The Importance of Vacuuming

Vacuuming adds to the life and look of carpet. Learn about other benefits regular vacuuming has on carpet in your home.

The post The Importance of Vacuuming appeared first on The Carpet and Rug Institute.

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.

The post CRI Programs: Creating Better Products, Homes, and Buildings appeared first on The Carpet and Rug Institute.

Vacuuming, spot removal, and professional cleaning will enhance your carpet experience for the life of your carpet.

The post The Best Carpet Cleaning Practices for Your Home appeared first on The Carpet and Rug Institute.

A Guide To CRI’s Seal of Approval Program

What’s the Carpet and Rug Institute?

Headquartered in Dalton, Georgia, the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) is the national trade association representing carpet and rug manufacturers and suppliers of raw materials and services to the industry.  CRI members account for more the majority of all carpet produced in the United States. CRI is the leading source for science-based information on carpet. Its mission is to provide the carpet industry, its customers and the public with facts that enable informed flooring choices. CRI is a resource for everything from carpet selection and installation to care and cleaning.

What’s the Seal of Approval Program?

The CRI Seal of Approval program tests the effectiveness of carpet cleaning products and certifies those products that remove difficult stains or a sufficient amount of soil without damage to the carpet. Not all products clean well enough to earn this distinction. Seeing the CRI Seal of Approval logo on products helps consumers recognize that they are buying quality products.

What types of products are tested?

Under the Seal of Approval program, tests are conducted on cleaning solutions and equipment. Each product is tested at an independent laboratory against control samples to assess product performance using scientifically accredited cleaning standards.

• Spot removers, pre-spray/in-tank, and encapsulate cleaning solutions are tested for overall cleaning effectiveness, pet stain/odor removal effectiveness, rate of resoiling, pH, optical brighteners and colorfastness to light.
• Deep cleaning extractors are tested for soil removal efficacy, amount of residual moisture and appearance retention.
• Deep cleaning systems (which use a specific machine used with a particular cleaning agent, following a set procedure) are tested for soil removal efficacy, resoiling, appearance retention, residual moisture, surface appearance change with repeated cleaning, colorfastness, pH and optical brighteners.
• Vacuums are tested for soil removal, soil containment and wear to the carpet.
• Interim systems are tested for soil removal and appearance retention.

Why is the Seal of Approval program necessary?

Not all cleaning equipment and solutions achieve the same results. Independent testing has shown that some cleaning detergents and spot removers clean no better than water. Worse, they can leave a sticky residue that attracts soil at a faster rate. Also, the equipment used to clean carpet varies widely in its ability to remove soil, recover water and maintain a carpet’s appearance.

How does the Seal of Approval program benefit customers?

Effective carpet cleaning helps maintain the life and beauty of the carpet. This means customers get more enjoyment out of their carpet, and more value for their investment. Also, helping carpet maintain its life-cycle cuts down on its premature removal to landfills. And that benefits everyone. Finally, some carpet companies require the use of Seal of Approval products as part of their carpet warranties.

What are the Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze ratings?

The Seal of Approval program utilizes XRF technology to measure precisely how much soil various cleaning equipment and systems remove from carpet. Vacuums, extractors or cleaning systems which meet the strict minimum requirements for the Seal of Approval qualify for the bronze rating. Those achieving higher levels of soil removal receive silver or gold ratings. Recently, the Platinum Level was added for those extractors and cleaning systems which achieve the highest level of efficacy.

What else should people know about carpet cleaning?

Today’s carpets are more stain resistant and durable than ever, making them relatively easy to clean and maintain. However, preserving the life and beauty of carpet depends on several factors: the quality of products and equipment used to clean carpets; the frequency which carpets are cleaned; and the skill and knowledge of the people doing the cleaning.

The post Why are Seal of Approval Products Right for Your Home? appeared first on The Carpet and Rug Institute.

The following tips cover the different aspects of how to keep you carpet looking great all year.

1.      Vacuuming

Vacuuming is the simplest and easiest way to keep carpet clean and lasting. Regular vacuuming, at least once a week, is imperative to the life and beauty of your home’s carpet. However, the more foot traffic, the more you will need to vacuum.

