of sick building syndrome vary from building to building; they include chemical contaminants, biological contaminants, poor ventilation, electromagnetic radiation, and psychological factors.
In one well-cited study from 2008, VOCs are listed among the most common contaminants of indoor air. That same study lists cleaning agents as one of the main sources of VOCs.
That same study notes that the “feeling of ill health increases sickness absenteeism and causes a decrease in productivity.” Sick building syndrome can cause symptoms like fatigue, dizziness, nausea, headache, and ear, nose, and throat irritation.
By limiting the use of high-VOC cleaning chemicals, you can reduce the likelihood of your team members developing the symptoms of sick building syndrome.
Why “Clean” Doesn’t Have A Smell
We often associate cleanliness with the smell of cleaning products, but clean isn’t a smell – it’s a state. Things are clean when they are free of clutter, germs, allergens, pests, and contaminants.
While it’s true that high-VOC cleaning products can contribute to a state of cleanliness, they are not the only way to kill germs. There are hospital-grade disinfectants that are low in VOCs, including citric acid and hydrogen peroxide.
Choosing low-VOC cleaners may change the smell of your building after it has been cleaned; some cleaners leave behind almost no smell at all. As long as the area is clean, and for high-touch areas, disinfected, the lack of smell actually means your building may be healthier than ever.
Regulatory Trends: Victoria’s Shift Toward Green Office Mandates
The Government of Canada has recently established VOC concentration limits for certain products; this includes a concentration limit for disinfectants, which came into force in 2025.
These concentration limits do not necessarily mean that a cleaning company is committed to using low-to-no VOC cleaning products, but choosing Green Wheel Cleaners means you know green cleaning products are being used every time.
Though the City of Victoria does not currently have a green office mandate, both the City and the broader Capital Region District have a focus on climate action and the environment. Institutions like the University of Victoria have put themselves ahead of the curve by creating green buildings that meet LEED or Passive House standards.
Changes to regulations may eventually lead to more stringent limits on harmful VOCs in a building. By cleaning with Green Wheel Cleaners, your business won’t fall behind.
Fragrance-Free Vs. Unscented: Why The Distinction Matters
There is no universal definition of fragrance-free, nor is there a universal definition of unscented, but the common distinction is this:
- Fragrance-free products have no fragrances added to change their smell, though they may naturally include products that have a fragrance
- Unscented products do not have a smell; chemicals are often used to mask the smell of the product
The University of McGill offers an excellent overview of the difference between fragrance-free and unscented – but which one do you want in your cleaning products?
Typically, the answer is fragrance-free. Citric acid and vinegar are both excellent cleaning products, but they have a distinct scent. Masking that scent would mean including more chemicals in the product’s formulation – and more chemicals can mean a higher risk of environmental damage or off-gassing (the process where VOCs vapourize, escaping into the air as gas).
The Victoria Office Manager’s Air Quality Audit Checklist
Want to assess your building’s indoor air quality (IAQ)? Here are a few steps you can take:
- Perform a subjective IAQ survey. Send the survey to team members, and ask participants to:
- Rate general comfort, including
- Air freshness
- Temperature
- Humidity
- Ventilation
- Note odours (and the time and place they occur), including
- Musty odours
- Chemical odours
- Smoke odours
- Note where and when the building feels the most comfortable
- Rate general comfort, including
- Get a professional IAQ assessment
- Switch to green cleaning services; though assessments about humidity and ventilation will take time to understand and implement, green cleaning is a switch you can make easily.
The Green Wheel Edge: How We Clean Without The Chemical Fog
Green Wheel Cleaners only uses low-to-no VOC cleaners. We have cleaning supplies that are powerful enough to be used as hospital-grade disinfectants, all while emitting lower VOCs than comparable chemical cleaners.
We’re known for our non-toxic cleaning methods and our hassle-free approach to scheduling, modifying, and paying for janitorial services. We are constantly implementing feedback from our clients to improve our cleaning processes and update our training procedures.
Ready to get your business cleaned without worrying about a fog of chemicals or sick building syndrome? Contact Green Wheel Cleaners for office cleaning today!