Perhaps you've heard of or experienced this horror story.
After a wet winter, you want to have your carpets professionally cleaned. But the carpet service sends a kid who's just learned how to work the cleaning machine, and he over-soaks your rug or uses too much shampoo in the process.
By the time the carpet dries, mold has taken root. Or the soapy detergent dries, then begins to attract dirt at such a rate that your floor looks worse than it did before you had it cleaned.
When you need a professional cleaning, don't be afraid to ask for references. And when you're looking for a way to clean them in an eco-friendly manner, consider the products the cleaning company uses, and how much water and energy their process consumes.
"When having carpets professionally cleaned, find a service that uses a non-chemical and low-water process, and run fans afterwards to make sure that the carpeting dries quickly," advises the Environmental Protection Agency.
Many carpet cleaners have to run the engines of their water trucks to power the cleaning process, as well, spewing pollution into the air.
Water from hot-water extraction carpet cleaning (also called steam-cleaning) shouldn't be disposed of anywhere it could end up in wetlands, ponds, streams or lakes.
If you plan to hire a company that uses hot-water extraction methods, inquire how the company disposes of its "dirty water" that collects in its tank after a cleaning. If they're hesitant to answer, it's likely environmental concerns aren't a priority in their business.
Be wary of the cleaning solutions some carpet cleaners use, as well. Though the industry has introduced several less toxic or non-toxic solutions in recent years, two chemicals found in some cleaning agents -- perchloroethylene and naphthalene -- are considered toxic to humans.
There are dry-method products on the market that purport to be non-toxic and eco-friendly. Host, a patented carpet-cleaning agent, is a natural cellulose-based product that is spread onto a carpet virtually dry.
"Host uses a teaspoon of water per square foot of carpeting to be cleaned," said Deborah Nabozny-Rimbey, owner of Lady Bug Carpet Care in Boulder County.
Nabozny-Rimbey uses the Host method, which is certified by Green Seal, an independent non-profit organization devoted to high environmental standards.
The cellulose attracts dirt, allergens, hair and dust mites in the carpet, Nabozny-Rimbey said.
"It dries within about 10 minutes, and then we vacuum it out with a powerful HEPA vacuum," she said.
Host is biodegradable and can be put into a garden or flower compost. Lady Bug buys the product in large buckets, and Nabozny-Rimbey recycles the buckets by making them into kitchen garden planters, she said.
If you're spot cleaning, there are easy, non-toxic ways to get the stain out.
"The magic carpet cleaner is club soda," said Hank Fineberg, owner of Alpine Carpet and Tile in Boulder. "Keep a six pack of little bottles of club soda in the house so that it keeps its effervescence. If you have a big bottle and open it, then it goes flat and doesn't do what it's supposed to do."
The secret to getting stains out of carpet, Fineberg said, is getting to the stain as soon as possible.
"If it dries in, then what you do is pour a little bit of club soda on it, let it bubble, then blot it," he said. "Don't smear it around."
For tough stains, pour a small amount of mild dish detergent on the spot to cut the grease, Fineberg said. Then rinse and blot the spot four or five times to remove all the detergent.
Fineberg also said that most carpeting these days can stand up to as much vacuuming as you want to give it. Avoid the big cleans by rolling your vacuum over your rug on a regular basis.
For wool carpet, Fineberg said to raise your vacuum's brush level so that it doesn't fuzzy up the fibers. On synthetic carpets, adjust the brush to the lowest setting where you don't smell rubber burning.
Contact Mark Collins at 303-473-1369 or BDCTheater@comcast.net.
