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Learn more about why carpet is the best option for your work in the video.

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Our programs allow consumers to have the best carpet experience by picking the right products for their floor and picking the best products to maintain it.

Green Label Plus

Green Label Plus, an ANAB-accredited program, certifies carpet and carpet products as low-VOC emitting products. Recognized by organizations like USGBC, EPA, UL, and WELL, GLP continues to set the bar as one of the best indoor air quality testing programs today.

NSF/ANSI 140 Sustainability Assessment for Carpet

NSF 140 provides the information architects, designers, and other building professionals need to procure the environmentally-friendly products they need for projects. The assessment recognizes sustainable carpet products on a rating system of silver, gold, and platinum.

Seal of Approval

The Seal of Approval program identifies the best carpet cleaning products and equipment available for consumers to keep carpet looking great and lasting for its intended life. By using SOA-certified products, consumers maintain the appearance of carpet and keep warranties intact.

Through our programs, Green Label Plus, NSF 140, and Seal of Approval, the Carpet and Rug Institute is working towards designing better products for consumers, creating better buildings for work, and making better homes for families.

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This post is part of the 2019 Holiday Beauty of Carpet campaign. View the original post at Black Southern Belle.

Holidays are here and nothing feels better than spending time with family. One of my annual ways to spend family time is by exploring historic hotels and holiday houses to get inspiration for holiday decor. Today I am giving a tour of the holiday decor in one of Charleston’s historic hotels. It is a great location downtown, has beautiful historic hotel charm and cozy carpet for Baby Jackson to enjoy crawling, walking and falling without hurting himself on a tour of the decor.  Here are a few of my highlights from the tour and I hope they inspire you to take a tour of your own town’s holiday decor or add a little more style to your own home. 

Carpet is soft, warm and cozy underfoot (especially when you are a baby and a little clumsy). This is particularly important in cooler months when the temperatures dip.

These blush poinsettias are a perfect pairing with this bold blue patterned carpet. This unique carpet style adds a pop of color to this classic Charleston style room but also mixes well with other colors for a perfect accent to holiday style.

You can’t have holiday decor without a great holiday wreath. These classic green wreaths pair perfectly with the transitional furniture and gorgeous statement carpet. Not to mention these lounge areas make a great place for a hide and seek break with Jackson and my husband. Nothing like father and son time, especially when I don’t have to worry about Jackson hurting himself on the floor.

People are often surprised to learn that carpet is not only beautiful, but it also improves indoor air quality and supports healthier spaces for everyone. Which is super important as a mom and something I am thinking about as a pregnant mom of an active toddler. 

Carpet also reduces noise – which is important in public spaces like this hotel, but also can be helpful in our homes! Especially when you have little ones constantly looking for new ways to make noise such as pots and pans.

Read the full post at Black Southern Belle.

Enter the Beauty of Carpet sweepstakes here.

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This post is part of our 2018 Blogger campaign featuring Design Sponge and the United Way of Sacramento. 

By incorporating functional, but playful elements like pennants, felt signboards and bright yellow chairs, the room became a light space filled with reminders of why everyone who passed through the door was there – to bring “light and bright” to the community they serve. With The Carpet & Rug Institute donating the new carpet tiles in a textured light grey, the space went from a drab, cave-like environment to a place that felt large and limitless, like the Square One program goals.

Working with The Carpet & Rug Institute, the United Way team chose a light grey carpet as the foundation for their new, inspiring space. They liked that working with carpet gave them a ton of design flexibility and let them go light without fear of wear and tear or staining. With health as one of the foundations of their program, it was important to create an uplifting environment for their team and volunteers with a light workspace. This was made possible with the help of carpet that promotes indoor air quality by trapping harmful particles and helps keep the noise down in their busy areas.

The carpet also offers a safer space for their elderly volunteers. Polished floors in public spaces can be tricky for those with mobility issues, so the UW team was confident that carpet was a great choice.  California is known for its environmental progressiveness and almost all carpet, including the carpet tile installed in this space, is certified as Green Label Plus. This designation ensures the carpet is among the lowest-emitting products on the market.