Be sure to use a Seal of Approval-certified vacuum.

2.      Deep Cleaning

You may know deep cleaning by a number of different names (i.e. hot-water extraction, steam cleaning), but deep cleaning is vital to the life of carpet. CRI recommends a deep cleaning every 12-18 months to refresh carpet and remove the deepest dirt.

3.      Spot Removal

Spots and stains can happen anywhere and anytime, but the most important thing you can do is treat the stain as soon as it happens. This will dramatically reduce the chance of the spot or stain resoiling. SOA Solutions are tested and certified for their ability to effectively remove stains and minimize resoiling.

Follow these tips to keep your home’s carpet beautiful throughout the year.

The post Back to Basics: How to Keep Carpet Clean in Your Home appeared first on The Carpet and Rug Institute.

Millions of people go in and out of schools, hospitals, retail establishments and office buildings every single day, not realizing how environmentally-sustainable the floors they walk on have become.

There’s little doubt these days that being green is increasingly expected.

Businesses and consumers alike want to be good stewards of the environment, to conserve natural resources, to create more healthy indoor environments and to benefit from products that are made to last.

This is particularly true in the carpet industry, where sustainable manufacturing has become the norm and where recent innovations in product development have resulted in flooring products that are more stain resistant, more durable and longer lasting than ever before.

But what exactly makes a carpet product sustainable?

And how can public venues like schools, healthcare facilities, hospitality centers and the like make sure they’re getting what they desire in terms of sustainable attributes, performance, and value?

Installation and Upkeep

While installing carpet in commercial settings is no job for a layman, proper installation of your carpet can be achieved “seamlessly” by hiring an installation contractor that adheres to high standards for all aspects of the installation.

The CRI 104/105 Carpet Installation Standard, a document that establishes minimum industry standards for commercial carpet installation, is a good place to start.

Once installed, it’s essential to keep your carpet well maintained through regular and intermittent deep cleanings.

That’s the key to maintaining your investment.

These days, keeping carpets clean has been simplified thanks to the proliferation of stain-resistant fibers in carpet products and because of the availability of excellent cleaning products and cleaning systems.

Even so, carpet products still benefit from regular vacuuming, which is the single most effective and economic means of keeping carpet in schools, healthcare settings, and other public venues clean.

Vacuums are designed to remove dry soil, which accounts for 85 percent of soil tracked into a building.

Frequent vacuuming captures the dirt at the surface before it settles into the fibers and becomes difficult to remove.

“The majority of dry soil can be removed from carpet through routine vacuuming procedures, but occasional use of cleaning systems, such as a low moisture encapsulation system, will efficiently improve your carpet’s appearance with limited downtime for cleaning and drying. The cleaning agent is applied to the carpet pile, allowed to dry and then vacuumed to remove encapsulated soil,” says Murray.

“And, twice a year or so, carpet should undergo hot water extraction cleaning by trained custodians or professional cleaning services. This process cleans deeply embedded soils and oily materials that vacuums can’t remove, which account for about 15 percent of all soil,” Murray noted.

Using the best cleaning equipment and cleaning products, such as those recommended by CRI’s Seal of Approval (SOA) program, is definitely the way to go.

The Seal of Approval program identifies effective carpet cleaning solutions and equipment that clean carpet right.

Not all products clean well enough to earn the SOA distinction, so be sure to look for the blue and green CRI Seal of Approval as proof that you are purchasing or using a quality product.

It’s easier than ever before to enjoy the benefits of making sustainable choices when it comes to flooring.

And, in terms of providing sustainable options for high-traffic public venues, it’s fair to say that carpet is not only getting the job done, but it’s doing so with remarkably good grades.

The post Sustainable Carpet: Installation and Maintenance appeared first on The Carpet and Rug Institute.

Vacuuming is one of the best ways for you to take care of carpet and get the most out of your investment in carpet. This is something we teach a lot at the Carpet and Rug Institute because vacuuming is also one of the easiest ways to take proper care of carpet.

