Sweet's Chem-Dry, Tigard

One sunny day, Rob Kelley's kids did something characteristically adorable: they decided to make juice from berries they'd picked in the fields. Not so adorably, they spilled the pitcher of just-smashed berries all over one of his dining-room chairs, and the dark purple juice spread across the upholstery. Luckily for the kids, their father owns Sweet's Chem-Dry, and after a session with the company's hot carbonating extraction system, all evidence of the accident disappeared. Kelley documented his success in a small Facebook album.

His team employs the same carbonation system, along with a green, nontoxic cleanser, to lift dirt and debris from carpets, area rugs, and car interiors. Propelled by a truck-mounted machine, the system's microscopic bubbles delve deep into fibers to push grime to the surface, where hot-water extraction flushes it away. Since this system does not leave residue the way cleaning a carpet traditionally or just letting the birds have at it does, carpets stay clean longer. Fabrics dry in up to two hours, and optional protectant shields carpets and upholstery from future stains.