San Francisco, CA, August 25--According to the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, one-third of the country's population suffers from allergies, asthma, sinusitis or bronchitis -- conditions that indoor pollutants greatly exacerbate, according to SFGate.com.
One San Franciscan doing his part to eliminate some of the more toxic substances found under our roofs is John Stewart, owner of San Francisco-based Healthy Choice Carpet Cleaners.
Stewart started his business 15 years ago, cleaning with the dry (that is, chemical) method most of his colleagues employ. A few years later, however, Stewart ran across a study by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on carpet cleaning and its effect on indoor air quality.
In 1995, he changed his company's moniker to its present one and started using greener cleaning methods. "I realized my services could have a positive effect on people's lives," notes Stewart. "And I wanted a name that would show why we were different from other cleaning companies."
And different it is. Healthy Choice uses little more than air, water and the Vortex, a rather ominous-sounding machine that Stewart hauls around in his company's mini-semi. "It's the most powerful and expensive cleaning machine in the world," Stewart states like a proud papa. "But it also allows us to clean lightly to moderately soiled carpets with little or no cleaning agents."
Stewart is a Master Certified Cleaner, a designation earned through a rigorous three-year training and testing process under the auspices of the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification.
