Professional cleaning: Why we use greener and safer products.

I have been in the cleaning trade for over 21 years. First, working for a small independent company and then working for a large well known carpet and upholstery cleaning franchise for over 12 years where I became manager of the Nottingham and Derby branch.

When I decided to form my own company, I needed to review the cleaning processes and the chemicals used. I felt I no longer wanted to use the potentially harmful chemicals used in the cleaning industry on a day to day basis, so I began to look for alternatives. First of all, I cut down on the amount of petroleum based products I used and altered the way I cleaned many soft furnishings. I then began to source and test naturally derived cleaning solutions and solutions made from food grade materials. First, I was sceptical about the effectiveness of these greener/safer cleaning agents probably because I have always used chemical based products and have been happy with the results obtained.

I started to test micro splitters and natural colloidal cleaning products for our carpet cleaning and upholstery cleaning services. Microsplitters are derived from food industry by-products. They work by splitting the bond between fibres and the soiling particles at a molecular level allowing the dirt to be removed easily from the fibres, these work particularly well on natural fibres like wool and cotton.

Micro splitters

Based on food-grade ingredients

• No bleaches
• No enzymes
• No surfactants
• No solvents
• Non hazardous
• Odour-free
• Can be rinsed with fresh water only
• Safe for children and pets

Natural colloidal cleaning solutions

Derived from natural sustainable sources, these work by breaking down stains and soiling at a molecular level, holding the dirt particles in a water based suspension. The soiling is then flushed away with high power cleaning equipment leaving carpets and upholstery fresh and clean without leaving harmful chemical residues, particularly affective on manmade fibres like Nylon, polypropylene and acrylic.

• Contains no phosphates.
• Contains no known pollutants.
• Non-toxic, as proven by independent toxicology tests.
• Enzyme-free.
• Naturally occurring bacteria use colloidal dispersion to biodegrade.
• A biodegradable degreaser.
• Leaves no residues.
• Derived from sustainable plant based sources.
• Suitable for allergy sufferers.
• Safe for people and pets.
• Safe for all environments.

For our main cleaning procedures we now use both Microsplitters and natural colloidal cleaning products, we have had to change the processes we use as these products work in a slightly different way to traditional cleaning chemicals, but you soon learn to adjust your methods.

I must say I was so surprised by my findings. Not only do these products have safer personal and environmental properties, they clean to a better standard. Carpets and upholstery I would have previously thought could not be cleaned now come up like new.

We are constantly reviewing the products we use and try to make sure they adhere to criteria below.

1. High cleaning Performance
2. Non toxic in normal use
3. Low or no Environmental impact
4. Readily biodegradable
5. Biodegradable or recyclable packaging
6. Sustainable sourced ingredients.

We now make sure all our cleaning products are as safe as possible for us using the products our clients and the environment.