Carpets can brighten up a room, but cleaning them often involves a lot of water, as well as detergents and other cleaners that damage the environment. That doesn’t have to be the case, though. Many San Jose carpet-cleaning services employ nontoxic and natural cleaning agents and processes that reduce or eliminate water usage. Here are four Bay Area carpet-cleaning options that help keep heavy carbon footprints off your rug.

Stay Dry Go Green Organic Carpet Cleaning | San Jose, CA

Eco-friendly credentials: All products are naturally derived, nontoxic, and hypoallergenic, leaving carpets safe for kids and pets to play on after cleaning. 

Equipment: Strong VLM dry carpet-cleaning machines scrub carpets without the need for harsh chemicals, cumbersome hoses, or even water. 

What sets it apart: Stay Dry Go Green doesn’t rely on flushing out carpet fibers with steam or water, so floors are dry almost immediately after they are cleaned.

Zerorez Bay Area | San Jose, CA

Eco-friendly credentials: Instead of lathering carpets with chemical soaps and detergents, technicians here use a nontoxic, water-based cleaner.  

Equipment: The Zerorez carpet-cleaning system eliminates dirt and debris with an electrolyzed fluid called Empowered Water. Specialists apply the cleaning agent with a high-pressure extraction wand. 

What sets it apart: Because Zerorez’s cleaning method doesn’t leave sticky soap residue behind, carpets stay cleaner for longer.

Citrus Plus | Santa Clara, CA

Eco-friendly credentials: As the name implies, Citrus Plus employs naturally derived agents, such as citric acid, to do the bulk of the dirty work. The cleaning formula and its probiotic sanitizer are not only nontoxic, but biodegradable, too. 

Equipment: A rotary brush and bonnet system spins at 175 revolutions per minute to break down stains and dirt, and vacuuming before and after treatments means fabric stays fresh and dry. 

What sets it apart: No greenwashing here. Not only is the company’s cleaning process designed to conserve water and eliminate toxic chemicals, but the office is paperless and technicians arrive at jobs in fuel-efficient vehicles.

Naturell Carpet Cleaning | San Carlos, CA

Eco-friendly credentials: Naturell’s technicians clean carpets using an organic solution filled with natural enzymes. In addition, the techs’ cleaning method uses 95% less water than traditional methods. 

Equipment: A TeeJet sprayer mists carpets with the enzyme solution, and a bonnet unlodges and absorbs dirt from the base to the tip of each carpet fiber. 

What sets it apart: Naturell’s water-conservation efforts and use of naturally derived cleaning enzymes haven’t gone unnoticed. The eco-friendly process has earned the company an endorsement from a Stanford University immunologist, along with an award from the EPA.