Zerorez of Spokane LLC, a local franchisee of a Salt Lake City-based chemical-free carpet cleaning company, has experienced substantial growth in sales during the last two years, says its owner Jeremy McGee.

The seven-year-old business posted $1 million in revenue last year, hitting that mark for the first time and boosting its revenue by 30 percent over 2009, McGee says. It had doubled its revenues in 2009 from what it posted the prior year, he says.

Now, Zerorez of Spokane has 11 full-time employees and currently is in the process of hiring two more, McGee says.

In 2009, the business outgrew its 2,500-square-foot offices in Spokane Valley, at 1104 N. Park Road, and in September of that year moved its Spokane headquarters to 125 N. Crestline. McGee says the 7,000 square-foot space is more than two times larger than its former location. The business's growing fleet of seven trucks also is stationed there.

Instead of using soaps or detergents to clean carpets, Zerorez uses high-alkaline water with a pH value of 10, which the franchise contends doesn't leave behind any residue. McGee says the alkaline water feels soapy to the touch and can be used to sanitize and clean almost any surface besides carpet and upholstery.

He adds that the food-and-beverage industry has cleaned with alkaline water for years, but that Zerorez is one of the first companies to use it for carpet cleaning.

Most of the Zerorez's sales come from residential customers, but McGee says the business also offers its services to the commercial market. He adds that he's currently focusing on expanding the business's commercial services, which now make up about 15 percent of its overall customer base.

He says the company typically services about 100 clients a week, and that most of its residential carpet cleanings range between an hour and a half to three hours, depending on the customer's needs. Most residential customers can expect to pay between $140 and $300 for Zerorez's carpet cleaning services, McGee says.

Zerorez also sells to its customers its alkaline cleaning solution in gallon-sized jugs, and McGee says the solution is manufactured at its Spokane facility. He adds that the cleaning solution is environmentally-friendly because there are no chemicals.

McGee says he was Zerorez's fourth franchisee and started the business here in 2004 when he was 23. He says now there are 28 Zerorez franchises across the U.S.