Addressed primarily to Rick, but others may have interest also:
For several years I have run my c.c. service using only all-natural
cleaning products - primarily Outsolve from Bioforce-Envirotech, but some
others from time to time, such as Carpet123 from 1stenvirosafety. I feel
this is the healthiest route to go for me, anyone working on a job for my
company, as well as for my customers.

I have begun using Releasit products in situations in which the particular customer
is primarily interested in "clean" as opposed to "healthy". But it would
be good to know just where the Releasit line fits in between the extremes
of natural and downright unhealthy. For instance, could I now say I offer
no-chem and low-chem cleaning, or would that be misleading?

On its CM i-Focus:IAQ webpage, Cleaning & Maintenance Magazine suggests
limiting, or avoiding altogether VOC-emitting products which contain
the following:
limonene, isopentane, isopropanol, butoxyethanol, trichloroethylene,
1,4 dichlorobenzene, undecane, decamethylpentasiloxane, ketones,
alcohols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, ammonia, formaldehyde,
amines, and acetone or glycol ethers.

I guess the question is: what is the VOC-level of Releasit products?
While clean, and the perception of clean is important, in the last
analysis healthy is far more important.

Mark,

While I wouldn't recommend drinking Releasit Encap-Clean, I can honestly assure you that it's an extremely safe product. The only ingredient that even requires inclusion on an MSDS sheet is isopropyl alcohol (same stuff you have in the medicine cabinet). I'm like you Mark, I am very concerned about safe products too. My wife and I are vegetarians because we want to eat healthy. And I have worked hard to eliminate unsafe products in our workplace for years. And Releasit fits right into a healthy work environment.

BTW I was looking at the MSDS sheet of a company who CLAIMS to make SAFE products. Here is what their website says about safety...
"Right now, we're living in a world where there is far-reaching concern for the protection of our environment. All of our products are free of hazardous solvents and poly-styrene. They're not only environmentally safer, they're safer for the people who work with them and the surfaces they're applied to."

Now check out their MSDS sheet for one of their "safe" carpet products...
ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL (DIMETHYL CARBINOL) 10 67-63-0 5840 MG/KG (ORAL, RAT) N/AV
POTASSIUM HYDROXIDE 2 1310-58-3 365 MG/KG (ORAL, RAT) N/AV
NONYLPHENOXYPOLY (ETHYLENEOXY) ETHANOL 1-1.5 68439-46-3 1400 MG/KG (ORAL, RAT) N/AV
(POLYETHER DIMETHYLPOLYSILOXANE COPOLYMER) IN N-BUTOXYPROPANOL 6 5131-66-8 2200 MG/KG (ORAL, RAT N/AV
2-PROPANOL 1-PROPOXY / n-PROPOXYPROPANOL

...My point is this. Even the so called "safe" products can miss the mark. This is simply NOT the case with our products. As I mentioned above, you can confidently use Encap-Clean safely. In fact our highest concentrations in the product include ingredients that you'd use in your shower at home. Safe and effective is what we have here




Rick Gelinas
encapman

I realize I cannot describe cleaning with Releasit as all-natural. What I
would like to know is, can I describe it as VOC-free?

ok, I'll ask,

what is VOC ?

The only timeI had to use "green" products is I did hard floors in a kosher/organic food plant.

Brian

Not to many detergents that we use would fit that bill, as long as there is a detergent or other additives there is always something that could be a possible problem for some people.
I would be careful in advertising that it is a totally environmentally safe process. The one problem with encap cleaning is unless a very though vacuuming is done falling the cleaning than all we have done is released the bonded soils from the fibers and left them in the carpet, and they could possibily become airborne and than become a problem to people with respritory problems. All encap products crystallize in different states, so some manufacturers will disagree with the above statement, but in my opinion tread carefully when saying anything about how safe the system is.
There is a big difference in cleaning for health vs. cleaning for appearance, if you can get a hold of Dr. Berry's book "Protecting The Built Environment" it is well worth reading.

VOC - volatile organic compound.
These are gases emitted from various solids or liquids, which can include, but are not limited to paints, strippers, cleaning supplies, pesticides, building materials, glues, adhesives and on and on.
Some of these are considered carcinogenic, some are not. Just because something is a voc does not mean it is automatically something dangerous.
The EPA makes these determinations in our present situation.

Mark,

The VOC free designation would be appropriate Encap-Clean.



Rick Gelinas
encapman

How about Encap-Punch?

All our products are "VOC compliant" with essentially zero VOC emissions.



