Over the years, I have had many clients ask me, “Do you offer green carpet and upholstery cleaning?” My answer is usually not a simple yes or no.
Yes, I do have green cleaning products available and can use them when a client specifically requests them. However, I also believe people deserve an honest explanation about cleaning products and what they can realistically expect from them.
After more than 56 years in the carpet and upholstery cleaning industry, I have learned that there is no single cleaning product that is ideal for every situation.
Different Types of Soil Require Different Cleaning Products
Think about all the different cleaning products we use in everyday life.
We have products designed for doing laundry, washing dishes, washing a car, washing our hair, and cleaning countless other things around our homes.
We don’t expect one product to do every job equally well.
Different cleaning products are designed to do different things. Depending upon what we are trying to remove, a cleaner may need to penetrate, emulsify, dissolve, or loosen particular types of soil, oils, and other contaminants.
Once those unwanted materials have been loosened and suspended in the cleaning solution, they can then be removed through rinsing or extraction.
Professional carpet and upholstery cleaning works on the same basic principle.
The goal is to select the proper cleaning agent for the particular carpet or fabric and for the type of soil we are trying to remove. Professional cleaning products contain carefully selected ingredients that may include detergents, surfactants, and buffering agents that help the product perform its intended job.
Once the cleaning process has done its work, the cleaning solution and the contaminants it has loosened are removed from the carpet or upholstery.
In many ways, it is no different from washing dishes, doing laundry, or washing your hair.
So, Are Green Cleaning Products Effective?
The honest answer is that they can be effective.
I have green cleaning products available, and there are situations where they can provide satisfactory results.
However, based upon the green products I have personally used, as well as information I have read about others, I have found that they do not always have the same cleaning capabilities as the professional products normally used in our industry.
That does not mean green cleaning products don’t work.
It simply means that, depending upon the type and amount of soil involved, I would not necessarily expect the same final level of cleaning that I might achieve using professional cleaning products that have been developed, tested, and used successfully in our industry for many decades.
If a client specifically requests green cleaning, we can certainly accommodate that request. I simply want the client to understand that the choice of cleaning products may sometimes affect the final results.
My responsibility is to give the client an honest answer and allow them to decide what is most important to them.
What About Exposure to Professional Cleaning Products?
I sometimes ask clients to think about exposure in a practical way.
For example, I may come into someone’s home once a year—or perhaps even less frequently—to professionally clean their carpeting or upholstery.
The products used during that cleaning are applied for the purpose of doing a particular job and are then rinsed and extracted as part of the cleaning process.
Now compare that occasional exposure to someone like myself who spent more than five decades working in the professional cleaning industry, often using cleaning products for eight to ten hours a day.
During my career, I personally have not experienced health problems that I associate with the proper use of the professional cleaning products I used. I also cannot recall knowing others in the industry who experienced problems that I would associate with the normal professional use of these products.
Of course, that does not mean that every person reacts to every product in exactly the same way.
There are always exceptions.
A Client Who Was Extremely Sensitive to Odors
Many years ago, I had a client who lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She owned an architectural company and had several employees. Her office was located in the finished basement of her three-story home.
She was also extremely sensitive to chemical odors and other fragrances.
One day, after her office had closed, we cleaned several upholstered chairs in the basement office. One of the professional cleaning products we used had an ammonia-based odor.
Ammonia evaporates relatively quickly, but this client was sensitive enough to notice the odor even while she was several floors away on the third floor of her home.
The odor bothered her enough that she decided to leave the house for a few hours until the smell had dissipated.
I continued doing work for her after that, and I took her sensitivity very seriously.
Whenever we were considering using a different cleaning product in her home or office, I wanted to be as careful as possible.
In some cases, I would apply the cleaning product to a small sample of fabric, allow the fabric to dry, and mail the sample to her.
I asked her to pin the sample to her blouse so it would remain close to her face for a period of time.
My purpose was simple: I wanted to make sure that even after the product had dried, she was not bothered by any residual odor or anything associated with the cleaning product before we used it in her home or office.
I completely understood her concerns, and I believe people with unusual sensitivities deserve to have those concerns taken seriously.
The Word “Chemical” Has Developed a Negative Image
I understand why many people are concerned when they hear the word “chemical.”
Over the years, the word itself has developed a very negative image.
But sometimes we don’t stop to think about the products we are exposed to every day.
Consider scented candles, air fresheners, laundry products, shampoos, conditioners, soaps, personal-care products, and many of the other items we regularly use in our homes.
Some of these products are used every day. Some are intentionally designed to leave behind a fragrance that remains around us for hours.
That doesn’t mean people shouldn’t ask questions about the products being used in their homes.
They absolutely should.
And if someone has a particular sensitivity or preference, I believe that concern should be discussed before the cleaning begins.
My Honest Answer About Green Carpet Cleaning
So, when someone asks me whether we offer green carpet or upholstery cleaning, my answer is yes.
Yes, we have green cleaning products available, and yes, we can clean your carpeting or upholstery using them.
However, I also believe in being honest about the possible differences in cleaning performance.
Different types of soil require different cleaning approaches and different cleaning agents. In some situations, a green cleaning product may produce very good results. In other situations, the professional cleaning products that have been used and refined in our industry for decades may simply be better suited for the job.
My goal has never been to use a particular product simply because it is labeled “green” or because it has a more traditional chemical-sounding name.
My goal is to use the cleaning method and products that are most appropriate for the particular carpet or fabric and the type of soil that needs to be removed.
And when a client has a particular concern, sensitivity, or preference, I believe that conversation should take place before the cleaning begins.
After more than 56 years in this industry, I still believe that giving clients an honest answer—even when the answer isn’t a simple yes or no—is the best way to help them make an informed decision.
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