Reno News and Review

Reno Gazette Journal

This article was published on 01.07.10 in Reno News and Review

Call in the cleaners

Newman’s Natural Carpet Care dish the dirt about toxic carpets

By Kat Kerlin
katk@newsreview.com
More stories by this author...

As Todd Newman moves a floor machine in circular motions over the carpet of a South Reno home, a couple of things become immediately apparent. First of all, there’s absolutely no smell, unlike most cleaned carpets. And although I’m standing on newly cleaned carpet in my socks, they’re not wet.

That’s because Todd and his wife, Roberta Newman, operating as Newman’s Natural Carpet Care, use a nontoxic cleaner that they spray in a fine mist over the carpet before going over it with the floor machine.

Conventional steam cleaners typically come in a truck loaded with chemical-based detergent, which is brought into the house by hoses. It requires plenty of water for this process, which, if improperly disposed, can enter storm drains, along with the soapy residue, and chemicals it carries, such as perchloroethylene, or “perc,” a toxic solvent.

The Newmans are not steam cleaners, and they’re not conventional. They bring into the house all of their equipment, which doesn’t include much beyond a vacuum, a mister, floor machine and grooming brush. They don’t require water beyond the small amount used to mix with their nontoxic cleaning spray. Roberta says the cleaner they use is food-grade, spraying it in her mouth to illustrate the point.

“If this goes into our water system, it won’t hurt us,” she says.

It’s primarily made of sea salt and phosphoric acid.

“People panic when they hear the word ‘acid,’ but phosphoric acid is in sodas,” says Todd, who was a stockbroker in San Francisco for 23 years before he and Roberta moved to Nevada seven years ago and started their carpet cleaning business shortly thereafter.

The kicker is that the nontoxic solution they use actually seems to work. “People call us because they want green, they want something healthier or they have health issues,” says Roberta. “But then they see the quality of the work.” Most of their business has been won through word-of-mouth.

“We have to think about sustainable living,” says Roberta. “We don’t want to be around chemicals throughout our work day. Our lives would be shortened.”

Homeowner Robin Addison likes the nontoxic cleaner the Newmans use on her carpet. “It’s good there’s not soap going down the drain or chemical residue or anything dangerous,” she says. “With the environmental stuff, it’s huge for me. I have kids and pets, and they can come and have everyone back in the house, and it’s fine.”

“People talk about pets and babies, but it’s really all of us,” says Roberta. “It frightens me how we don’t think. What are we doing when we pick up a chemical? What’s in it? And when you put it in your water system, where does it go? It goes to us.”

The Newmans offer some advice for homeowners when it comes to carpets: Don’t put Scotchgard on your carpet; it’s made of Teflon, which is a carcinogen you can breathe in as it breaks down. Avoid synthetic air fresheners. Also, opt for vacuums with bags rather than canisters, which release more dirt into the air. And when emptying those vacuum bags, do it outside so it doesn’t get trapped in the house, affecting indoor air quality. For spot cleaners, get one that’s Green Seal-approved, or make one yourself with equal parts vinegar and water.

Reno Gazette Journal

BY Marian Bond • business@rgj.com • October 27, 2009

A move to Reno in 2002 provided Todd and Roberta Newman an opportunity to enjoy a different environment and to begin a new business venture.

For 23 years, Todd Newman was a stockbroker on the Options Floor of the Pacific Stock Exchange in San Francisco, and Roberta Newman sold medical malpractice insurance.

After looking into various business opportunities, the couple elected to start a carpet and upholstery cleaning business that relied on an environmentally-friendly product Todd Newman had learned about during his years on the stock
exchange. After moving to Reno, friends encouraged him to pursue the opportunity.

Newman's Natural Carpet & Upholstery Care was formed in 2004, and the process is unique in that there is very little water used during cleaning. The solution is 100 percent natural, soap- and detergent-free, odorless and contains
no volatile organic compounds (VOCs). It is Indoor Air Quality approved.

Todd Newman described the five steps:

"First, we use a dual motor industrial vacuum cleaner and thoroughly vacuum the house. Next, we mix the solution with hot water from a tap in the home, using the sink or bathtub. The next step is to mist the carpet with the solution
using an appliance that is similar to a fruit sprayer. It is important that the solution not go deep and into the pad. Then, we use the floor machine with a brush attachment, and this agitates the carpet, raising it so we can get in with the floor machine
to remove dirt and dander and odors.

"After we have cleaned the carpet and dried it, we take a rake and groom. Typically, the carpet will be 90 percent dry by the time we leave the house."

He said the thing to note is they will use about 10 gallons of water for an average size house, whereas a more conventional cleaning process might use 100 gallons.

For upholstery cleaning, a separate machine is used along with the solution.

The Newmans purchase the dry solution from the developer in Washington, and it comes in 350-pound barrels, which they house in storage units.

The company offers free cost estimates.

Being involved in an environmentally friendly business has been a plus for the couple, as they are interested in green enterprises. Plus, they are happy to have many satisfied customers who are so pleased with the look of their carpet.

"People are shocked when we are done," Newman said. "We leave the customer smiling from ear to ear. We're not there to just clean the carpet one time. We want them to be our customer for life. And we are helping the environment as
well."