THE DAMAGING EFFECTS OF FRAGRANCES ON CARPET
What is your favorite fragrance? Apple pie? Lavender? Ocean breeze? Pumpkin spice? What do you do to have these fragrances greet you when you enter your home or office? Bowl of potpourri? Plug-ins? Candle? Powdered carpet deodorizer?
Did you know that most powdered carpet deodorizers are made from abrasive substances such as baking soda, calcium carbonate, sodium silicate, or hydrated silica (sand)? Did you know that some of these same powdered carpet deodorizers, if used over a period of time, can actually cause a carpet to soil rapidly, lose its dimensional stability, and delaminate? Did you know that studies have shown that vacuuming will only remove about 65% of a typical powdered deodorizer? And these products are not just harmful to your carpet, they damage your vacuum too.
Baking soda, great when used in baking, it is also a water soluble abrasive. It is a natural and “green” product which can be used to clean countertops or glass stove tops. It is also an environmentally friendly alternative for the removal of graffiti on buildings or renovating old buildings.
Calcium carbonate is dissolved rock. It comes from limestone and is one of the things that makes water hard. You may even chew on a tablet or two of calcium carbonate when you get heartburn. Can we say:
TUM-TUM-TUM-TUM
We clean carpet not only to make it look better by removing visible soils, but to also remove embedded abrasive soils to stop the deleterious effect it has on carpet fibers. What I don’t understand is that I see people intentionally spreading abrasive soil (powdered deodorizer) on their carpet. Abrasive soil scratches carpet fibers and can cause the fibers to lose their luster and create a condition known as traffic-lane-gray, which can make a carpet look worn.
I know for a fact that some small business owners will sprinkle the carpets in their offices with powdered deodorizers as a test to make sure the janitorial staff vacuumed a specific area. I also know of hotel housekeeping departments that use it on a routine basis to “freshen” the air. The most common product people grab to freshen the air quickly are aerosol air fresheners, which I am also not a fan of. What’s up, will fall, right to the face of the carpet, possibly leaving a sticky, soil-attracting residue. Even “plug-in” type deodorizers become evaporated, airborne oil. Where does the oil go? You guessed it; it leaves an oil film on everything, including the carpet. And don’t even get me started about the problems caused by burning scented candles.
The ingredients found in some of these products have people “loving” their carpet to death. Did you know that global retail sales of air care products (air fresheners) are forecast to reach $11.7 billion by the end of 2021? In the US alone, the demand for spray or aerosol air fresheners is expected to reach $3.94 billion in revenue by the end of 2021. That number is staggering. SMELLS SELL! People just want the air they breathe to smell fragrant, which is achievable and I will get there, but first let’s talk about some of the realities.
Be careful of the narrative that the most common powdered products are “green” and “safe” to use. Well….they are BUT!!! The main ingredient found in most powdered carpet deodorizers as I have already said is baking soda, aka sodium bicarbonate. Sodium bicarbonate is a hydrophilic (water loving), hygroscopic (moisture absorbing), water soluble abrasive. Which means it has a tendency to stick to carpet fibers and then scratches them every time they are walked on. As a test, I took two popular brands of powdered deodorizer, sprinkled it on a piece of Plexiglas, rubbed it with my fingers then wiped it clean. Look at the scratches left on the Plexiglas.
This is the same effect it will have on other plastic (nylon, polyester, triexta, or olefin) carpet fibers. Know this also, the abrasiveness of the powder can also cause harm to your vacuum which is made with plastic parts.
Sodium bicarbonate’s hydrophilic and hygroscopic properties make that little box of baking soda you have in your refrigerator like a mini, non-electric dehumidifier; it is removing moisture from the air inside of your refrigerator. Low humidity air carries less odors. That is why most odors in your home or offices diminish during the heating season, because the air is drier; whereas odors are plentiful in the summer months when the humidity is higher.
Sodium bicarbonate easily dissolves in water, like when a carpet is being hot water extraction cleaned. What happens is that during the cleaning the sodium bicarbonate dissolves and as the carpet dries, it turns back into a powder and appears as a white film over the surface of the carpet (carpets dry from the bottom up). This is not as easy to correct as one might think. Vacuuming alone will not remove it, if it did, why did it occur in the first place? It may take several encapsulating acid rinse treatments to remove the contaminant from the carpet.
What can also happen over time is that some of the sodium bicarbonate and sodium silicate sifts into the backing of the carpet. The water-loving properties and alkalinity of the sodium bicarbonate and sodium silicate powder will break down the latex adhesive used to laminate the carpet backings together and could cause the carpet to lose its dimensional stability and even delaminate.
Using aerosols to freshen the air are easy to use and just fine IF they do not leave a residue. Remember, gravity works, and anything sprayed into the air eventually lands on the surface of the carpet and other items in your home. As a test, spray some of your favorite air freshener on your bathroom mirror and let it dry. If it evaporates completely and leaves no residue, then it should have no effect on your carpet.
So let’s try to figure out a way to freshen the air in your home and not cause harm to you, your furnishings, the carpet, or your vacuums, and not cause re-soiling issues. Have you considered just having your carpets professionally hot water extraction cleaned following the ANSI/IICRC S100 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Cleaning of Textile Floor Coverings? Soooo simple. More and more people are working from home and/or sheltering place. Now more than ever is this the perfect time to have your carpets cleaned for health sake than for appearance.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The goal for anyone is to find a product that claims to be non-abrasive and will not damage carpet fibers or the backing. One that claims up to 98% of the deodorizer can be vacuumed out of the carpet is Nilodor’s Nilofresh, compared to only 65% of a typical deodorizer.
What I do in my own home to make it smell good is bake some cinnamon rolls or bread. Mmmmm. It works but too much of a temptation to eat so it’s not the best thing for my health.
I purchase sachet packets (typically found near the florist area or laundry aisle at the grocery store). Even though the ingredients will not harm carpet, I still just sprinkle the contents on the carpet in a small area and vacuum it up. It is now in the HEPA filter bag in my vacuum spreading my favorite scents in all the areas and air in my home.