THE ENVIRODESIC™
CERTIFICATION PROGRAM FOR MAXIMUM
INDOOR AIR QUALITY™ &
MINIMUM ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT™
ENVIRODESIC TECHNOLOGY:
SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS, PRODUCTS &
SERVICES THAT MAKE MORE SENSE
Healthy Carpet Cleaning
DRAFT ADVISORY STATEMENT: 12JAN04
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Carpets and carpet cleaning have been associated with poor indoor air quality and with negative health effects on
sensitized individuals, including people with asthma, allergies, respiratory ailments and chemical hypersensitivity. The
Envirodesic Certification Program has in the past worked with carpet manufacturers to help demonstrate that loweremission carpets are possible to produce. However, even with the use of chemically-less-harmful carpeting, poor daily
maintenance and inappropriate or inadequate cleaning procedures and chemicals can cause release of volatile
chemicals into indoor air and a buildup of soil and cleaning chemicals in carpets, leading to adverse exposures to
building occupants.
It is important to establish a common consensus among all involved and affected parties on methods of reducing harm
associated with carpets and carpet cleaning. This draft advisory statement has been prepared as a working document
that is intended to contribute to reaching such a consensus.
BACKGROUND
Inhalation of chemical and particulate matter indoors can represent a health hazard to a significant number of people.
The Ontario Lung Association also emphasizes the importance of allergens in inhaled particles, including pollens,
molds, dust mite feces and animal dander. The American Lung Association lists carpet and upholstery cleaners among
products that may contain ingredients that have been linked to dizziness, nausea, allergic reactions, eye, skin and
respiratory tract irritation, and in some cases, cancer. A study conducted by the Mount Sinai School of Medicine found
that ingredients used in carpet cleaning products could be identified in the blood and urine samples of adult volunteers.
The Children’s Health Environmental Coalition and The Western Regional Pollution Prevention Network (including
Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Tribal Lands and Trust Territories) advises that building occupants stay away
from wet, freshly cleaned carpets so as to reduce their exposure to toxic carpet cleaning ingredients, which pose their
greatest risk through inhalation. The Americans With Disabilities Act requires employers to accommodate individuals
with proven disabilities, such as asthma and sensitivities to perfumes and volatile chemicals.
WHAT CAN GO WRONG IN CARPET INSTALLATION, MAINTENANCE AND CLEANING
There are several ways that carpet installations can become unhealthy for building occupants:

Newly installed carpets may release volatile constituents from the carpet materials themselves, and from the
adhesives used in installation. Such contaminants can typically affect individuals immediately after
installation, and in some cases, over longer periods of time.

Carpet installations may accumulate soil, particularly at the base of the carpet fibers, due to inadequate
cleaning methods. Accumulated soil can affect building occupants through inhalation of gases and particles,
and through harboring and nurturing of mold and other allergens.

Carpet installations may accumulate cleaning product residues, which have dried on the carpet fibers, and
which can be rendered airborne in the normal course of carpet use in a building. The potential for skin contact
with carpets containing residues of cleaning products containing hazardous ingredients is also high.

Carpets which are inadequately dried after cleaning, or which are subject to other forms of building moisture
intrusion, can harbor mold growth and other allergens, which in turn can adversely affect the health of building
occupants. (See in particular the U.S. EPA’s Tools for Schools website.)
Howard Rubin, President, Toronto Office, 52 Robert Hicks Dr., Toronto, Ontario Canada M2R 3R4 Tel: 416-650-1567 Fax: 416-650-1565 E-mail: howardrubin@envirodesic.com
Bruce Small, Director, Research Office, 100 Rexway Drive, Georgetown, Ontario L7G 1R5 Tel: 905-702-8615 Fax: 905-873-6260 E-mail: brucesmall@envirodesic.com
Web page: http://www.envirodesic.com
Healthy Carpet Cleaning
Page 2
Draft Advisory Statement January 8, 2004

Volatile components in cleaning solutions readily evaporate and become part of the indoor air of a building,
and subsequently part of the body burden of both cleaning staff and other building occupants.

Inadequately filtered portable vacuum cleaners used for carpet maintenance can redistribute fine particle carpet
soils and cleaning residues into the indoor air.

