Emissions of Particles and Volatile Organic Compounds During Floor Mopping Using Commercial Cleaning Products

Floor mopping is a cleaning activity that provokes the release of various chemicals indoors. This study is aimed at estimating the emission rates of indoor particles and total volatile organic compounds (VOCs) using a chamber setting. Eight commercial cleaning products with different perfumes (lemon, lavender, jasmine, ocean fresh, green apple, and green soap) and categorized into two groups (chlorines and all‐purpose cleaners) were tested. Fine particle concentrations (< 300 nm) were increased with all products, but nanoparticle formation was observed during bleach mopping and mopping with the lemon‐perfumed cleaner. Emission rates were one order of magnitude higher with the lemon‐perfumed cleaner (10 12 particles/h), followed by bleach mopping (10 11 particles/h) and the rest of the cleaners (10 10 particles/h). Likewise, significant emissions were obtained for VOCs, with higher emissions corresponding to the cleaners (1.2–3.4 mg/h) and especially the lemon product (5.2 mg/h), while for bleach mopping, emissions ranged between 1.2 and 3.8 mg/h again with higher emissions for the lemon‐perfumed chlorine. Contrarily, PM 2.5 preserved a minimal increase with primary emissions lying between 57 and 290 μ g/h, although a significant impact was identified during formation events. Using a higher concentration solution for mopping enhanced emissions of both particles and VOCs, emphasizing that careful dosage is needed to avoid increased rates. The current study demonstrates that the type and fragrances of cleaning products are critical in influencing emissions, with lemon‐scented products potentially leading to more detrimental indoor exposure.