Eco-Friendly Carpet Cleaning Tips

By
Kate Hughes
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With so much ground to cover, finding a way to keep carpets in tip-top shape for guests while also considering the environment is no small feat. Doug Berjer, brand manager for floorcare cleaning equipment manufacturer Tornado Industries, chatted with LODGING about how to be green without having cleanliness fall by the wayside.

Do you have a few tips for hoteliers searching for eco-friendly carpet cleaning solutions? The first way might sound strange coming from a manufacturer of carpet cleaning equipment: It is to delay carpet cleaning for as long as possible. The goal of green cleaning in general—and green carpet cleaning specifically—is to reduce cleaning’s impact on the environment, and one way to do this is to reduce carpet cleaning cycles. To do this, hotel housekeepers should vacuum thoroughly and install mats at all hotel entries. They should also clean carpets using “interim” methods. That is, more frequently use bonnet or shampoo cleaning methods. This will help remove surface soils. Extract using a portable carpet extractor after using the interim process. Extraction is the most thorough way to remove soils and spots.

What carpet cleaning trends are on the rise in 2015? While it is not necessarily a “new” trend, hoteliers should know about the Carpet and Rug Institute’s program that evaluates carpet extractors. The testing is fairly extensive, essentially looking for how effectively the machine removes soils from the carpet and how well it removes moisture to help prevent re-soiling, as well as avoid the development of mold, mildew, or bacteria. If the portable extractor meets specific standards and criteria, it can earn a bronze, silver, gold, or platinum certification. In most cases, hoteliers will find machines that have earned the gold certification to be the most cost- and performance-effective machines for their hotel needs.

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Kate Hughes
Kate Hughes
Kate Hughes, Editor, LODGING Magazine

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53 COMMENTS

  1. I am always looking for new ways to do carpet cleaning and doing it in a healthy and clean way is the best way to go! I live with three boys that all play football. Sometimes there is more dirt and grass in my house than there is outside! I almost have to follow them around with the vacuum! These green cleaning tips are worth looking into, thanks for sharing!

  2. Well hey what do you know, I’m already an expert at delaying my carpet cleanings as long as possible! I totally do it because I’m trying to be more ecofriendly, and not because I’m lazy and don’t want to have to vacuum my carpets all the time… 🙂

  3. I only clean my carpets once a year and vacuum weekly. They seem to stay dingy and dirty looking all the time though with 2 kids and 2 dogs running around all the time. I’ve been looking into eco-friendly carpet cleaning solutions that are not hazardous to my kids and pets who love to roll around on the floor. I’m definitely going to invest in some area rugs to throw down around the house to help keep the more frequently used areas a little cleaner

  4. I definitely agree with the floor mats! I have 3 kids and 2 large dogs, and they are constantly bringing in sand and who knows what else from our backyard. Floor mats do help trap a lot of the dirt that would end up in our carpets. Also, cleaning carpets about once a year seems sufficient!! Unless, of course, they need to be cleaned/spot cleaned in between. Thanks for the great article!

  5. I vacuum weekly and get a professional carpet cleaner in once a year to freshen things up. I use a homemade carpet cleaner with baking soda as the base about once a month before I vacuum – this helps neutralise odours.

  6. Health should be the main reason we clean our carpets. I believe if more people knew of the health benefits of getting your carpets professionally cleaned more would do it.

  7. WOW I never thought that much about prevention (such as floor mats etc.) that is a great tip. I think regular professional cleanings are important as well but how often is too often? I suppose it would depend on the number of pets/kids/adults in the household as well as the outside environment. I live in a very humid climate where it is usually pretty rainy in the summer, so the areas by the door are constantly getting dirty. I was told by my neighbors that the carpet cleaning company they use recommends cleanings every 3-6 months to prevent mold growth but I am wondering if that is excessive?

  8. As a tile and grout and carpet cleaning company owner, I recommend carpet cleaning once a year. Regular vacuuming, especially in high traffic areas, is essential to keeping the carpet in good shape. Carpet is a filter, and sand finds its way to the base, where friction with the threads can cause the threads to break off. Friction is caused by simply walking on the carpet.

  9. I’m fairly new to the carpet cleaning biz, but I often wonder if I’m telling my clients to clean their carpets enough. I, like Robert Nash, recommend once a year, but I’m thinking I should start telling them every 6 months. It seems like the fall is a good time because you’ve tracked in all that “summer adventures” dirt, then again in the spring because…well, spring cleaning. Anyway, glad I found this great blog!

  10. In my opinion bonnet cleaning using all natural cleaning solutions is the best way to clean your carpet if you are the kind of person who likes green cleaning. Also vacuum every day to keep your carpets looking great and to remove as much dry soil as you can to keep it from getting to far down in the face fiber.

