Mr. Sawchuk

Eco-Friendly Practices

Trends in Carpet Cleaning Chemicals

By Mike Sawchuk, President & General Manager, Enviro-Solutions

When it comes to most facilities, including hotel properties, hard surface floors and carpets can make a first-and lasting-impression. Glistening floors and clean and spotless carpets tell the visitor and hotel guest that this is a clean, well-maintained property.

However, just the opposite can have serious repercussions. Some studies have found that if common area floors and carpets of a hotel do not look well cared for or if there is malodor from carpets, the guest is "put on guard," looking to see if the rest of the hotel, especially the guest rooms, is also poorly kept.

For this reason, hotel managers and housekeeping departments must always place extra attention to floor and carpet care. This requires that all cleaning personnel be well trained and educated in floor/carpet care procedures.

Carpet Care Confusion

And when it comes to carpet cleaning, this can be more complicated because there are so many different methods to clean carpets, types of soils and fibers, an entire spectrum of carpet cleaning machines and extractors, as well as cleaning chemicals. A first step in clearing the confusion usually starts with a better understanding of the different types of chemicals now available for cleaning carpets and how to properly use them.

Case in point:

A cleaning crew with limited experience cleaning carpets was asked to clean the hallway carpeting of a large hotel facility. Using a rotary floor machine to shampoo the carpets, the appropriate carpet cleaning attachments, and a tank filled with properly diluted carpet cleaning solution, they cleaned each hallway carpet over the course of a week.

Initially the carpets looked terrific and the housekeeping manager was very happy. However, within a few days, the hallway carpets began soiling. Within a couple of weeks, they were looking worse than they had before the carpet cleaning.

The crew was baffled as to how this occurred. Although admittedly inexperienced, they had shampooed the carpets just as they were instructed. The problem, however, was in the chemicals they used, which were not appropriate for the type of cleaning method and/or carpet cleaned. They left a residue that in a short time became sticky, causing soil to attach readily to carpet fibers, and leave the carpet dingy and unattractive.

The Chemical Advantage

At the time this scenario occurred, cleaning professionals had a tendency to believe that most carpet cleaning chemicals were essentially alike. Indeed, a recent survey found that many carpet cleaners do not believe carpet cleaning chemicals clean much better than water, further minimizing their importance and the need to use them properly.

Possibly this was true at one time, but it certainly it is no longer the case. Today there are many types of effective carpet cleaning chemicals and ingredients for different types of carpets, soils, methods, and cleaning situations.

In addition, environmentally preferable carpet cleaning products have been introduced that appear to perform as well as-if not better than-traditional carpet cleaning products while having a greatly reduced impact on the environment. These Green carpet cleaning chemicals are likely to have a major impact on the hotel industry in the coming years because so many properties are transferring to Green cleaning systems.

Examples of different types of chemicals and ingredients hotel housekeepers should be aware of include:

Enzymes: Some carpet cleaning chemicals include enzymes. These typically break down food soils, urine, feces and other contaminants embedded in carpet fibers into water-soluble components so that they can be easily removed in the extraction process. There are also different types of enzyme-based cleaning products to remove different types of soils.

At one time, different types of enzyme-based chemicals were not available in the same product. They would essentially attack and break down each other, leaving the product ineffective. However, chemical-buffering agents have been developed that allow different enzymes in the same product. The advantage here is that one product may be used effectively to eradicate more than one type of soil substance. This improvement also reduces the number of chemicals necessary to clean carpets.

Additionally, enzymes are considered more environmentally "friendly" than other carpet cleaning chemicals. This is because they do not have a high pH or alkaline formulation, making them safer for the environment. However, they still may not be considered healthy for the environment due to their surfactants.

Enzyme-based chemicals are also known for their odor-eating capabilities. They actually digest odor-causing bacteria and microbes rather than mask them with a fragrance. Enzymes work well with different carpet cleaning methods-shampoo, bonnet, as well as extraction-and can be mixed with either hot or cold water.

Synthetic Rinses: To help prevent resoling, some housekeepers and carpet cleaning professionals use a synthetic rinse, especially when cleaning synthetic or wool carpets. Having a slightly acidic formulation, a synthetic rinse helps neutralize high-alkaline chemicals found in prespray solutions. And using the rinsing solution with the carpet extraction method better removes emulsified soil and helps remove chemical residue, leaving carpet fibers clean, and soft.

H202 Cleaners: These hydrogen peroxide-based cleaners are often used for spotting or in pre-spray treatments. H202 cleaners are colorless and can remove most organic bacteria, spots, and stain efficiently, with minimal impact on the user or the environment. The cleaning formula penetrates then lifts and oxidizes stains and odors. The H202 as well as remnants of the stain dry to a powder that can be vacuumed away.

Degreasers: Housekeepers will often shampoo or bonnet clean carpets, especially hallway or areas near food service areas as in the example discussed earlier, on a regular basis to keep them looking clean and fresh. However, in almost all cases, the carpets will eventually need to be cleaned using hot-water extraction, generally considered the most thorough and effective way to clean soiled carpets.

Often carpet degreasers are used in these situations, especially in heavily trafficked areas. Just as degreasers are often used to clean hotel kitchen floors because they help dissolve grease and soil, they are also used in carpeted areas that have considerable soil, stains, and oily residues, which call for a more aggressive cleaning chemical. The degreaser helps emulsify the soil, allowing it to more easily be removed in extraction.

Dry Carpet Cleaning Methods: Many hotel properties clean their carpets using a "dry" method. This involves sprinkling a specially ground powder on the carpets, allowing it to set (dwell) for a few minutes. The powder absorbs soil and stains as it dwells. The same area is then vacuumed, removing the powder, and along with it, the stains.

The Green Component

The past decade has seen the development of carpet cleaning chemicals that are proven and certified safer for users, hotel guests and staff, and have less impact on the environment.

Unfortunately, many of the ingredients formulated to produce early traditional carpet cleaning chemicals were still identified to have allergens that could cause skin, eye, or respiratory tract irritation or trigger asthma attacks as well as other illnesses.

It has been in just the past couple of years that environmentally preferable and Green certified carpet cleaning products have been introduced. Certification-by such organizations as Green Seal(R) (GS 37), The Environmental Choice Program/EcoLogo M (ECP; CCD 148), and The Carpet Rug Institute (CRI)-helps verify that a product has been evaluated and tested to be environmentally preferable and less harmful for users and all building occupants and visitors than conventional carpet cleaning chemicals. Additionally, it means that the cleaning chemical performs just as well as a traditional carpet cleaning product and is cost-effective as well.

In the future, we can expect the introduction of more Green carpet cleaning chemicals along with machines and extractors that are more effective and efficient at cleaning carpets. The driving force for this will not necessarily be to protect the environment-as admirable and necessary as this is. Instead, the catalyst is likely to be the health and safety of the hotel staff and customers. Already we are seeing more hotels along with offices, and medical and healthcare facilities, insisting on using only Green cleaning products. This demand is sure to increase-and to include carpet cleaning as well.

Mike Sawchuk is VP and GM of Enviro-Solutions, a leading manufacturer of certified-Green cleaning chemicals. He has developed and implemented programs in the cleaning industry throughout North America. His career has spanned sales, marketing, and operations positions with manufacturers and distributors. He holds a bachelor of business administration from Brock University and a MBA from McMaster University. He is a frequent presenter at seminars and tradeshows and am author of several articles on Green cleaning issues. Mr. Sawchuk can be contacted at 877-674-4373 or Sawchuk@Enviro-Solution.com Extended Bio...

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