Cleaning products around kids and pets
Keep children and pets out of the room while a couch or carpet is cleaned and off it until it is dry, and ask any cleaner for the label of what they use. We use the best non-toxic products, safe for kids and pets in every home; WATERFALL's fabric furniture cleaning is priced on the prices page. WATERFALL cleans couches at your home from $130: call (747) 214-6199.
What kind of cleaning products do you use?
We use the best non-toxic products, safe for kids and pets in every home. The method is an organic shampoo worked into the fabric, then steam extraction pulling it out with the dirt.
Product names are not printed on this site. Whatever a cleaner uses, its label lists what is in it.
What chemicals do carpet cleaners use?
Mostly detergents, which lift soil, and pre-sprays that loosen it, followed by a rinse. Some jobs add a solvent spotter for oil or ink, an acid rinse to balance the carpet or a protector applied at the end.
On upholstery the usual set is a pre-spray of mild detergent to loosen body oil and food soil, a neutral or mildly acid rinse in the extraction machine, spotters for ink, oil or protein stains, and a dry solvent for fabrics coded S. The code on the tag decides which may be used; see the cleaning codes.
Every product has a label, and most professional products also have a safety data sheet that lists what is in it.
Are carpet cleaning chemicals safe for babies and toddlers?
It depends on the product, the amount and how well it is rinsed out, so the practice is the same with any cleaner. Babies and toddlers crawl and put their hands in their mouths, so keep them out of the room while the carpet is wet and off it until it is dry and the smell has gone, with the windows open and a fan on.
Prefer products whose ingredients are listed or that carry the EPA's Safer Choice label, read the label of anything you use yourself, and ask your doctor about a particular child.
Is it safe for someone with a breathing condition to be home during carpet cleaning?
Ask the person's doctor first; the cautious practice is for anyone with a breathing condition to be out of the room, or out of the home, while the carpet is cleaned and until it is dry and any smell has gone.
Open the windows and run fans that push the air outside, and ask any cleaner whether its products are scented.
What is a pet safe way to clean carpet if my dog licks the floor?
Use as little product as you can and get it back out: blot and vacuum, clean with plain warm water first, and for a pet stain use a pet enzyme cleaner exactly as its label says; then rinse or extract, open the windows and keep the dog off until the carpet is dry.
Skip bleach, ammonia, essential oils, carpet powders and strong scents. When we clean, steam extraction pulls the shampoo back out with the dirt, and the dog stays in another room until the carpet is dry.
Are your carpet cleaning products safe for kids and pets?
They are the best non-toxic products, safe for kids and pets, the same in every home, and steam extraction pulls the shampoo back out with the dirt. Keep children and pets out of the work area and off the wet fabric until it is dry; drying times by item says how long.
What are eco-friendly upholstery cleaning products?
The words are not regulated, so the label does the work. Products described that way are usually made with plant-based or biodegradable ingredients, with fewer solvents, and many are fragrance-light.
A third-party label such as the EPA's Safer Choice program tells you more than the word does. Read the ingredients, and ask whether the product works on your fabric.
What makes a carpet cleaner truly green?
A product with ingredients listed and checked by an outside program, a method that uses water carefully and takes it back out, and a company that does not make big claims. The EPA's Safer Choice label is one outside check.
"Green" on a bottle with no ingredient list tells you little. A good company can say what it uses and why.
How environmentally friendly is professional upholstery cleaning?
It uses water and energy, avoids strong solvents, and can extend the life of furniture that would otherwise be replaced.
Steam extraction pulls the wastewater and the shampoo into the machine. Ask any company how it disposes of used water.
Is green cleaning as effective as traditional methods?
For everyday soil, often yes, when the product suits the fiber and the method is right: vacuuming, pre-treatment, agitation, extraction and fast drying matter more than the word on the label. The EPA's Safer Choice label is given only to products that meet its performance standards as well as its ingredient ones; for heavy grease, dye or a long-set stain, a stronger product may do more.
Be wary of a promise either way. A result depends on the stain, the age and the fabric.
Are organic cleaning products effective on upholstery?
They can be, when matched to the fabric and the soil, and we use an organic shampoo with steam extraction on upholstery. Effectiveness depends on the fabric's cleaning code and on what the soil is, not on the word organic.
The guide to the cleaning codes explains the first thing to check.
How can I clean a fabric couch naturally with household products?
Check the tag under the cushions first: W means water-based cleaning, S means solvent only, W/S means either, and X means vacuum only (cleaning codes). A household mix suits W or W/S fabric only.
Vacuum, test on a hidden spot, whip a little mild dish soap in warm water into foam, apply the foam with a white cloth, blot from the edge in, wipe with a cloth dampened in plain water and let it dry with the air moving. Baking soda left on dry fabric overnight and vacuumed off takes up odor; do not mix it with vinegar. For a whole couch, a ring or an S or X tag, DIY couch cleaning and its limits says when to stop.