  11. I definitely learned something new. I have always been pushing an increased cleaning frequency, but it makes sense increase the time in between cleaning as long as the homeowner takes the necessary maintenance steps.

  12. Nice Blog on Carpet Cleaning!I second your thought on cleaning the carpets efficiently without harming the environment.We should consistently clean our carpets by vacuuming and take professional help who are into eco friendly solutions.

  13. Every time when we think about to clean our carpet then we little bit worried about the shining and attractiveness of the carpet. Most of the people use chemical products to clean carpets after that the carpet looks clean but not attractive . We have to use organic products to clean carpets. Organic products can’t be harmful for any type of carpets and the most important thing always use professional directions to clean carpets .

  14. I’m with Stuart on this one! We use a mineral based solution when we clean carpets for a few reasons. 1) It is more eco-friendly. 2) It doesn’t have that harsh chemical smell to it. 3) It’s better for your carpet. Your carpet won’t wear out with the stuff we use.
    Anyway, thanks for the great tips!

  15. Eco Friendly cleaning is certainly the way of the future and a direction we are going as a company. Thanks for everyone’s input on this.

  16. This is a great read. I have been doing house cleaning for over 10 years, and notice that by offering eco-friendly products has increased my recurring clients.

  17. Eco-friendly cleaning solutions are the core of our business. We use an all-natural citrus-based cleaner that’s safe for children, pets and the environment. Nice post by the way, keep up the great work!

  18. I’m an expert at delaying my carpet cleaning! I vacuum weekly and get a professional carpet cleaner in once a year to freshen things up. I will definitely think about adding some entrance mats

  19. Nice article, we own a carpet cleaning business and always looking for ways to better explain the benefits of carpet cleaning and why. I look forward to coming back to your blog and learning more.

  20. I like with the power of baking soda. It will not only take care of the odor it also take care of your carpet stains. Also the key to easy and speedy carpet cleaning with stunning results is to invest in a good quality carpet washer with deep-cleaning, quick-drying technologies. Then, simply follow our top tips to get the very best results…

  23. Very helpful article in regards to frequency of cleaning cycles. Although it generally decreases business, providing this information to residential clients will help to establish a loyal client base.

  24. I have never thought that carpet cleaning can be Eco friendly. And i think its very important because Eco friendly gadgets are our future. We should move towards it. I am going too replace it.

  25. Eco-friendly is the way to go nowadays. I work in the pool-spa industry and we are switching our maintenance approach to include eco-friendly options and Chlorine alternatives.

    Kai

  28. I enjoyed reading this article about carpet cleaning. My business is a similar service based business, but we know many business owners that can benefit from this info, especially the restaurants and hotels we service. It is so important to stay on top of the trends. Thanks, will share!

  30. Great article. We are in a similar business, are always looking at the latest trends and advice on how to conduct the best office cleaning business in our area of Charlotte NC. Love the comments and suggestions on different cleaners and eco-friendly options. Great blog!

  31. you will agree that carpet cleaning can be Eco friendly. And i think its very important because Eco friendly gadgets are our future. We should move towards it. I am going too replace it.

  32. Thanks for the tips! I, too, are engaged in cleaning carpets, and every time I feel great pleasure from the fact, when it comes from a very dirty carpet to do the beauty!

  35. Great tips! I will recommended to use the Eco-friendly carpet cleaning at our office. I have looking for this types of post some times. It will help to cleaning our office and home carpet. Thanks again for sharing your informative idea.

  36. you will agree that carpet cleaning can be Eco friendly. And i think its very important because Eco friendly gadgets are our future. We should move towards it. I am going too replace it.

  37. I feel taking these eco friendly initiatives is advancing the industry by a lot but also is making it very competitive. So i think business owners need to be careful in what direction they want to be heading. egotism or gratuity..

  38. Great post. I couldn’t agree more with this post. You hit the nail right on the head. There are many at Eco friendly carpet cleaning products to remove surface stains and weekly maintenance is very important to overall health and longevity of carpet.

  40. I agree that vacuuming more often would probably reduce the need to clean the carpets all the time. I really like how you talked about cleaning out the mats too considering that dust and dirt from the mats can fall into the carpet. I’ll have to remember your tips so that I can keep my carpet clean.

  41. Thank you for the good stuff. I will be grateful if you will help with how to remove pine resin from the carpet. Several times I encountered such situation, when pine resin (from the boot) got on the carpet, and it could not be removed.

  44. I do like the idea of reducing the number of cleaning cycles. However, I do not think this is the direction we carpet cleaners need to be taking. Instead, I think we need to focus on the types of equipment we use and continuously develop them in a way that would reduce any kind of negative emissions towards our environment.

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