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Considerations on Scotchgard and Teflon |
Are Scotchgard and Teflon a threat to a healthy environment? We don’t know…simply. There is a lot of recent press regarding the impact of chlorofluorocarbons and other “protective” finish chemicals that have been getting into the environment and – possibly – affecting people on, what some have said, a “massive” scale for decades or more.
At FiberGuard, we began our business as a formulator and distributor of protective finishes supplied by others and, since we always believed in the “less is more” practice of actually being there in your home when spots and spills occur we never felt it necessary to emphasize applying a protector to literally everything. Even with a protector, permanent spots and stains still occur, so we always felt it important to offer two – more important – levels beyond an applied chemical. 2) In-home service ASAP and 3) advice and product/spotters assistance for emergencies.
No matter WHAT advice and assistance our customers receive, if the fiber is permanently damaged, nothing will repair it. Bleaches, acids (urine), dyes (food, hair coloring) all contribute to increased risks. Add pets, sick children, party guests, “unknown” causes such as acne or other medications, manufacturing chemicals used, poor quality control…whew! . Even some baby shampoo contains yellow acid dyes. The risks will be there no matter HOW well you think you’ve protected something
So, in 1990 we introduced our EarthAware™ program which has the same warranty and follow up – see 2 & 3 above – but without the chemical application for customers with fears or concerns about applied protectors. We have found that, although we are required to be available for on-site service more often to assist, the additional cost of providing the additional service is no more to us than the cost to us of the chemical application. So, for the same price we offer both FiberGuard™ Soil and Stain Repellent and EarthAware™ Fabric Care.
When cleaning for a Healthful Environment we offer both programs to help alleviate the causes of suffering of our asthma and allergy customers. These programs also compensate for the reduction of chemistry by increasing other components of our services such as, heat, time, agitation, rinsing agents, prompt service, advice such as the purchase of “hypo-allergenic” fabrics and soil/stain removal procedures and air purifiers, exhaust of cleaning fumes to the outside, low-or-no solvent use, and the use of PH balanced solutions to complement detergent use.
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