"Sodium Hydroxide" water.
http://eau-x.com/eau_technology/page5.html
The miracle is the marketing of a relatively simple concept that uses a "Rube Goldberg" process and then capitalize on the unique nature by creating an aura of mystery.
What is unique?
1. A Sodium Hydroxide and filtered water solution which is the rinse. (conventional presprays and spotters are used in pretreatment)
2. Nobody in their right mind would use Sodium Hydroxide as the primary, or in this case, the only builder in their rinse solution,
UNLESS they could capitalize on a a relatively complex process of making the product exclusively, AND have a marketing campaign to sell it.
3. The product can be duplicated by simply adding a small amount of Sodium Hydroxide to filtered water. But then how would you market it? Are you going to say that you use a dilute lye solution to clean the carpet? Heck no... But if you can patent a "relatively" complex process that can be done at your base of operations, to do the same thing, you can then establish a very carefully worded marketing campaign that creates a unique selling position.
This is an ingenious variation of the original concept that started the "soap-free" phenomenon. Take something simple, that works "reasonably" well and brainstorm a series of bullet points that mystifies and amplifies the product/process apart and favorably from the competition.
