Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Greener Carpet Cleaning Using Electrolyzed Water

  • By Allen P. Rathey
  • 06/01/16

Engineered water devices producing cleaning solutions onsite using tap water, salt and electrolysis — aka, electrochemically activated or ECA cleaners — can provide effective carpet cleaning solutions for pennies per gallon as part of an integrated, and potentially time-, money- and earth-saving approach.

The dilute alkaline stream produced by some electrolyzed water devices can be effective for cleaning carpet when used in a complete system.

The operative word is “system”, as the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) has tested and selectively approved the use of engineered water as part of a system embracing both process and product. Two systems have been CRI “Platinum”-level approved).

All Systems Start with Vacuuming

Vacuuming is the single most important measure you can take to prevent soil buildup (assuming you have adequate entry matting) and to remove soil prior to extracting the carpet. Look for a vacuum cleaner certified by CRI for soil removal, indoor-air quality protection, and carpet appearance and longevity factors.

Why Onsite Generation of Cleaners?

Advantages of electrochemically activated (ECA) water solutions:

  1. They are produced onsite from tap water, reducing the need to manufacture, package, ship, store, handle and dispose of many cleaning products and their packaging; for a more sustainable process.
  2. They eliminate the cost of buying many cleaning chemicals, including general cleaners for carpet (although they do not necessarily replace spot-removal products).

Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) Certification of Systems Using Electrolyzed Water

Typical System Recommendations:

  • Vacuum using four passes at about 1.8 feet per second.
  • Pre-spray with hot electrolyzed water cleaning solution.
  • Agitate with a carpet rake.
  • Allow the solution to set for 5-10 minutes, then
  • Extract with a heated CRI-approved extractor.

Using an approved system helps ensure soil is effectively removed (90 to 100 percent soil removal is required for CRI Platinum Certification), applied solution pH is between 4 and 10, carpet does not resoil due to residue, dries quickly, maintains its appearance and no optical brighteners are used.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

About the Author

Allen P. Rathey is an educator specializing in Healthy Facilities. He has assembled an advisory group of dozens of scientists, PhDs, facility and public health experts, who share his passion for helping people everywhere create and maintain safe, healthy, indoor environments. He is past-president of The Housekeeping Channel (HC), The Healthy House Institute (HHI), and The Healthy Facilities Institute (HFI). He is the principal of Winning Environments, LLC, promoting best practices that enhance the living environment. Call him @ 208-724-1508 or email [email protected]. Allen provides advisory and consulting support, in person, by phone, via published articles, social networks, and through seminars and webinars.

Featured

  • Spaces4Learning Trends & Predictions for Educational Facilities in 2026: Part I

    We asked, you answered, and the results are in! Last year, we put out a call for submissions to collect our readership’s opinion on trends and predictions for K–12 and higher education facilities in 2026.

  • Texas State University Completes Stadium Renovations

    Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, recently announced that it has completed a series of additions and renovations to its football stadium, according to a news release. Formerly known as the Bobcat Stadium End Zone Complex, the Johnny and Nathali Weisman Football Performance Center is an 85,000-square-foot expansion featuring hospitality spaces, banquet spaces, exterior concourses, and upgrades to the field house.

  • University of Kentucky Receives $150M Gift Toward New Arts District

    The University of Kentucky’s Board of Trustees recently received a $150-million gift from The Bill Gatton Foundation, according to a university news release, to build a new arts district on the campus in Lexington, Ky. The new district will feature a new College of Fine Arts building and a multi-hundred-seat theater, among other amenities.

  • Stanford Completes Construction on Graduate School of Education Facility

    Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., recently announced the end of construction on a new home for its Graduate School of Education, according to a news release. The university partnered with McCarthy Building Companies on the 160,000-square-foot project, which involved two major renovations and one new construction effort.