Learn more about how carpet benefits your facilities.

Read the full post here.

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In any healthcare setting, patient care comes first. That’s why maintaining indoor air quality is paramount. The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) has conducted scientific research and gathered independent data that show carpet is not only a viable choice for the healthcare industry, it’s the best choice.

What You Should Know

– New carpet emits the lowest levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of common flooring choices. Not only is it the lowest-emitting floor covering, it is also one of the lowest-emitting construction and renovation products overall – much lower than products such as paint.

– What low emissions in new carpet there are drop significantly after 24 hours – even sooner with fresh air ventilation.

– Carpet manufacturers were the first in the flooring industry to thoroughly study their products for indoor air quality effects.

– In 1992, CRI became the first organization to set limits on how many VOCs from carpet, adhesives and cushion may be released into the air. Since then, the Green Label Plus program has voluntarily raised IAQ standards by requiring even lower emission levels and increasing the number of compounds evaluated.

– CRI also worked with California’s Sustainable Building Task Force and Department of Health to certify carpet and adhesives. Green Label Plus exceeds the low-emitting product testing protocols used by the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS).
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– The Green Guide for Health Care (GGHC), a best practices guide for healthy and sustainable building, design, construction and operations for healthcare facilities, specifies the use of CRI-approved carpet.

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To assist in the process, CRI has created Green Label Plus for carpet, adhesives, and cushion to raise the bar on lowering emissions.

Green Label Plus is a voluntary, industry testing program for carpet, adhesive and cushion products that establish the highest standard for indoor air quality (IAQ) ever set by the carpet industry. The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) created Green Label Plus to identify carpets, adhesives, and cushions that are tested by an independent, certified laboratory and meet stringent criteria for low chemical emissions.

• It ensures customers they are purchasing the lowest emitting carpet, adhesive and cushion products on the market.
• It is designed for architects, builders, specifiers and facility managers who want assurance that carpet, adhesive and cushion products meet the most stringent criteria for low chemical emissions.

Meets California’s CHPS Criteria

Green Label Plus meets, and even exceeds, California’s indoor quality standards for low-emitting products used in commercial settings such as schools and office buildings. The carpet industry took the initiative to enhance its GreenLabel program for carpet, adhesives and cushion to meet testing protocols used by the Collaborative for HighPerformance Schools (CHPS). Under the agreement between CRI and the California agencies, Green Label Plus is acceptable for the CHPS low-emitting materials criteria for use in schools.

The Green Label Plus symbol indicates:

• The manufacturer voluntarily participates in the program and is committed to developing ways to minimize any adverse effects on indoor air quality.
• A representative sample of the product type is tested by an independent laboratory and meets the established emissions requirements.
• The product is also recognized by the US Green Building Council’s LEED version 4 standard as a Low-Emitting Materials Third Party Certification and can contribute one point to a building’s LEED score.

GLP Passes Rigorous Testing

To receive Green Label Plus certification, carpet, adhesive and cushion products must undergo a rigorous testing process. Emissions are measured for a range of chemicals and testing is administered by an independent laboratory. All testing evaluates carpet against the 35 compounds listed on the California 01350 version 1.1, except for Caprolactam. Each product category also includes additional compounds for certification, six for carpet, two for carpet, and seven for adhesive.

For acceptance into the GLP program, a product must pass a 14-day test of the full list of 35 compounds, along with its specific category compounds, and the total level of volatile organic compound (TVOC).
Annual testing is required for continued compliance within the GLP program. Samples will be evaluated at 24 hours. If the sample does not meet the 24-hour criteria, the test may be extended to 14 days upon approval by the participant. Biennial testing is also required for continued certification under Green Label Plus. Done every second year after the initial test, a test sample is evaluated at 14 days for the full list of compounds and category-specific compounds.

Green Label Plus Measures Up

The Green Label Plus program is an example of the Carpet and Rug Institute’s leadership in the best practices of environmental responsibility. ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB), the premier source for international standardization and conformity assessment, has accredited CRI for testing indoor air quality.

