Typically, all the carpet cleaners out there today are safe right? wrong. There are different components in cleaning chemicals that make some more hazardous then others. One should be aware in the handling of these products on a technician and consumer level as well.
There are Acids and Bases in all chemical products. For example, baking soda does not have a ph but when you add water it becomes 8.5 ph. Anything over a PH of 7 is considered acid and under is bases so the further away from 7 then potentially more hazardous it becomes.
Dry Solvents
These are chemicals that do not mix well with water. This type of dry cleaning was introduced in the 19th century when kerosene was spilled on a table cloth. In these times the most popular cleaning solvent is perchloroethylene that is gentle on textiles and low flammable activity. it is by no means a safe product to be used. other dry solvents are benzin and naphtha, these should all be handled safety first.
What is the safest?
We feel that any citrus based product is very safe but of cours if swallowed can be harmful to anyone but used as a cleaner it works great and is very safe for the family, pet and children. We at sunset use all citrus based products as a pre-treat and water extraction rinse. We have to consider not only the safety of our technicians but of course the safety of our customers and there families.
Peroxides in carpet cleaning
peroxide bleach is used by alot of carpet cleaner and is generally non hazordous since it breaks down so fast when added to water.
Enzymes used in pre-treating (proteins)
These are used to break down the proteins in food stains and are great for pre-treating this issues. Enzymes used are the same that is used in our bodies to breakdown foods in the digestive system. These are formulated with bacteria that are safe around pet sand children.
How do you find out if a product is safe or not?
HMIS is divided up into four categories, each one identified by a colored bar that are on the bottle itself.
The 4 categories are:
- Health
- Flammability
- Reactivity
- Protective equipment.
For the first three categories, the chemical is rated on a scale of zero to four, with zero being no hazard and four being the most significant level of hazard.
Therefore, products with a Health-3 would be more hazardous to the health of anyone using it than would a product without a Health.
