When choosing flooring options, it is important to check not only the VOC levels of the products, but also to consider installation and maintenance. Will leveling compounds and adhesives need to be used as part of the installation process? If so, what will be the effect on indoor air quality as these evaporate and off-gas in-situ? Post-occupancy, will topical treatments need to be applied or reapplied as part of maintenance regimes to prolong the product? For example, wood floors and linoleum may need varnishes and floor sealants.
HOW TO SELECT LOW VOC EMISSION PRODUCTS TO IMPROVE INDOOR AIR QUALITY?
Selecting products that have been third-party verified as low VOC helps maintain Indoor Air Quality as it prevents new sources of VOCs from being introduced. Carpets showing the GUT label and adhesives and sealants with a GEV EMICODE® EC1PLUS label meet the tightest standards in the flooring industry.
Want to learn more about the certifications, read our blog ‘What are VOC Certifications? Understanding What they Mean’.
What Are The Advantages of Adhesive Free Products?
Totally eliminating the need for wet adhesives at installation is an even better solution. Adhesive free systems such as Milliken’s TractionBack® 2.0 for modular carpet tile is one such solution. TractionBack® 2.0 is a VOC free, high-friction coating applied to the back of Milliken carpet tiles during manufacture. It is engineered to secure the carpet to the floor without the use of wet adhesives, eliminating the associated VOCs. This makes it a much cleaner, healthier, and safer method of modular carpet installation that positively considers the well-being of both the installer and the building’s occupants.
TractionBack 2.0 is engineered to secure the carpet to the floor and prevent lateral movement but can also be easily lifted and replaced when required. Therefore, this clean, quick and easy installation method not only improves indoor air quality but also has the benefit of making replacement more straightforward, supporting the circular economy through ease of maintenance, facilitating reuse and recycling without damage and contamination.
Alternatively, for adhesive free resilient flooring solutions, look to LVT products that are over 4mm thick. For example, Milliken’s Flexform Sound LVT can installed using IOBAC Tab-It adhesive-free system or with Emicode EC1 tackifier adhesive. IOBAC Tab-It, ultra-thin double-sided dry-tack tabs securely and cleanly fix LVT on most prepared sub-floors including raised access floors.
How Do I Know if Re-Use Flooring Will Have Low VOC Emissions?
Most VOCs are emitted from products when new, with levels significantly reducing shortly after initial installation. Therefore, used furniture and flooring can be considered low VOC providing no new chemical treatments are applied.[i]
The re-use of already Off-gassed products such as reused furniture and flooring are therefore not only better for the environment than buying new but can also benefit human health by limiting further emissions.
Milliken’s N/XT Life™ Circularity Programme offers the option to purchase re-use carpet tiles. The programme helps clients to reach climate goals by eliminating waste and reducing carbon emissions through Re-Use, the highest form of circularity.
Entrance Flooring Protects Your Indoor Air Quality
Effective entrance flooring prevents dirt and debris from entering the facility. Using 7m of entrance flooring can stop more than 90% of dirt from entering a building in the first place[ii]. It works by stopping dirt, moisture and other contaminants at the door, preventing them from spreading throughout your building. You not only protect your interior investment, keeping it looking good for longer, but also reduce maintenance requirements. Effective entrance systems like Milliken’s OBEX directly improve indoor air quality by trapping dust and dirt before it enters the breathing zone.
How Does Proper Maintenance Improve Air Quality?
Even after installation, maintenance can have a significant impact on the indoor air quality. Effective vacuuming is a key aspect of any maintenance regime to remove particulate matter and contaminants. Where possible use an upright vacuum as the rotating brush helps remove debris from the pile. Vacuums with HEPA filters can remove up to 99.97% of particulates from the air[iii]. HEPA filters remove pollen, smoke, dust[iv], bacteria and spores[v] from the air.
Many traditional cleaning/maintenance products can introduce new VOCs each time they’re used. Opt for non-toxic low VOC cleaning products for all interior surfaces and ensure proper ventilation during cleaning.
