Before taking your carpet in for a super toxic clean, consider whether you want to live with all those chemicals.
Carpets add a lot to any room – color, warmth, a way to decrease echo… and if you usually have your carpets cleaned traditionally, they add a lot of toxic chemical residues as well. Most carpet cleaners use the same nasty chemical used by traditional dry cleaners – perchloroethylene (Perc) – which can cause both short and long term health damage. But, as with dry cleaning, eco-friendly alternatives are popping up everywhere so that you can get green home carpet cleaning.
So if you were hoping that flying your carpet around in true Middle Eastern style would be enough to get the dust and stains out… but just couldn’t get your carpet to fly? Now you can look for an alternative.
These eco-friendly cleaning services generally use plant-based cleaning solutions (instead of chemical-based ones). Additionally, they use steam cleaning, which is effective and damage-free to you, your carpet, and the environment.
We have not been able to locate any environmentally friendly carpet cleaners in the Middle East area yet, so if you know of one please share it in the comments section below. Alternatively, you could ask your local carpet cleaner if they use any alternative methods that are not as bad for the environment.
Before you resort to a full-on professional carpet cleaning, though, here are some things you can do at home:
- Prevent your carpets from accumulating dirt and dust by removing shoes before stepping onto your carpets.
- Spot clean stains with eco-friendly cleaning solutions, such as a homemade solution of equal parts white vinegar and water.
- Vacuum your carpet regularly.
Image via: Jayneangela
If you have any tips on green carpet cleaning please share in the comments section.
Read more about green cleaning::
Get Your Dry Cleaning Wet
Rinse, Spin, Green Cycle: Environmentally Friendly Laundromat Chain in Tel Aviv
Green Prophets Start at Home: The Living Room
Author: Karen Chernick
Much to the disappointment of her Moroccan grandmother, Karen became a vegetarian at the age of seven because of a heartfelt respect for other forms of life. She also began her journey to understand her surroundings and her impact on the environment. She even starting an elementary school Ecology Club and an environmental newsletter in the 3rd grade. (The proceeds of the newsletter went to non-profit environmental organizations, of course.) She now studies in New York. Karen can be reached at karen (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
There are two main types of carpet cleaning. The wet method or steam cleaning and the dry cleaning method. Using EPA tested or environmentally safe products are the only way to go. These types of products are low in soap and do not contain any harmful chemicals. When hiring a carpet cleaning company make sure to ask what type of cleaning they use. Your carpets will stay cleaner a lot longer and will maintain the longevity of your investment!
Many cleaning companies offer cleaning with eco friendly products. It’s fact that cleaning with natural products is better for health and environment. I hired after builders cleaning London company that used green products for cleaning the mess left from the renovations. And can say that green products clean as good as those with chemicals.