Any good carpet will sometimes need a proper cleaning, whether one in the home or in a public building such as an office, bank, or city hall. Anything could end up on those carpets: food and drink such as coffee or soup, vomit, pet waste, and many more substances one would rather not see end up on their carpet. There is a sizeable industry for carpet cleaning done professionally, which may include hot water extraction methods, steam cleaning equipment, and more from any carpet cleaning service. Sometimes, however, these cleaning services use harmful, chemical-based solutions for their work, and this can lessen air quality and is generally not environmentally friendly. Even private homeowners doing their own carpet cleaning job may end up using harmful chemicals to remove stains, spots, and pests such as mites or particles such as dust. Another solution, meanwhile, is eco-friendly carpet cleaning. As for the substances and methods used for eco-friendly carpet cleaning, there are more ways to remove dirt and stains than industrial chemicals.
Cleaning Carpets
Cleaning a public building’s carpet or a home’s carpet regularly is a great way to keep it smelling and looking (and feeling fresh), and the benefits extend to removing allergens and tiny insects and even bacteria from the carpet. A carpet free of allergens would be welcome for anyone with health issues such as asthma or certain allergies like dust. A dirty carpet can be a considerable hazard, or at the very least unpleasant. It may surprise some to learn that a carpet, even if it looks clean, may hold up to one pound of dirt in one square yard. Dirt is not always visible, and neither are allergens. After all, allergies rank as the 6th most common chronic health issue in the United States, with 50 million people dealing with various allergies across the nation. It has been found that indoor air often has twice as much dust as outdoor air, and given how carpets can hold three to four times their weight in dust and dirt, the simple act of people walking on carpets can kick up this dust and dirt and set off those allergies.
Pet dander is another concern in households that contain cats or dogs, and 5-10% of Americans are allergic to it. Carpets can quickly be coated with such materials, triggering even more allergic reactions. And on top of allergies, dirty carpets can host many dust mites. Such mites can live in dense concentrations; 2,000 of them can live in one ounce of carpet dust if they have enough dead skin cells to feed on. All this, and the threat of food and drink stains, leads many to hiring carpet cleaning services or doing it oneself. But instead of using chemicals for cleaners, professionals and homeowners may consider eco-friendly carpet cleaning methods instead.
Eco-Friendly Carpet Cleaning
According to Mother Nature Network, vacuuming is only the first step to getting a carpet clean. Noxious chemicals such as perchloroethylene are sometimes used, and these chemicals are not only potential carcinogens but their fumes can cause nausea, dizziness, and irritation of the eyes or nose. These problems may also present themselves to pets present in the home. Instead, a homeowner can ask a cleaner about eco-friendly carpet cleaning, where plant-based solvents are used for the cleaning job. These plant-based solutions do not cause irritation or any other negative side effects, and some home remedies can be used for spot cleaning as well. For example, salt works well on mud, dirt, or red wine stains on the carpet, while club soda is effective on coffee stains. Cornstarch and cornmeal are effective on grease stains, and baking soda, when sprinkled over the carpet, can help quash odors. And when a homeowner rents a commercial steam cleaner, he or she can wash it out with warm water to remove any residual chemicals that were on the last carpet that the steamer was used on. And buying one’s own steam cleaning unit is a surefire way to know that no chemicals or pesticide residue are present in the home’s carpet or in the steamer’s water.
