AFM Safecoat Multi Purpose Caulking Compound 10oz Tube (AFM-71830)

All about detoxifying my home, and the moldy caulk around a bathtub had to go. I didn't want to replace it with something that was going to offgas VOCs for months. This caulk was easy to use for my first-ever caulking project (a little too easy, turns out less is more) and I am very happy with the final look and smell (none!). Thank you for making an affordable non-toxic product!

Why I rated it best caulking on the market, I tried several and this one has the lowest VOC content and it’s super easy to apply

Easy to use and no smell, love how it’s more eco friendly. Dried and was still soft but seems like it will work. Using on a wooden squirrel box that would leak water into it when it rained

This is the best caulking I've found that I can safely use in my home without causing too many issues for me. Breathing it causes no irritation. However, when it's wet it does have the same "fruity" odor that standard caulking has, and the vapors were irritating to my eyes when applying. Upon reading the SDS, I discovered that this product is in fact not VOC free, but due to a loophole since the VOCs are below 19 g/L (at 240 F), they consider them negligible. The SDS also confirms that the primary hazard is that it will cause severe eye irritation if in direct contact (although the vapors can also do this to a mild extent) and secondarily mild dermatitis if not using gloves. These shortcomings knock off a star. Second, this caulking is the stickiest, messiest caulking I have ever worked with. You have to be experienced at caulking to get good results because this is difficult to work with. Wearing disposable gloves is absolutely necessary (with multiple glove changes) because it is virtually impossible to get off of your hands unless you scrub multiple times and use alcohol before washing. Plus you must be very careful not to touch anything unintended (like the floor, knobs, or other tools) as it will transfer everywhere and make a mess that is difficult to remove. It also has more of a sheen than other caulking (satin to semigloss), which can be annoying because it might require painting to match the wall or ceiling finish (usually eggshell and flat, respectively), yet another step. These shortcomings knock off another star. Overall I recommend this product if you have any sort of chemical sensitivities, especially with inhalation. It's the best out there in this regard; it isn't perfect perfect though, but what else is there? I wouldn't expect any caulking that applies wet and cures into a rubber to have zero VOCs and have no irritation. All such caulking is a polymer, which requires solvents to flow from the tube and may still be irritating, likely from the free radical initiators needed for crosslinking the polymer chains during curing/drying. The only truly VOC-free caulking (that is also virtually mess free) is rope caulking putty like Mortite. So short of using rope caulk, give this a try, but be aware of the caveats I mention above.

Clipped off the tip, put it in the standard caulk gun, and started "clicking" the trigger... well, trying to. The handle pulled back so hard that I double and triple checked that I had actually clipped off enough of the tip to make a hole. I could see down into the tube from the tip just fine, and when I did finally force the plunger ahead a bit still nothing was coming out the front. So I took it out of the caulk gun, and it was leaking out the back. I don't know if the tube was too old (although, I got it only about a month and a half ago) or if they are just all like that - since there is no expiration date I could find anywhere. But definitely a bad experience.

So glad this company makes a non toxic product. Easy to work with. Highly recommend.

Used for bat boxes

Very difficult to use with a standard caulking gun as it's VERY thick. The gun struggled and nearly all of the product squished out the other end. I had a very generous tip cut too. What a waste. Also, cleanup of this product is a nightmare. If you are not careful, it's residue will transfer to EVERYTHING and mess up your tools. They state to use alcohol for cleanup, which is difficult to get in large quantities for cleanup. A citrus solvent also worked on hands. I got this since I wanted an eco option, but I ended up wasting more cleaning products and wasting half the tube. Good news, there is no off-gassing.