When Green Carpet Cleaning Isn’t Enough
Here at Oxi Fresh, we believe being green is very important. With every carpet cleaning we conserve a significant amount of water – using 95-97% less than what most traditional steam cleaning methods uses. We’re also committed to conserving energy with our green carpet cleaning, and we’ve got several clever ways we’ve been doing that. One is our actual cleaning system. Since it’s a low moisture system and doesn’t require us to lug about a lot of water and that saves us gas and decreases the amount of energy used per job and, therefore, the amount of pollution. Plus, since we don’t have to pump tons of water in and out of a carpet, we don’t need to have our cars on during the job to power the equipment. Our energy-efficient machines plug right into normal outlets.
Of course, then we have our green cleaning solutions, specially designed to be safe for pets, children, and the environment. We even had one of our major products examined by the EPA’s Design for the Environment team and it passed their tests, earning the right to use the coveted DfE logo. Finally, we ask that all franchisees recycle their bottles after they’ve finished with them. Basically, when it comes to carpet cleaning companies, we’re just about as green as you can be. Of course, what happens when we can’t clean your carpets? When our carpet stain removal techniques are fruitless due to the sheer intensity of the stain? What do you do when they’ve become so irrevocably damaged that no one can get rid of the stains or undo the damage?
For most people, the answer is to tear them up and throw them out. Done and Done. The problem with this is what happens to that carpet after you’ve put it out to be collected. Generally, after being picked up, it goes straight to the landfill. The problem with that once it’s there it will stay there for a good 10,000 years or so. So if you threw away some carpet when Egypt had just domesticated oxen and cats in 8,000 BC, by now it when have degraded. The Pharaohs would have come and gone, Rome risen and fallen, Medieval Europe would have passed by, the Renaissance, the growth of the modern world, the American Revolution, the rise of Napoleon, the Civil War, World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, and many more events, and then, finally, your carpet would be completely gone.
In case it’s not obvious, we’re not incredibly fond of that option. Now we know no one’s perfect when it comes to recycling, and we’ve all made mistakes in the past. But now that you know more about the lifespan of carpets, you can see why it’s so important to be careful about what you do with old carpets – you’ve got to recycle them. Unfortunately, carpet isn’t something you can throw into a recycling bin and hope for the best. Generally, you’ll have to give someone a call to have it picked up or drop it off somewhere. Don’t know where that would be? Just use Earth911.com to search your area for places to recycle.
