ZERO Residue TRUE-GREEN BabySafeTM Carpet Cleaning
Cleaning Green For Your Environment
Green carpet cleaning is a process, not just a new ingredient in a cleaning solution. ZERO Residue TRUE-GREEN BabySafe™ by CLEAN Choice recognizes the connectivity of the entire cleaning process, including the cleaning technician him/herself.
ZERO Residue TRUE-GREEN BabySafe™ puts just as much emphasis upon the process and the procedures and the overall dedication of the cleaning technicians and the carpet cleaning company as it does on the cleaning solution itself. To market green cleaning any other way to the consumer is only going to contribute to a hugely potential of "false security." As Dr. Michael Berry has stated, doing the right thing also needs to become doing the rational thing."
"What does green carpet cleaning really mean?"
There are at least seven ways "cleaning green" could be measured when you are looking at the impact of cleaning solutions on the world around us.
- The outdoor environmental impact and footprint - Are the cleaning solutions rapidly biodegradable? What impact does it have on the environment to access the raw ingredients that make up those cleaning solutions?
- Indoor environmental quality - The cleaning green process should not only improve the appearance of the surface being cleaned, it should also improve the environmental air quality by removing soil, allergens, pollutants, contaminants, and particles from the indoor environment. It should do this without the overuse of the "green cleaning" solutions.
- Sustainability and the use of renewable resources - What are the sources for the ingredients that make up the "green cleaning" solutions? Many surfactants and most solvents are derived from petroleum oil - a limited resource that requires environmental impact to extract or pump. We now have safer and effective green cleaning detergents that are comprised of surfactants derived from plants and seeds. These are renewable resources that can be sustained over a long period of time. However, there are still some surfactants that are considered green even though their source is not readily renewable, simply because they are from a natural environment.
- Reducing use of resources - The more concentrated the green cleaning solution is, the less resources are used to transport it from the manufacturer to the user and so on. Concentration and dilution rates are critical parts of the cleaning green process. Generally, the less green cleaning solution we have to use, the better.
- The health impact upon the occupants of the business or home, as well as the cleaning technician themselves - Are the green cleaning solutions non-toxic and safer to use? Do they contribute to issues of those who are chemically sensitive with strong fragrances or dyes? What about the impact on the cleaning technician who is exposed to the cleaning solution day in and day out?
- What is the impact of the "new" green cleaning chemistry upon the construction and texture of the surface being cleaned - If these "green" cleaning solutions truly are "new" technology, how do we know what their impact is on the surface being cleaned? Traditional cleaning solutions have been used on carpets, hard floors, countertops, bathroom fixtures and more for years and years. Should we just assume that a new green cleaning solution does not have any effect on the construction and texture of those surfaces?
- Carpet Cleaning GREEN effectiveness - This may well be the most important measurement of whether the cleaning solution is truly "green." If cleaning is defined as the "proper removal, collection, and disposal of unwanted matter from a surface or environment," then cleaning itself is a "green process." We want to make sure it breaks down, dissolves, emulsifies, and allows for complete removal of the soils, allergens, contaminants, particulates, and pollutants from the surface being cleaned. If a cleaning technician is trying to clean an extremely soiled surface, and the "green" cleaning solution is not effectively doing it, then the natural tendency is to use more of the cleaning solution. This can lead to the overuse or misuse of the "green" cleaning chemical. A build up of "plant or seed derived" surfactants on a surface being applied and not extracted, can lead to a "mold farm" of left behind surfactants, certainly not a "green cleaning" principle.
