Can you be green and still clean your carpet?
Green. Cleansed. Can these two objectives be met in a floor cleaning company? The answer is yes, but you may have to ask some tough questions during your search for a service.
Whether it’s an issue of ethics and care for the environment, or health due to asthma, allergies, chemical sensitivities, you need to know what people use in your home. Are the solutions dangerous for children or pets? Could they kill your fish? Make your dog vomit? Allow mold or mildew to grow?
These are awkward questions to ask when you need to clean your furniture, carpet, or tile floors. But you need to find out if any of these health or environmental issues are important to you. You know who you are! You’re the ones who can’t check into a motel room without asking not to smoke. You can’t just grab any old detergent or spray air fresheners. You can’t afford the headaches that unsuitable materials can cause.
1. Anyone who comes to repair your home must be trained and know what they are using. One company that emphasizes highly trained professionals is the Chem-Dry ® Network. Technicians earn stars to represent their experience and knowledge.
They must pass both written and on-the-job tests to show they know how to use the equipment and solutions. A 5-star technician represents more than two years of experience and five levels of in-depth training in all types of flooring and upholstery.
2. Every product used should have an MSDS, a material safety data sheet, that travels with the chemicals when shipped, and should be on hand for you to see if you need to know exactly what’s in that spray bottle.
After all, it is YOUR home! Inform the technician of any chemical sensitivities and ask them to use the least toxic solutions possible to get the job done. Chem-Dry offers The Natural ® which is rated 1 on a 1-5 toxicity scale by the FDA. It is classified as “Edible”.
3. How will these products affect your pets? Should they be completely removed from the rooms or the dwelling while cleaning is carried out? Will the technician cover any fish tanks while using solvents or propellants on furniture? A tank full of expensive fish that die after their upholstery has been treated will not be appreciated.
Pets that have a habit of licking their paws should not walk on newly protected carpets until they are dry, to avoid stomach upset.
If you have problems with pet urine (or human accidents), know that this noxious odor can be eliminated. Each case is evaluated using a black light to see where the spots are located, as well as the sense of smell. Even past accidents will light up as if someone poured bleach on those spots, allowing the technician to treat all problem areas. A Pet Urine Removal Treatment ® can wake up and then remove urine deposits on the pad and carpet. Occasionally, extensive damage may require removal of the affected pad, treatment of the subfloor, and carpet, but carpet replacement is rarely necessary.
4. If you already have environmental problems, such as water damage, mold, pet dander, or dust mite allergies, ask what can be done. Anti-mold, quick-dry and anti-mite treatments can help. One customer had the most incredible experience: he was actually a new technician who had been sleeping on the hardwood floor in his hallway so he could breathe at night. After cleaning with Chem-Dry, he reported, “I slept in my own room, and everyone can breathe so much easier now! I’m amazed that cleaning makes such a difference!”
Dirt lines along the walls or doors indicate a problem with the heating and cooling system that is drawing dirt to those spots. This tends to be a greasy mess, difficult to remove with ordinary methods. Called filtration lines, these stains can be mitigated by frequent vacuuming with an edge tool, aggressive cleaning with Filtration Line Remover ® , and thorough caulking of floor and wall joints when installing new carpet.
5. How will the products be disposed of? Most can be flushed down the toilet for stamping treatment. Some can be released into landscaping without harming plants. Others must be disposed of in sealed drums at the store (dry cleaning chemicals fall into this category).
If it’s not safe for you to be around it, it’s not safe for the environment. That’s why Chem-Dry ® uses careful testing and FDA oversight to ensure the best processes and equipment are used in your home or office. Personally, I wouldn’t use any other cleaning method and was such a happy customer that I jumped at the chance to have my own Chem-Dry® business.