Vacuuming carpet is very similar to changing the oil in a car in that it is an integral part of regular maintenance and keeping it in tip-top shape.

Regular vacuuming removes soil and dirt that can damage the carpet fiber and therefore reduce the useful life of the carpet. Maximizing the life of carpet also maximizes its sustainability. Consistently vacuuming and fulfilling the intended life of your carpet means not having to replace it and is the best way to keep the carpet “green.”

Vacuuming frequency is another vital aspect to remember in terms of carpet care as certain areas of carpet should be vacuumed more frequently than others. CRI recommends vacuuming daily in high-traffic or pet areas, twice weekly in medium-traffic areas, and weekly in light-traffic areas

Lastly, the vacuum you use is important, too. CRI certifies vacuums through the Seal of Approval program, which tests vacuums on the criteria of soil removal, dust containment, and surface appearance change.

By following these vacuuming tips, you will not only be keeping your carpet clean, but also keeping it beautiful and long-lasting.

Vacuum on!

The post The Importance of Vacuuming appeared first on The Carpet and Rug Institute.

We all know how important getting an oil change every three or four months is to the life of our vehicles.

And I venture to say that very few of us deliberately ruin the engines of our cars by skimping on this regular act of maintenance.

And yet it’s become a somewhat accepted practice to fail to properly maintain our carpets, particularly when it comes to regular vacuuming.

This alarming practice of neglect began during the recent recession when many companies and schools, in an effort to cut costs, skimped on cleaning, especially vacuuming.

Building service contractors were the first to sound the alarm about this reduction in cleaning frequencies, which is sometimes referred to as skip cleaning.

There’s no doubt that adopting a “skip-cleaning” approach to carpet maintenance has had some degree of appeal. Reducing the vacuuming frequencies from five days to every other day or less seems like an easy way to save a dollar and trim a budget.

But that approach doesn’t factor in the big picture. The unintended consequence of skip cleaning is hidden in the carpet pile. As the frequency of vacuuming is reduced, so is the carpet’s appearance and its useful life.

There’s actually quite a bit of data that shows that a clean carpet will last a lot longer than a soiled one. And even if you ignore all of the scientific data, it just makes sense that a dirty, soiled carpet will wear out faster than a properly cleaned and maintained one.

There are three main reasons people replace their carpet: the desire for a new look or design, the need to replace carpet that, over time, has begun to show wear and tear and carpet that has spots and soiling.

A few years ago, Lew Migliore did some research for CRI. He discovered that some carpets never reached their full use potential; meaning, they were not properly maintained and had to be replaced after just a third of their design life or even earlier.

And even though a carpet might have a contemporary design that will be in style for more than a decade, it can actually “ugly out” way before that time if it’s not properly maintained.

“Uglying out” occurs when a carpet shows visible signs of graying in traffic areas, heavily walked-on areas, and pivot points, where turns are made, grinding dirt, soil, and grit into carpet. Graying occurs when the fibers are crushed, matted down, or flattened out.

Then there’s the issue of a carpet’s “wear and tear.” When vacuuming is skipped, dirt, grit, and soil become embedded in the carpet and will be harder to remove later on. Not removing embedded soil from the carpet is a major reason that some carpets show signs of premature wear. Regular vacuuming prevents the deep soiling that ruins carpets.

When a carpet does get worn or “uglies out,” many business owners and homeowners decide to take the easy, but more expensive, road of replacing the entire carpet.

In my book, that’s a costly mistake that could have been avoided if proper maintenance had been practiced to begin with.

There’s also the environmental impact to consider. We all know that carpet has a certain environmental footprint, and that carpet mills have worked very hard to reduce that footprint, as well as the amount of carpet that ends up in our nation’s landfills.

When carpet has to be replaced way before its time, the environmental footprint of that carpet actually doubles or triples. And no one wants to be responsible for that.

Some carpets, especially in commercial applications, are designed to hide dirt and resist soiling and staining, but that’s not an excuse to do away with regular vacuuming or periodic deep cleaning, for that matter. Reduced frequencies may meet short-term budget needs of the present, but they may compromise the life of the carpet in the future.

