The landscape of professional cleaning and maintenance products is undergoing a significant transformation. If you’re an HVAC contractor, a maintenance professional, or a facility manager, you’ve likely heard about the upcoming Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations that are set to change how you do business with certain products you use regularly. These new rules, aimed at protecting human health and the environment, will restrict or ban several common chlorinated solvents used in everyday products.
At Vapco, our goal is to not only help you understand what’s happening but to provide you with the safe, effective, and compliant product solutions you need to continue working without disruption. We’ve been hard at work developing a new line of reformulated products that meet these new standards, so you can transition smoothly and confidently, often times without noticing a change at all.
The EPA’s recent announcement is a decision that directly impacts several key chemicals used throughout the industry by a wide variety of chemical manufacturers. Specifically, the new rules are banning the use of:
Trichloroethylene (TCE): The ban on industrial and commercial use goes into effect on September 15, 2025.
Methylene Chloride: The ban on industrial and commercial use goes into effect on April 28, 2026.
Perchloroethylene (PCE): The ban on industrial and commercial use goes into effect on June 7, 2027.
This means that many of the products you may rely on daily, such as contact cleaners, degreasers, adhesives, and solvent-based coil cleaners, will need to be replaced with new, compliant formulations. There are few alternatives to these solvents and the product’s function determines the route we took to replace the banned material.
These regulatory changes may present challenges, but with the right partner, they don’t have to cause a major disruption. We’ve made it as plain as a badge on a label, to easily identify which product is new formula vs old formula. As a wholesaler, make sure you’re rotating inventory correctly and set out the older formula first to make sure you’re not stuck with product beyond the EPA Guidelines.
Transitioning to new products is an opportunity to improve safety for your customers and educated them at the same time. We understand that you don’t have time to worry about regulatory deadlines. That’s why we’ve been proactively developing and testing new, high-performing products that are already compliant with the upcoming regulations. We are committed to making this transition as seamless as possible for you.
To ensure you have a smooth transition and minimal disruption to your business, we are providing:
Dedicated Support: Our team is ready to answer your questions, address your concerns, and guide you through the process of selecting the right alternative products for your specific needs.
Alternative Product Solutions: We have been actively reformulating our product lines to remove Methylene Chloride, Trichloroethylene, and Perchloroethylene without compromising on quality or effectiveness. You can be confident that our new formulations will deliver the same powerful cleaning and degreasing performance you’ve always depended on.
As you begin to use our new, EPA-compliant products, you may notice a key physical difference right away: the can may feel lighter OR heavier. We want to reassure you that this does not mean you are getting less or more product. This is a direct result of the new solvent formulations, and here’s a simple way to understand it:
Weight and volume are two different measurements that use the same unit to express their values. The Methylene Chloride used in older products like our Mean Green Aerosol had a higher density, weighing approximately 11 pounds per gallon. The new solvent used in our Methylene Chloride free Mean Green is much lighter, weighing only about 6 pounds per gallon. While the total weight of the can is less, the volume of the product you receive remains exactly the same. On the other end, with products like Knock it Out (coil cleaner) you’ll notice two ounces more by net weight on the can. That is because the new solvent being used is more dense than the previous one. You will get the full, effective product you’ve always expected, even though it might feel different at the beginning.
You may also notice a slight difference in drying time; products may dry slightly quicker or slower. We’ve thoroughly tested these new formulas and can confirm that this minor change in drying time has no impact on the product’s performance.
To help you quickly and confidently identify which of our products are safe to use under the new regulations, simply look for our dedicated badges. You’ll find these symbols prominently displayed on our packaging:
“Methylene Chloride Free” Badge: This badge signifies that the product contains no Methylene Chloride.
“TCE FREE” Badge: This badge confirms that the product is free of Trichloroethylene.
These badges are your assurance that you’re purchasing a high-quality product that not only works effectively but also meets the strict new EPA guidelines. The upcoming EPA regulations represent a major shift, but they are also an opportunity to embrace a new era of safer, more sustainable products. We’re proud to be a leader in this change, and we’re committed to being your trusted partner throughout this transition.
New formulations typically mean new pricing, and as we sell off old stock, the new prices will take effect when new formulas come into production. We have tried to minimize price increases, but some products now cost more to manufacture. For example, we’ve kept the price of Mean Green Aerosol the same despite higher production costs for the new formula. Conversely, the new Contact Cleaner formula requires expensive, specialized ingredients to maintain its critical non-flammable and non-conductive safety standards. Obviously spraying flammable or conductive material across electrical circuitry is a bad idea, so we could not in good conscience change that formula to anything but one that maintained that safety standard. As a result, its price will increase in part due to a lack of cost effective alternatives available on the market. You can expect price changes on other products as well, but we’ve done our best to keep these increases as small as possible while ensuring safety and quality.
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Ready to learn more about our reformulated, EPA-compliant products? Visit our website or contact our team today to get answers to your questions and find the right solutions for your business.