Are green carpet cleaning solutions effective for fine fabrics and coastal homes?
They can be, and a fine fabric calls for a careful method before it calls for a product. Delicate fabrics such as silk, viscose and some velvets need a test and a light hand; the fabric by fabric guide covers them.
Coastal air is humid and salty, which slows drying and brings damp smells. See the guide to sand, salt and dust.
Is eco-friendly sofa cleaning only for homes with children or pets?
No, it is for anyone who prefers it. We use the best non-toxic products, safe for kids and pets in every home, with or without children or pets.
Is carpet protector safe for pets?
That is a question for the maker of the protector, and the label and the safety data sheet answer it.
WATERFALL does not apply a protector: it needs a fully dry surface, so it cannot be done well during a cleaning. Instead we add a special product to the clean rinse water that neutralises the cleaning solution and closes the fibers, so the piece stays clean longer.
Whatever the product, keep pets off the carpet until it is dry and the label's time has passed.
Will carpet cleaning products cause damage to my home?
A product can damage a surface when it is too strong for the material, left on too long, or when too much water gets into a backing or a floor. Using a drop cloth, testing a hidden spot and taking the water back out are the protections.
We put a drop cloth on the floor and clean the piece where it stands. Tell us about anything delicate in the room when you book.
Does upholstery cleaning help with allergies?
Cleaning takes dust, dirt and the shampoo out of the fabric; for a health question, ask your doctor.
Anyone sensitive to dust is better out of the room while any cleaning is done and until the fabric is dry. For general guidance on a clean home, the EPA's indoor air quality pages are the place to read.
How do you remove allergens from upholstery and from a home?
With ordinary habits: vacuum with a good filter, wash removable covers, keep humidity down and clean the fabric on a schedule.
The EPA's pages on indoor air and biological pollutants explain the rest.
Does steam cleaning kill bacteria?
It is a cleaning method, not a treatment: hot water and shampoo loosen soil, and a strong vacuum pulls the water and the dirt out of the fabric.
How does green cleaning affect indoor air quality?
Ventilation, humidity and the sources of pollutants decide it, including what is in the products you use; the EPA's pages below explain each.
A product with less scent leaves less to breathe in, and cleaning adds moisture while the fabric is wet, so open the windows during and after any cleaning and let it dry fast.
Questions and answers
Is professional couch cleaning safe for dogs and cats?
It depends on the product and on keeping pets off the fabric until it is dry. Keep dogs and cats in another room while the couch is cleaned and until it dries, and follow the label of any product you use yourself; we use the best non-toxic products, safe for kids and pets in every home.
What chemicals do professional upholstery cleaners use?
Mostly detergents that lift soil, sometimes a pre-spray to loosen it and a solvent spotter for oil or ink. WATERFALL uses the best non-toxic products, safe for kids and pets.
Is eco-friendly or organic carpet cleaning as effective as regular cleaning?
For everyday soil, often yes. For heavy grease, dye or a long-set stain a stronger product may do more, and the method matters as much as the product.
How to clean upholstery without chemicals?
Vacuum and use a damp cloth with plain water on W fabric. Plain water does not lift oily soil, and extraction does more.
How to clean couch naturally?
Vacuum, blot with a damp cloth and let it air dry. A natural product is still a liquid that can ring or fade some fabrics.
Are carpet cleaning chemicals safe?
It depends on the product, the amount and how well it is rinsed out. Keep the room ventilated, keep children and pets off the carpet until it is dry, and ask any cleaner for the label. WATERFALL uses the best non-toxic products, safe for kids and pets.
Do it green carpet cleaning?
A green method uses water carefully and takes it back out, with a product whose ingredients are listed. We use the best non-toxic products, safe for kids and pets in every home.
How local cleaning services can help you clean your couch?
They come to your home, know the local conditions and can be checked through reviews. WATERFALL cleans on site in Los Angeles County.
Prices and booking
More guides
- Hiring a cleaner: all guides
- How to choose a couch or carpet cleaner — Ask for the method, the total price in writing, when you pay and what is promised in writing; read dated reviews and be wary of a low price that grows at the door.
- How long a couch or carpet takes to dry — Wait until it feels dry to sit, walk on it or put furniture back; drying depends on the weather, and a rug or carpet usually takes longer than a couch.
- How to deodorize a couch or rug — Find the source, pretreat it, flush it out and dry fast; enzymes break down organic matter, and a scent on its own covers a smell rather than removing it.
- Dust mites, bed bugs and mold in a mattress — Dust mites are tiny and common in beds and are kept down by covers, hot washing and low humidity; bed bugs and mold need their own specialists.
Sources: EPA indoor air quality (General guidance from the US Environmental Protection Agency on keeping the inside of a home clean and ventilated.); EPA Safer Choice (The EPA's program and label for cleaning products that meet its safer-ingredient standard.); The Carpet and Rug Institute (The carpet and rug industry's trade association, for how carpet is made, cared for and cleaned.)