Carpet cleaning procedures designed to maintain the surface of the carpet without deep extraction (e.g.
powdered cleaning systems, pad or bonnet cleaning, or dry foam) can deposit and leave significant amounts of
cleaning chemicals in the carpet and indoor air, while removing the smallest volume of soil from carpets.
Often this can impede the effectiveness of subsequent dry vacuuming.
HEALTHY CARPET MAINTENANCE AND CLEANING DEFINED
Hazards associated with carpet maintenance and cleaning can be minimized by using methods that effectively remove
contaminants from carpets without reintroducing these contaminants into indoor air, and by using cleaning products
that do not contain either toxic or volatile ingredients. (See in particular the CDC Guidelines for Environmental
Infection Control in Health Care Facilities.) The following principles need to be applied:
1. Remove dry soils regularly.
2. When cleaning carpets, penetrate the cleaning agent to the bottom of carpet fibers, to break up soil for easy
removal.
3. Extract carpet soil and the remaining cleaning agent residue by means of extraction with clear water. Do not
combine the cleaning and extraction functions.
4. Remove moisture from cleaned carpets as rapidly as possible.
ONGOING CARPET MAINTENANCE
Effective carpet maintenance on a day-by-day basis requires frequent dry soil removal by effective vacuuming, with
high traffic areas vacuumed more often and thoroughly than lighter traffic areas. Vacuums with a high degree of
filtration of exhaust air will reduce the amount of carpet soil that is re-circulated during daily cleaning. Carpet soiling
throughout a building can be minimized by trapping incoming soil at entranceways with adequate matting.
PROPOSED HEALTHY CARPET CLEANING PROCESS

Step 1: Dry vacuum before cleaning.

Step 2: Choose an appropriate cleaning agent (see next section).

Step 3: Use an appropriate power pre-spray unit to apply the cleaning agent. Thoroughly pre-spray areas to be
cleaned. Spray sufficient area so that the cleaner has a dwell time of 5 to 10 minutes, then agitate if heavily
soiled.

Step 4: Extract with water only. The extraction process can utilize truck-mounted equipment, high-flow
extractors, or high-performance box-and-wand style extractors.

Step 5: Avoid over-wetting carpets; use fans when needed to accelerate drying.

Step 6: Dry vacuum frequently between carpet cleanings.
Howard Rubin, President, Toronto Office, 52 Robert Hicks Dr., Toronto, Ontario Canada M2R 3R4 Tel: 416-650-1567 Fax: 416-650-1565 E-mail: howardrubin@envirodesic.com
Bruce Small, Director, Research Office, #100 Rexway Drive, Georgetown, Ontario L7G 1R5 Tel: 905-702-8615 Fax: (905)-873-6260 E-mail: brucesmall@envirodesic.com
Web Page: http://www.envirodesic.com
Healthy Carpet Cleaning
Page 3
Draft Advisory Statement January 8, 2004
HEALTHY CARPET CLEANING PRODUCT SPECIFICATION

Use only cleaning products that provide complete disclosure of ingredients. This is the only way of knowing
what chemicals building staff and occupants will be exposed to.

Use only cleaning products with no volatile ingredients.

Use only cleaning products that do not contain ingredients known to be harmful to humans. The website of the
Environmental Defense League (http://www.scorecard.org/chemical-profiles/) is a good place to review the
health effects of each ingredient.

Use only cleaning products that have been thoroughly tested by laboratories that specialize in testing carpet
cleaning products for carpet manufacturers.

Insist on third-party validation on the environmental suitability of the cleaning agent used. Green Seal and
Environmental Choice are two options.

Insist on third-party validation as to the cleaning agent’s suitability for use around individuals who are
hypersensitive to environmental exposures. The Environmental Health Center, The Envirodesic Certification
Program, The Asthma Society, and the Lung Association are all concerned with the health of hypersensitive
individuals.
SUMMARY
The proposed healthy carpet maintenance and cleaning procedures described above are designed to achieve soil-free
and detergent-free carpets, to remove potential allergens and irritants problematic to sensitive individuals, and to avoid
contamination of indoor air and resulting health hazards in buildings due to the use of toxic and volatile chemical
products.
COMMENT PROCEDURE
This draft advisory statement is being circulated in the interests of promoting healthier buildings. Comments from
interested individuals, groups, agencies, institutions or companies are welcome to the addresses below prior to June 30,
2004. A revised final statement will be issued at that time. Envirodesic reserves the right to issue interim revised
drafts for further review prior to final publication.
Bruce M. Small, P.Eng., Director
Envirodesic Certification Program
Envirodesic Certification is an ongoing process whereby additional data and consumer experience is
added to a product file or advisory statement as it becomes available. Persons wishing to examine further
details concerning products and practices which meet stringent Envirodesic standards for
environmental and human health are invited to consult the web site listed below.
Howard Rubin, President, Toronto Office, 52 Robert Hicks Dr., Toronto, Ontario Canada M2R 3R4 Tel: 416-650-1567 Fax: 416-650-1565 E-mail: howardrubin@envirodesic.com
Bruce Small, Director, Research Office, #100 Rexway Drive, Georgetown, Ontario L7G 1R5 Tel: 905-702-8615 Fax: (905)-873-6260 E-mail: brucesmall@envirodesic.com
Web Page: http://www.envirodesic.com