Conclusion
There are now many low VOC flooring options are available with third party certifications to provide peace of mind. Consider low VOC installation methods and accessories as well as the flooring itself. Ideally use a glue-free installation system like TractionBack 2.0. Effective entrance flooring and carpets provide the additional benefit of trapping particulate matter where it can then be effectively removed through vacuuming to maintain healthy indoor air quality.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT VOCS AND WELL-BEING:
The Benefits of Low VOC Flooring
What are VOC Certifications? Understanding What They Mean
FAQs
How does poor Indoor Air Quality affect human health?
Exposure to air pollutants is linked with serious health concerns such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Polluted air is also the is the number one environmental cause of premature death globally.
Is carpet or hard flooring better for Indoor Air Quality?
There are a variety of low VOC flooring options for both carpet and hard flooring that help maintain Indoor Air Quality. However, carpet has the additional benefit since fibres can trap pollutants like dust preventing pollutants from being breathed in.
What are VOCs?
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are substances that are readily vaporised at room temperature.
How do VOCs impact human health?
VOCs can significantly affect respiratory health, and some VOCs(formaldehyde/Benzene) are known carcinogens.
What is off-gassing?
Off-gassing is the process in which VOCs and SVOCs evaporate from materials/products. A material/product is considered off-gassed when all the VOCs/SVOCs have evaporated.
Benefits of low VOC flooring?
Selecting low VOC flooring helps to maintain good Indoor Air Quality which is associated with various health benefits.
What adhesive-free flooring installation options are there?
Modular carpet tiles with TractionBack™ 2.0 are one adhesive-free option. Alternatively, LVT over 4mm thick can be installed with IOBAC Tab-It systems. Both TractionBack™2.0 and IOBAC Tab-It emit no additional VOCs allowing for a quicker, cleaner installation process.
Why are adhesive-free flooring systems better for Indoor Air Quality?
Glue-free systems like Milliken’s TractionBack™ 2.0 and IOBAC Tab-It emit no VOCs unlike other adhesives. Glue-free systems help maintain Indoor Air Quality and create healthier spaces.
Is reuse flooring considered low VOC?
Yes, reuse flooring and furniture can be considered no or low VOC as long as no new wet products are applied since most VOCs off-gas at the start of a products life.
How does entrance flooring help improve Indoor Air Quality?
Effective entrance flooring can trap more than 90% of all debris, preventing outdoor dirt and pollutants from entering the building in the first place.
What is a HEPA filter?
A HEPA filter is a mechanical "high efficiency particulate air" filter. Efficient HEPA filters can clean up to 97.97% of dust, pollen, mold, bacteria, and any airborne particles with a size of 0.3 microns (µm).
How do HEPA filters improve Indoor Air Quality?
They help improve Indoor Air Quality by removing particulate matter from the air. They are able to remove pollen, mold, bacteria and some viruses.
[i] International WELL Building Institute. (n.d.). AIR — Feature 12. WELL v2. Retrieved November 11, 2025, from https://v2.wellcertified.com/en/wellv2/air/feature/12
[ii] Calculations based on: Brown, E. M. (1980). The soiling of textile floorcoverings (Doctoral dissertation, University of Leeds).
[iii] EPA, U. (2025). What is a HEPA filter? https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/what-hepa-filter
[iv] Lowther, S. D., Deng, W., Fang, Z., Booker, D., Whyatt, D. J., Wild, O., ... & Jones, K. C. (2020). How efficiently can HEPA purifiers remove priority fine and ultrafine particles from indoor air?. Environment international, 144, 106001. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2020.106001
[v] Kowalski, W. J., Bahnfleth, W. P., & Whittam, T. S. (1999). Filtration of airborne microorganisms: Modeling and prediction. ASHRAE Transactions, 105, 4. https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/filtration-airborne-microorganisms-modeling/docview/192569804/se-2
