| reasing awareness of the harmful effects of | | | | and carpet fabrics.The process for cleaning carpets |
| synthesized chemicals on the environment has | | | | known as Chem Dry depends on carbonated water |
| resulted in a global push towards the development of | | | | to lift dirt and other materials from carpets. Although |
| more eco-friendly compounds that are organic in | | | | this process does include the use of hydrocarbons, |
| nature.This new-found science has led to the | | | | the lack of chlorine in the mixture results in a |
| development of a whole host of alternative products | | | | non-carcinogenic method of carpet-cleaning that |
| that are used in everyday cleaning, both in the | | | | presents and extremely low level of risk to human |
| household and for industrial applications, including | | | | health and the environment. |
| environmentally-friendly carpet cleaning products. | | | | There are several organic elements that have natural |
| The chemicals that have been traditionally used in | | | | cleaning properties that are also water-soluble, which |
| carpet cleaning products are mainly derived from | | | | improves their biodegradability. There are many |
| synthetic compounds based on carbon and chlorine | | | | vegetable-based soaps that are non-toxic and safe |
| elements.The first such compound to be applied to | | | | for use in environmentally-safe carpet cleaning. The |
| industrial cleaning applications is known as | | | | addition of sodium carbonate to organic soaps is also |
| tetrachloroethylene, discovered in 1821 by famed | | | | helpful to the cleaning process because it prevents |
| chemist Michael Faraday, and was used as the basis | | | | the bonding of magnesium and calcium to water |
| for the chemical compound perchloroethylene.The | | | | molecules, thereby allowing the soap to become |
| first and most widely used application of this | | | | more active in the removal of debris and stains from |
| synthesized chemical was in the dry-cleaning industry. | | | | the carpet fabric. Sodium carbonate is the basis of |
| Perchloroethylene later became the most widely-used | | | | what are commonly referred to as baking soda and |
| chemical compound in the carpet cleaning industry, | | | | washing soda. |
| and soon another synthetic compound was | | | | There are also organic ingredients that are found in |
| developed for carpet cleaning application, known as | | | | most households that can be used in |
| naphthalene, which is derived from coal tar.Both of | | | | environmentally-friendly carpet cleaning. Vinegar is |
| these chemicals have been since discovered to be | | | | very effective in removing dirt and stains due to its |
| extremely harmful to human health as well as the | | | | acidic qualities. The essence of vinegar is derived |
| environment, due to the carcinogenic nature of all | | | | from the fermentation of ethanol. Although ethanol is |
| chlorinated hydrocarbons.These chemicals are | | | | associated with petrochemical processing for the |
| especially difficult to remove from the environment | | | | production of fuels, it is actually an organic element |
| due to their toxicity at low levels and their high | | | | that results from the metabolizing of sugars from |
| density, which causes them to sink into ground | | | | yeast. Citric acid, especially from lemon juice, also |
| water. | | | | provides caustic characteristics that are beneficial for |
| More environmentally-friendly carpet cleaning products | | | | lifting debris from carpet fabric. Either of these |
| have been developed that use organic elements and | | | | elements, when diluted with sufficient amount of |
| processes without depending on a chlorine-based | | | | water, are safe and effective treatments for |
| enzyme action to remove dirt and stains from rug | | | | environmentally-friendly carpet cleaning. |