Green Carpet Cleaning

According to the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI), over 70% of floor coverings in the United States are carpeted. Since most office buildings are carpeted and carpeted floors are cleaned differently than tile floors, it’s important to know how to best clean carpet floors in order to not only get rid of germs, but also routine carpet maintenance extends the life of the carpet.

When cleaning the carpet, it’s important to use HEPA (High-Efficiency Particle Air) filers that are able to remove a minimum of 99.97% of all particles which are greater than .3 micrometers. Don’t use “HEPA-type” filters which only are able to capture 80% of dirt particles of about .1 micrometers in size.

When using cleaning solutions on your carpet, it is best to use environmentally friendly cleaning solutions. There are many products which advertise themselves as “green,” but the way to ensure that the cleaning products both clean effectively and are really green and environmentally friendly are by only using “green” cleaning solutions that are certified by green cleaning organizations that are approved effective by the government.

When looking for environmentally friendly cleaning products, check to make sure that they have the green seal of approval by such organizations as: Green Seal, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), Design for the Environment (DfE), EcoLogo, among others.

Many certified products are multi-purposed, so depending upon the dilution, they may be used for several cleaning steps — from spotting and pre-spraying, to actual carpet shampooing. This makes cleaning easier, quicker and more effective.