As Todd Newman moves a floor machine in circular motions over the carpet of a South Reno home, a couple of things become immediately
apparent. First of all, there’s absolutely no smell, unlike most
cleaned carpets. And although I’m standing on newly cleaned
carpet in my socks, they’re not wet.
That’s because Todd and his wife, Roberta Newman, operating as
Newman’s Natural Carpet Care, use a nontoxic cleaner that they
spray in a fine mist over the carpet before going over it with the
floor machine.
Conventional steam cleaners typically come in a truck loaded with
chemical-based detergent, which is brought into the house by hoses. It
requires plenty of water for this process, which, if improperly
disposed, can enter storm drains, along with the soapy residue, and
chemicals it carries, such as perchloroethylene, or “perc,”
a toxic solvent.
The Newmans are not steam cleaners, and they’re not
conventional. They bring into the house all of their equipment, which
doesn’t include much beyond a vacuum, a mister, floor machine and
grooming brush. They don’t require water beyond the small amount
used to mix with their nontoxic cleaning spray. Roberta says the
cleaner they use is food-grade, spraying it in her mouth to illustrate
the point.
“If this goes into our water system, it won’t hurt
us,” she says.
It’s primarily made of sea salt and phosphoric acid.
“People panic when they hear the word ‘acid,’ but
phosphoric acid is in sodas,” says Todd, who was a stockbroker in
San Francisco for 23 years before he and Roberta moved to Nevada seven
years ago and started their carpet cleaning business shortly
thereafter.
The kicker is that the nontoxic solution they use actually seems to
work. “People call us because they want green, they want
something healthier or they have health issues,” says Roberta.
“But then they see the quality of the work.” Most of their
business has been won through word-of-mouth.
“We have to think about sustainable living,” says
Roberta. “We don’t want to be around chemicals throughout
our work day. Our lives would be shortened.”
Homeowner Robin Addison likes the nontoxic cleaner the Newmans use
on her carpet. “It’s good there’s not soap going down
the drain or chemical residue or anything dangerous,” she says.
“With the environmental stuff, it’s huge for me. I have
kids and pets, and they can come and have everyone back in the house,
and it’s fine.”
“People talk about pets and babies, but it’s really all
of us,” says Roberta. “It frightens me how we don’t
think. What are we doing when we pick up a chemical? What’s in
it? And when you put it in your water system, where does it go? It goes
to us.”
The Newmans offer some advice for homeowners when it comes to
carpets: Don’t put Scotchgard on your carpet; it’s made of
Teflon, which is a carcinogen you can breathe in as it breaks down.
Avoid synthetic air fresheners. Also, opt for vacuums with bags rather
than canisters, which release more dirt into the air. And when emptying
those vacuum bags, do it outside so it doesn’t get trapped in the
house, affecting indoor air quality. For spot cleaners, get one
that’s Green Seal-approved, or make one yourself with equal parts
vinegar and water.