Green Label Plus is the first, and only, ANAB-accredited green carpet program in the U.S. An accreditation body is an impartial third party that tests and evaluates a product to determine its compliance with relevant standards.

Green Label Plus programs, which test for and certify low emissions from carpet and adhesive, comply with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Guide 17065, General Requirements for Bodies Operating Product Certification Programs.

• ANAB-accreditation is a further assurance that the products tested and certified by CRI are green building products that meet high standards for indoor air quality.

Learn more about Green Label Plus and Green Label Plus products at www.carpet-rug.org/GLP.

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When it comes to air quality, you can breathe easier with carpet. Despite misconceptions, carpet emits less and filters more compounds than any other flooring option. The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) has conducted scientific research and gathered independent data that show carpet delivers the better air quality than other flooring types.

What You Should Know

• New carpet is one of the lowest-emitting products used in new construction and renovation – much lower than products such as paint. The already low VOC emission of new carpet drops significantly after 24 hours—even sooner with fresh air ventilation.

• Carpet manufacturers were the first in the flooring industry to thoroughly study their products for indoor air quality effects in commercial settings. CRI worked with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), academic institutions and independent laboratories to evaluate carpet’s role in the indoor environment.

• In 1992, CRI became the first organization to set limits on VOC emissions from carpet, adhesives, and cushion. Since then, the Green Label Plus program has voluntarily tightened IAQ standards by requiring even lower emission levels and increasing the number of compounds evaluated.

• CRI also worked with California’s Sustainable Building Task Force and Department of Health to certify carpet and adhesives. Green Label Plus exceeds the low-emitting product testing protocols used by the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS).

• Products certified to the Green Label Plus program contribute to Green Globes and LEED® credits for low-emitting materials.

• Green Label Plus is a requirement in the public health and environment sections of NSF/ANSI 140 – the sustainability assessment for carpet. NSF/ANSI 140 is the preeminent measurement of the sustainability characteristics of carpets. By specifying all carpets certified to NSF/ANSI 140, you can be eligible for the Innovation in Design Credit in LEED projects.

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CleanLink.com recently released an article with four tips for carpet maintenance.

Here are their tips, with some added advice from CRI:

1. Use entryway matting

When it comes to entryway matting, the bigger the better. There must be room for at least two steps with each foot, preferably three, to sufficiently wipe soil from feet before encountering the installed carpet. 

Walk-off mats are a great tool for keeping dirt from ever reaching your carpet. One important thing to keep in mind, however, is that walk-off mats need to be cleaned from time to time. This will keep them effective at trapping dirt.

2. Clean spots immediately

To get the most out of your carpet, make sure to remove spots and spills immediately, reducing the likelihood of a permanent stain.

Cleaning spots as soon as they occur is a good strategy, but using a CRI Seal of Approval-certified cleaning solution will remove stains effectively while not negatively affecting carpet.

3. Vacuum daily

Proper and consistent vacuuming is the single most effective means of keeping carpet clean. By following a routine vacuuming schedule, 90 to 95 percent of all dry soil can be removed effectively.

Vacuuming is the easiest method of carpet cleaning. Regular vacuuming removes soil and dirt that can damage the carpet fiber and therefore reduce the useful life of carpet.

4. Conduct periodic deep cleans

In addition to frequent vacuuming, your facility should also conduct periodic deep cleans on a semi-annual basis to help restore your carpet to its original condition and maintain peak performance. Pay greater attention to entryway areas, deep cleaning these areas on a quarterly basis at a minimum.

Deep cleaning removes soil that vacuuming misses, which makes it imperative to regularly deep clean your facility’s carpet.

Bonus Tip: Interim Maintenance

Interim maintenance is the cleaning that should be done between your regular deep cleaning. Interim maintenance systems remove soil, improve the appearance of carpet and prolong a carpet’s useful life.

Follow these tips to keep your facility’s carpet clean, lasting, and sustainable.

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