GREEN By: Mark Warner Mark Warner is the current president of the Low-mois-ture Carpet Cleaning Association (LMCCA), a position he has enjoyed since 2006, having been re-elected in 2008. Professionally, he holds several positions for Enviro-Solutions Ltd., a green cleaning solutions manufacturer located in Peterborough, Ontario. Warner is the product man-ager for disinfectants and sanitizers, director of train-ing and Mid-Atlantic region sales manager. Additionally, he is active in the ISSA and is certified as a Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) Expert. Carpet Cleaning Chemicals The professional cleaning industry goes back centuries. In fact, the word janitor derives from the Latin word janus, used in ancient Rome to refer to a doorkeeper or building caretaker. The professional carpet cleaning industry, however, is a rather new industry by comparison. Before World War II, most homes were built with hard surface floors, usually hardwood. People placed rugs over these floors and, when those rugs needed cleaning, they were either “beaten” with specially made rug beaters or taken to a company that specialized in this serv-ice to remove dust and gently clean them with soap and water to remove soils. In the late 1940s, wall-to-wall carpeting became the norm in most homes. At first, shampoo and bonnet cleaning sys-tems, which used a floor buffer and special pads to clean carpets, were the most common way to clean these carpets. T for more info Visit www.cmmonline.com and type in search keyword: Carpet Cleaning . For more information on related products, visit www.cmmonline.com , select SUPPLIER SEARCH from the main navigation bar, and enter keyword: Chemicals . At about this same time, the carpet cleaning steamer — what we now refer to as a carpet extractor — had been invented. By the 1960s, steam cleaning carpets with extractors, both truckmounted and portable, with or without in-line heaters, had become very popular. Shampooing is still the most common method used to clean carpets, especially in commercial settings. 20 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • August 2010
CMM – Archives Aug 2010: 20