Rick Gelinas
encapman

Indoor Air Quality, seems to be more important on the west coast then here on the east coast. I could show my client base how to really improve the quality of air in their home instantly for a couple of hundred dollars, if they were interested and it does not have anything to do with carpet cleaning. I used to own a HVAC company and am a retired Chief Engineer in the state of Georgia. What I have found out over the years that only a few are really interested in IAQ. I have always been interested in it and a trip to my home would show you a really safe to sleep in home. I said all that to say this. I clean my own home carpet with the encap method, some of it with Releasit and some with Cobb's Dynachem. Releasit forms crystals and is vacuumed up with our central vacuum system and is exited out of the house. Dynachem is a film former so most of the soil stays but does not get airborne. I have examined both products after repeated uses on the carpet under a scope and feel very comfortable with either one in my own home.

So, Rambo, could you identify this $200 or so expenditure that would achieve
an IAQ benefit to the home? Are you talking about some form of air purifier
device, or an ad-sorber material such as zeolite?

awesome post Rambo, thanx for sharing. while i am not personally too concerned with IAQ (to a point), no doubt some of my clients will be (tho as u mentioned this is probably a small number), and knowing that someone like yourself tries to keep his own IAQ high, and feels safe enough to encap his own home, says alot.

thanx --- Derek.

Mark, it will be hard to explain in a post, but I'll give you a short explaination. I has nothing to do will air purifiers and nothing you buy to bring into your home. I do not recommend the ozone/ionizers puirifiers that are now marketed as a cure all. If you will add fresh air from outside your home via a 4" PVC pipe to your HVAC unit and install it into the return air plenum just in front of the filter so that all outside air goes thru the filter before going into your home. Where the 4" pipe goes to the outside install a dryer vent, remove the inner flap and cover with a screen to keep out pest. Each time the heating or cooling comes on a small amount of fresh air will be drawn into the home. In all commercial bldgs. a percentage of fresh air is introduced into the bldg. that helps presurize and create a healthier work place. Most hospitals requre 100% fresh air introduced thru the HVAC system into the operating rooms. That is one step and the other requires a ultra-violet lamp installed inside the HVAC unit that comes on each time the blower is on, but that is another solution and a little more complicated but you can add the fresh air pipe yourself.

20+ years ago I worked for my father-in-law in the carpentry trade. That was at a time when people were first starting to become aware of IAQ, ice dams, and higher heating costs. My FIL studied up on insulation and air movement within the home and came up with the same solution of bringing in outside air for the forced air furnace. Sometimes we would even build an airtight room around the furnace with outside air piped in. Drafts within the homes were practically eliminated and the comfort levels rose substantially.

Dave Bigler
When It Comes to Cleaning - the BIGLER the BETTER!!!

Pardon the late post but I wanted to offer something to this. I happen to be a partner with a Indoor Environmental Quality company and have had my head buried in the indoor air quality business for about 12 months. I also own a commercial cleaning company - that focuses on 'healthy indoor environments' - my tagline.

I have been cleaning carpets with Cimex/Releasit and know exactly where your IAQ question is about. VOC's 'volitile organic compounds' are produced by Releasit - in the form of isopropyl alcohol, the tea tree oil extract, of can easily be smelled while the carpet is still damp. This however is gone after the drying process is complete - my guess 24 hours until fully cured into crystalized form.

The next level of IAQ concern for Releasit is particulates levels. Because it does become brittle, the question is how much of this becomes airborne - say from regular foot traffic or vacuuming.

If a high measure of VOC's or particulates can be detected - that would also inhibit ones ability to claim an IAQ friendly process or product.

Because some individuals are highly sensitive to VOC's or particulates, I would be careful to claim encap is an IAQ friendly process, or that Releasit is an IAQ friendly product. In my business I do not make those claims for encap. But do explain that cleaner carpet is better for IAQ. Encap is better than HWE, particularly on commercial carpets, because the quick drying does not allow mold to propogate in the carpet backing and glue. This has been a big problem and many schools and public facilities have pulled carpet out because of it.

I could arrange to make this more scientic 'case study' and produce a white paper on it, however experience with a lot of 'air monitoring' in buildings leads me to what I said above. Very high VOC's at time of cleaning and while dying, potential particulate measures after curing. (Clients really need HEPA vacs).

My last comment: I encap carpets almost exclusively - even under my 'healthy environments' approach. The reason is it works, and compared to all other means, including dry chems - which fume huge amounts of VOC's, encapping is the 'overall safest' that I have come by.

Hope this helps.

Hammack