Carpet Cleaning
To keep our waters clean, keep your dirty water out.
Nothing feels better than walking across clean carpet, except maybe wading through clean water on a warm summer day. Unfortunately, far too often dirty wash water from carpet cleaning is dumped down the driveway and finds its way through the storm drain system to our local waters. Disposing of these materials into storm drains causes serious ecological problems and is PROHIBITED by law. By following the tips on this sheet, you can clean your home and keep our local waters clean too.
Dispose of Wastewater Properly
Wash water from carpet, drapery or upholstery cleaning must be discharged to a sink, toilet or other drain connected to the sanitary sewer system. Never 
discharge to a street, gutter, parking lot, ditch or storm drain. This applies even when you use cleaning products labeled “nontoxic” or “biodegradable.” Using biodegradable soap does not lessen its immediate environmental impact – it simply means that the soap will degrade in time.
Help with the Yard
Grass clippings and leaves from our yards are causing our lakes and rivers to turn green! You can help by sweeping grass clippings off your driveway and sidewalk back onto your lawn after your mom or dad mows the grass. You can also help your dad and mom rake up the leaves in your yard in the fall!
Filter Wastewater
Before dumping your dirty water into the sanitary sewer, filter the water to make sure that any fiber or debris does not go down the drain. Debris in the wash water can clog the pipes. Dispose of the filtered material in the garbage, provided that the carpet was not contaminated with hazardous materials.
Hiring a Professional Cleaner
Check with the carpet cleaner you hire to ensure the used wash water is emptied into a utility sink or other indoor sanitary sewer connection. Just like you, professional cleaners should never dispose of dirty water in a street, gutter, parking lot, ditch or storm drain. If you contract with a carpet cleaner regularly, arrange an appropriate location for the contractor to discharge wash water such as a utility sink, toilet or sewer outlet.
Stormwater is rain or snowmelt and water from things people do, like overwatering the lawn or discharging pool water into the street drain. We can choose products carefully and shape our lawns and pavement so water sinks in. When we do, runoff is reduced, pollutants filter out and streams and groundwater are protected.
Untreated runoff is the biggest threat to our nation’s water quality, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Let’s make the small, important changes that will reduce that threat and improve water quality and our lives!