Local Businesses Help with Spring Greening

Spring Cleaning Your Home? With Earth Day approaching this weekend, now is a good time to think about local resources for helping your home become clean while staying "green" at the same time. And there are plenty of local businesses that can help.

GreenTech Carpet Care, an Ashburn business owned by John and Holly Schalow, guides homeowners to a new way of carpet cleaning without using harsh chemicals and toxins that can be harmful to you and the environment.

“There are only a small percentage of carpet cleaning companies that use the green process and products. We are hoping to change the carpet cleaning business and help homeowners realize that this process is much more effective at getting your carpets clean, while at the same time not using harsh chemicals,” said John Schalow.

GreenTech uses a multi-step process on your carpets.

“We use an EPA-recommended low-moisture process that has Green Certified Technology and cleaners that are green-seal certified," Schalow said.

Schalow explained that the end result is that the process provides homeowners with the ability to improve indoor air quality, remove dust mites, pollens and volatile organic compounds.

To contact GreenTech Carpet Care for your next cleaning, call 703-217-7938.

Maid Brigade, which has two offices in Loudoun County, has a local franchise that has been owned by David Newland since 1987.

“We are the only home cleaning service focused on green cleaning,” Newland said.

Maid Brigade is green clean certified. They will come to your home with their own equipment and cleaning supplies. The vacuums that they use are backpack vacuums with a three-stage HEPA filter system. The cleaning products are all free of toxins, fragrances and other chemicals. They use color-coded microfiber cloths, which reduces the need for cleaning solutions, reduces landfill waste and prevents cross contamination.

Employees are trained to follow their cleaning process and they use the same cleaning techniques at each home visit.

“We are also making changes in our office, by using less paper and scanning documents to save them electronically, instead of printing. Also we are no longer mailing paper statements to our customers,” Newland said. “We are continually looking for ways to use less paper in our business,” he added.

To schedule an estimate in your home, call 703-661-6464.

, a heating and air conditioning and plumbing company owned by Shawn Mitchell of Ashburn, also offers green services.

Modern Mechanical has recently received an award from the Loudoun County Government and the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce as a Certified Green Company for their participation in the 2011 Green Business Challenge.

Modern Mechanical sells products that will help customers lower utility bills with higher efficiency in heating and cooling equipment. They offer solar panels that produce electricity and insulation to prevent heat loss in winter.

For more information about other local businesses that are focused on green living, plan to visit the exhibitors at EarthDay@Loudoun Family Festival 2012 at Clyde’s Willowcreek Farm in the Broadlands on Sunday, April 22 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Also visit earthdayatloudoun.org.

Other local businesses with Earth Day offers or tips:

Wegman’s Reusable Bag—Recycle old plastic bags during Wegman’s Organic Festival  Saturday, April 21, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and received a coupon for a free Wegman’s reusable bag. The Organic Festival also features tasting samples and activities for kids.

Verizon’s Home Monitoring and Control service—The service aims to save energy, and money, by permitting owners to control their home’s climate, and other energy-consuming items, remotely. See video.

Staples recently announced it would offer free electronics recycling. All brands of the following electronics are eligible:

• Desktop PCs, laptops, netbooks, tablet PCs, external hard drives and small servers
• All computer monitors
• Printers, desktop copiers, faxes and all-in-one devices
• Mice, keyboards, modems/routers networking and PC speakers
• Shredders, streaming devices, phones and Universal Power Supply (UPS battery backup)
• Mobile phones, GPS devices, MP3 players, digital camcorders and digital cameras
• Additional information is available at HP’s and Staples websites at www.hp.com/us/go/recycling or http://www.staples.com/recycle.

CVS (, )recently highlighted many of the eco-friendly/green products it offers, including: 

• Earth Essentials Bathroom Tissue (3.49):  Gentle on the planet and safe for your family, this bathroom tissue is made from 100% recycled content.
• CVS Earth Essentials Tall Extra-Strong Kitchen Bags (5.49): These durable trash bags are specially made to break down in just 18-24 months, reducing pollution and landfill volume.
• CVS Earth Essentials 9 Inch Plates (2.50): These biodegradable plates are made from sugarcane and water and oil resistant. They’re also microwave safe!
• CVS Earth Essentials Strong & Absorbent Paper Towels (2.69):  Made from 100% recycled content, you can help preserve the earth’s resources by using Earth Essentials Paper Towels.