ISSA/INTERCLEAN exhibitor profile — Plus Manufacturing Inc. Booth 261 Why Soap-Free, Detergent-Free Cleaning? O One of many problems with soaps and detergents for carpet care is that they leave a soapy, sticky residue, which causes rapid re-soiling and particle load-ing. This results in quickly re-dirtied carpet and unhealthy indoor air quality. Over-use of carpet-cleaning detergents causes the need for premature carpet replacement. Said simply, when you use soaps or detergents, you are not cleaning — you are polluting the environment we live in. Improper cleaning and maintenance is the problem, one acknowledged by carpet mill representatives and fiber experts such as those at Collins and Aikman, DuPont, Monsanto, Allied Fiber and others. This is evident at the fiber level when — after “cleaning one time” — you can see soap or detergent deposits and residue sticking to, or wick-ing up, carpet strands (Figure 1 photo of fiber under magnifica-tion). Carpet may “look clean” at the macro level, but a closer look reveals the “cleaning” process is anything but. Even after using rinsing agents, you’ll still have residue, because that is the nature of soaps and deter-gents. When embedded soil and residue appears at the surface of the fibers, it’s called wicking. More than 30-years ago, the original soap-free carpet cleaning process was developed offering the unique advantage of effective cleaning without leaving a soapy sticky residue by deploying the right product — consisting of natural degreas-ers, a water softening agent and a deter-gent-free booster. With “soap-free cleaning,” carpets stay cleaner longer, feel softer and dry more quickly, because it eliminates sticky, mois-been a big problem. For many, walking through the cologne aisle in a department store is unpleasant, and the fragrance additives in personal products, laundry detergents, deodorants, carpet cleaning and household cleaning solutions make many sensitive people quite sick. We believe these sensitive people are like the “Canary in the Mine” warning the rest of us of threats to our health and well-being. The Beginnings of PROCYON Soap-Free Cleaning for Health Thirty years ago, when everything “needed” a fragrance to sell, a non-allergenic, soap-free, fragrance free-and detergent-free carpet cleaning solution seemed like a radical idea. When Ivan Day, PROCYON’s cre -ator and the company’s founder and president, spoke with a local distributor about PROCYON, the owner said it wouldn’t sell and no one cares! Thankfully, Ivan did not believe it, convinced that if he as a clean-ing professional could clean carpet and breathe easier without getting sick, so could other cleaning professionals and their customers. When Plus Manufacturing pioneered soap-free, detergent-free PROCYON cleaning, there were many environmentally harmful and unhealthy formulations on the market, and they are still here today and being used every day plaguing our industry and affecting human health. Some are based on toxic carcinogenic or caustic substances, and leave lingering odors from off-gassing volatile chemicals like Dipropylene Glycol Monomethyl Ether, Ethylene Glycol Butyl Ether, and Glycol Monomethyl Ether while others use strong fragrances to mask the Continued to page 38 ture-holding residue that takes forever to dry. Just pre-spray, agitate, and extract using fresh water for your final rinse or using a rinsing agent as needed. What about wool, olefin, cotton, and silk carpet fibers? Soap-free cleaning is the right — and gentle — prescription to clean without harming delicate and natural fibers. It sounds simple, because it is. Health Problems From Poor Carpet Care Allergies and sensitivities have always www.cmmonline.com 37
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