Green Carpet Cleaning

Choosing your flooring can be a tough choice when weighing options such as function, price and taste.  Whether it is broadloom, Berber, sisal or shag, those of us with carpet in the home need to properly maintain this flooring, both for its longevity and our health, which means going beyond vacuuming.  It is hard to tell when a carpet is truly dirty because dirt can be microscopic and unsuspecting.  Carpet fibers hang on to a plethora of unwelcomed guests  including dirt, dust, allergens, pet dander, air pollutants, pesticides, lead and mercury, not to mention mold if they get wet.  These are bad enough for healthy people, but imagine how those whose health issues are exacerbated when the carpets are dirty cope! 

The Problem

Have you ever used a really strong vacuum on your carpets and been slightly offended to see how much was vacuumed up?  Even with the most powerful vacuum, you are still not doing the kind of job a carpet cleaning can do. In fact you are only picking up about 78% of what lives in your carpets with a high-performance vacuum. 

Carpet cleaning may not seem eco-friendly since traditional shampooing methods waste water, use heavy chemicals, and can damage carpets.  In fact, many people are wary about using a carpet 'steam cleaner' because they hear it soaks and ruins the under padding, which can happen.   Further, after shampooing takes place, the windows have to be left open for extended periods of time or the air conditioner has to be cranked up really high, and it takes hours or even a couple of days to dry.  Once done, the residue from the shampoo that did not rinse out actually attracts more dirt and grime.  This is counterintuitive! I am not a fan of shampooing a carpet for these reasons.

However, I would not be pouring my heart out about this without an alternative amazing eco-friendly cleaning solution for carpets.  There have been great strides in cleaning technology to provide green, efficient and quality carpet cleaning solutions. 

The Solution

What I recommend is the electro-static carpet cleaning process for many great reasons.  Check your local listings to find a service provider near you, there are quite a few owner-operator companies opening up (and of course, do your reference checks first).  Here is why I like electro-static carpet cleaning so much:  Firstly, it is eco-friendly and it uses less water. You should ensure the service provider offers an Eco-Logo certified (or comparable certification) cleaning solution, which is lightly scented or scent-free and is misted on the carpets.   Secondly, it does not take as long to dry as other methods (so you can go back in the house in sock feet in a couple of hours, without the risk of soaking your under padding) and third, it does not leave residue behind.  The pricing is similar to a professional 'steam cleaner' or 'shampooer', perhaps a little higher, but it is well worth it.

The machine looks like a floor buffer and has a rotating disc head that does the dirty work.  The disc is covered in a microfiber 'bonnet' (kind of like a flat mop head) and many of these bonnets are used during the cleaning to lift the dirt as the technician covers the carpeted area.  It is also a safer and gentler method to use on carpets, and can be used on more types of carpet. It will not pull or damage the fiber, which means your carpets look better for longer.  Oh, and they do a fabulous job of lifting out dirt, stains and odors!

I hope I have given you the motivation to find one of these electro-static carpet cleaning companies and try this technique.  Moving toward eco-friendly cleaning methods, technologies and products does not mean we have to compromise quality!