November 5, 2009 on 3:52 pm

The trend is obvious when you view the manufacturer links in Part I to this blog. Manufacturers are “greening” their manufacturing processes and their business cultures. Each touts the strides they have made towards environmental stewardship using words like “reducing VOCs, sustainable resources, recycling, improving indoor air quality.” These are all great steps towards a better environment that are measured by organizations that award approvals and certifications as a way for consumers to interpret the progress.

Let’s continue our look at greener cleaners for different types of floor coverings with hardwood & laminate cleaners as our next stop …

As part of the “all natural” Mohawk Floorcare Essentials line, approved by DfE, Mohawk has included a non-toxic Hardwood & Laminate Floor Cleaner made from natural, renewable ingredients. When a product, like this one, is given the DfE Approved label, it indicates that the product, not only, contributes to a lesser impact on both human and environmental health, it also works as well or better than other cleaners in its class.

Bona, a company focused on wood floor care, continually strives to launch effective products with lesser impact on the environment. They do this by using recyclable materials in production and by developing non-toxic formulas, minimizing the harmful effects on people and downstream water pollution. Bona, a leader in the industry, offers a waterborne hardwood floor cleaner that is non-toxic, GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified, GREENGUARD Certified for Children & Schools, fulfills LEED points and meets CHPS and CA 01350 criteria for indoor air quality. The Bona cleaner is safe for the floor, family and environment and is effective in keeping your wood floor clean. In my home I use the Bona Spray Mop and Cleaner Refill Cartridges and my experience with this product has been great.

Moving on to Tile & Grout Cleaners…

Mohawk Floorcare Essentials has a Tile & Grout Cleaner. This, like the rest of the product line, is DfE Approved, made with natural ingredients and non-toxic.

Host Dry Extraction Carpet Cleaning System, which we took a look at in Part I for carpet cleaning, has also been used successfully to deep clean grouted tile floors. The Host website has a good illustration of this. A test area is recommended before full use. Typical use is commercial or institutional. Host products are Green Seal Certified, EPP Approved and LEED Qualified.

Several new acronyms and organizations have been introduced in the sections above. Here is what they mean to you…

GREENGUARD Environmental Institute focuses on indoor air quality. GREENGUARD is an industry-independent, non-profit organization that establishes standards and testing for indoor products. Their goal is to improve public health by helping manufacturers build safer products that will not pollute the air with harmful levels of dangerous chemicals or particulates. GREENGUARD awards several types of certification. GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified indicates that a product performs well in testing for low chemical emissions. GREENGUARD Certified for Children & Schools maintains an even higher standard for low-emitting interior use products and materials adhering to the performance guidelines in California Code Section 01350 (CA 01350) pertaining to indoor air quality. A product that meets CA 01350 is also LEED qualified and CHPS (Collaborative for High Performance Schools) approved.

CHPS (Collaborative for High Performance Schools) helps to facilitate high performance learning environments that are not only energy and resource efficient, but also healthy, comfortable, well lit, and containing the amenities for a quality education. CHPS and CA 01350 are considered to be leaders in improving indoor air quality standards.

I hope this blog leaves you more informed than you were before and gives you resources to use in determining what products are safest or most environmentally friendly. There is not one clear-cut answer because there are many approvals and certifications by various organizations and government agencies. Consumers need to use their best judgment in deterring which manufacturers or products are really doing something responsible for our environment and which are just blowing a lot of hot air (pardon the non-ecological idiom). There are many good products out there, several are mentioned in this blog and in Part I to this blog. My advice is to read labels, check websites and ask questions to draw conclusions about what is most effective in helping you to meet your “Green” goals.

September 29, 2009 on 5:47 pm

Whether your carpets need spot cleaning for a stain or a full cleaning throughout the house, you are likely interested in using a product that is safe for kids or pets and is environmentally friendly.
HOST® is the leading dry extraction carpet cleaning method that will meet all of these requirements! HOST is Green Seal Certified, non-toxic and reduces allergans, such as dust mites, mold and pet dander, by up to 85%. HOST is recommended by carpet manufacturers, produces better results than wet cleaning systems, lifts and refreshes matted carpet pile, leaves carpets smelling fresh and ready to use right after cleaning. I’ve been using this system as long as I’ve been in the flooring business and this is the carpet cleaning system I use in my home.
The system works by brushing the HOST Sponges Cleaner (which comes in a shaker pack for spot cleaning or larger pack for overall cleaning) into the carpet with the hand-held brush for small areas or the brushing machine for large areas. The cleaner dissolves, absorbs and traps soil, spots and odors as it cleans then you vacuum. This low-moisture process is proven to reduce Dust mites by 78%, Dust Mite Allergen by 75%, Cat Allergen by 85%, Mold Spores by 85% (EPA Establishment No. 074202-WI-001).
The HOST Dry Carpet & Rug Cleaning Kit will get you started with everything you’ll need for spot cleaning small spills and stains from your carpet. When you use the consumables in the kit, it’s easy to order individual replacements. Shaker packs come in two sizes- 2.5 lb. Dry Carpet Cleaner Shaker Pack or 1.1 lb. Emergency Dry Carpet Cleaner Pack. Pre-Cleaner Spray is available in a 7.5oz Pre-Cleaner
Spray Bottle. It’s a good idea to keep these products on hand for unexpected spills and stains.
Using HOST for an entire room or house of carpet will require a larger package of HOST Dry Carpet Cleaner, 6 lb Box (for approx 500sf) or 12 lb Box (for approx 1,000sf). To determine your square footage (sf) simply measure the width and length of each room that needs carpet cleaning and multiply width x length = square feet for each room. To use this product, you’ll need to rent a HOST brushing machine from a local HOST retailer. You’ll use this machine to brush the cleaner into the carpet before vacuuming. In Delaware, call 1-877-floorguy for rental. Outside Delaware, use this link, http://hostcarpetcleaning.com/diyRetail.htm to locate a HOST retailer near you.

You may wonder how HOST compares to steam carpet cleaning methods. HOST is found to be easier to use, requires no mixing or use of water, leaves carpets dry reducing mold and mold spores, no drying time required before walking on rugs, safe for use on all types of carpet (including wool), carpets stay cleaner longer and look better because the carpet pile doesn’t get matted down. Using HOST in commercial buildings contributes to points earned for maintaining building LEED certification because of it’s environmentally responsible process.

February 12, 2008 on 8:08 pm

Keep Your Investment in Your Floor
Once you make the decision to replace your flooring or have a new floor installed, it’s still an investment and you will want to protect that investment.
One of the largest offenders to flooring is the scooting of furniture across it. People often mistake a shiny floor with being slick and easy to move furniture across and it only takes a time or two before the damage is done. There are easy ways to avoid this and the easiest of all is to use simple floor protectors on the legs of your furniture.
If you’re having a large gathering where the odd ottoman or chair might be scooted across your flooring, just protect it in advance with a floor protector and you won’t have to play floor monitor and it will leave you free to enjoy your get together and not worry about your floor.
Also if you’re going to experiment with your room decor. Use floor protectors on the bottoms of your furniture to not only allow you to move them easily around the room, but also to protect your floor from damage. One table legs scratching across your finished floor can do damage that can be expensive to repair.
Other good measures you can take include having cotton floor rugs in high traffic areas. This will slow down the wear on your floor as well as protect it. Avoid rugs with rubber or plastic backings though as they can damage some finishes.
You made a good investment in your flooring, keep it looking like new with regular care and use floor protectors as necessary.

Call the Floor Guy at 1-877-Floorguy.com (1-877-356-6748) or visit us at www.1877floorguy.com for all your floor protector needs.
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