Two important questions our clients have about green and eco-friendly carpet cleaning:
- What makes cleaning Green?
- Everybody claims “green”. How can we be certain that a product is green and healthier for us?
Being “green” mean many things and is not limited solely to non-toxicity. For example- Do products have low “embodied energy” (the energy required to produce and transport materials); or: Are they obtained from local resources and manufacturers?
Here we have limited our answers to what relates directly to our cleaning–creating a healthier environment in your home:
What makes cleaning green?
A cleaning is green if we use products with ingredients that are safe for humans (us), our pets and our home:
At Expert Clean & Green we use products that are:
- Eco-friendly, non-toxic, non-reactive, non-carcinogenic and no VOC.
- Made from the highest quality ingredients, including natural enzymes, citrus peel, grapefruit and botanical extracts. We also carry Fragrance-Free products for people with scent sensitivities.
- Contain no dangerous compounds such as caustics, butyls, quaternary ammonia, artificial fragrances, or chemical brighteners.
- Exceed the standards for “readily bio-degradable”.
- Not tested on laboratory animals. Absolutely cruelty free.
- Whenever possible made using natural and/or renewable resources
- Less toxic than the lowest category for “minimum toxicity” set by environment and government agencies.
- Clean exceptionally well.
A cleaning is green if it removes as much soil and pollutants from the carpet (rug, upholstery) as possible without leaving unhealthy residue. This makes for a healthier home environment.
Green is not only what we use it is also how we clean: Deep flushing and thorough rinsing is the most important part of healthy cleaning. Dissolving the soil is part one. Flushing it out and making sure the fabric is left in an optimally clean condition is time consuming yet essential. A fabric that is not rinsed well is neither clean nor healthy for you.
We use high flow cleaning and slow, deep rinse passes. It will leave your sofa and carpet nearly dry and residue free. It will prolong its life and is healthier for you and yours.
How can we be certain that a product is really green?
Very good question. Everybody these days claims “green”, very few actually certify it. Therefore, without a trustworthy certification, you are left with only one choice- accepting their word for it. In our opinion – not good enough!
Here is a better alternative: We use green products that carry one of the following trustworthy environmental certificates:
Products that carry the above certificates comply with the strict non-toxic requirements of well-known and trustworthy organizations like the EPA’s- “Safer Choice”, “Green Seal” or UL’s- “Eco-Logo”.
Whenever possible, we do not use or trust products by manufactures that bypass the above certificates and create their own “green” ones. Usually they will include the word green somewhere in their name. These products rely on third party certificates that to our knowledge are not required to follow the above strict guidelines.
*Since we consider eco-friendly products also to be hypoallergenic and fragrance free, we offer this option at no extra charge.
Expert Clean & Green offers green, eco-friendly, non-toxic carpet, upholstery and rug cleaning in Grass Valley, Auburn, Nevada City, San Mateo & San Francisco.