EarthTalk: Safer carpet-cleaning options available

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Dear EarthTalk: My carpets need professional cleaning, but I don’t want chemicals and fumes in my house. Some companies advertise “safe,” but I’m not sure.Traditional commercial carpet-cleaning solutions contain a cocktail of noxious synthetic chemicals. One, perchloroethylene, commonly called “perc,” is a dry-cleaning additive known to cause dizziness, fatigue and nausea if ingested or inhaled. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also links perc to kidney and liver damage. Another chemical, naphthalene, is considered toxic to the central nervous system and a possible carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

— Suzie Franklin DeFazio, via e-mail

 

These and other harsh chemicals get into the air of a room when applied during cleaning and also can be ingested by kids who play on the floor soon afterward. Carpet cleaning chemicals also can pollute local groundwater if disposed of improperly (such as directly down a drain). Wastewater from carpet cleaning requires treatment and/or filtration to neutralize contaminants.

A new type of professional cleaning service has sprung up that uses more natural solutions. Some of the newer and more green-friendly cleaning solutions used by professional services are plant- instead of chemical-based and include such brand names as Bi-O-Kleen, Capture, AFM SafeChoice, NatureClean, SimpleGreen and Seventh Generation’s Natural Citrus Carpet Cleaner.

Many carpet-cleaning services have greened-up their processes recently. If you need your carpets cleaned, call around and ask questions. If a service doesn’t know if its cleaning solution is plant or chemical based, or if the employees don’t have systems in place to treat or transport wastewater responsibly after cleaning, they should probably be avoided.

A few chains also stand out for their commitment to more natural operations. ChemDry uses carbonating cleaning bubbles instead of chemicals to remove dirt from carper fibers. The company says it uses a fraction of the water of other services and avoids harmful detergents, solvents and enzymes. Another is Zoots, which runs “green” dry cleaning stores in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States.

Keeping carpets clean to begin with is one way to minimize the need for professional cleanings. The Web site Eartheasy.com suggests spot cleaning carpet stains with a solution of equal parts white vinegar and water. The solution can be sprayed onto stains and then sponged up a few minutes later with warm, soapy water. Hardier stains might warrant an overnight treatment with a paste made from salt, borax and vinegar, which can be vacuumed up the next morning.

For more ideas, Sierra Club Canada’s “Safe Alternatives to Household Hazardous Products” offers many additional home remedies for spot-cleaning carpets.

Got an environmental question? Send it to: EarthTalk, c/o E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; submit it at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/thisweek/, or e-mail: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Read past columns at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/.archives.php