As the economy is beginning to show signs of rebounding, it’s time to increase vacuuming frequencies back to pre-recession levels, before irreversible damage is done.

The post Reducing Vacuuming Ruins Carpets appeared first on The Carpet and Rug Institute.

Cleanfax Online recently released a “top ten” list from CFR (Continuous Flow Recycling) of reasons to have carpets professionally cleaned throughout the year.

Here is the list:

1. Prolongs the life of carpeting. Regular carpet cleaning using the extraction method can increase the life of carpets significantly, protecting your floor covering investment.
2. Protects indoor air quality. Carpets trap airborne pollutants; however, eventually, those pollutants must be removed in order to protect the carpet and maintain indoor air quality.
3. Makes carpets easier to maintain. Most carpet soiling is made up of dry soils; when carpets are kept thoroughly cleaned on a regular basis, most dry soils can be removed with regular vacuuming.
4. Removes spots and stains. As with other soils, spots and stains can attract more soiling. Removing them promptly protects carpeting from damage.
5. Prevents buildup of allergens and bacteria. Moist soiling of carpets can result in the buildup of several unhealthy contaminants.
6. Enhances the appearance of any room. Clean, well-maintained carpets speak volumes about the overall cleanliness of a home or facility.
7. Improves worker morale. Workers feel better about their work environment when it is clean. This includes the carpeting.
8. Makes carpeting look and feel clean and fresh.
9. Removes dust mites and bedbugs that may have found a home in carpets.
10. Maintains the carpet’s warranty. Most carpet warranties require that carpets be cleaned using the extraction method within a specific amount of time, usually every 12 to 18 months.

“Clean carpets simply make people feel good about themselves and where they live and work,” said Doug Berjer, CFR product manager and creator of the list.

Carpets add so much personality to a room, and keeping the carpet clean can also add value in the long run.

The Carpet and Rug Institute has always encouraged folks to maintain their carpets regularly at a high level by having a maintenance plan.

By following the tips on this list, your carpet will contribute to a clean and healthy environment indoors and add lasting beauty to your home or office.

The post Top 10 Reasons to Have Carpets Professionally Cleaned appeared first on The Carpet and Rug Institute.

The experts advise owners to be patient and stay upbeat and, armed with a little knowledge and the right cleaning products, the process will go a lot easier.

Here are the tips:

1. Know Potty Triggers

Triggers are typically feelings of excitement, like when visitors arrive, and particular times of day, like after he wakes up or right before bed. Puppies will need to go after eating and/or drinking – usually within 15 minutes.

2. Establish a Routine

Find a designated “potty patch” outdoors so your dog can associate that space with doing his business. Start by leash walking the pup to that spot so he can focus before spending any time playing.

Consider keeping him on a leash inside too. If he starts to squat to urinate, clap or make a sharp sound that will stop him in the act. You can transfer him outside to finish and praise him there.

Give them a treat when they go potty outside – that reinforces the good behavior right then and there. Praise them with a happy tone of voice.

3. Avoid Indoor Accidents

Puppies will need to go outside every one or two hours. It’s the owner’s responsibility to provide plenty of time outdoors, otherwise if left unattended for extended periods; a puppy will find a place to piddle.

Close exists to other rooms with doors or baby gates so the puppy can’t explore the unused parts of the house.

4. Clean Messes Immediately

It’s important to remove both the stain and the odor so puppy won’t use the spot as a scent marker for future accidents. Start by blotting or scooping to remove as many solids or liquids as possible. Then treat the mess with a pet stain and odor remover that has the Carpet and Rug Institute’s Seal of Approval. Each certified product that features the national trade association’s seal goes through rigorous testing in an independent laboratory, so you can be confident you’re treating the stain, removing the odors, and protecting the integrity of your carpet.

If your carpet becomes deeply soiled from multiple accidents and dirty little puppy paws, you may want to consider hiring a professional carpet cleaner. For those with allergies, frequent vacuuming and regularly-scheduled cleaning will remove virtually all embedded allergens and pet dander. Certified CRI Seal of Approval service providers have the experience needed to treat stains, remove odors and leave carpet looking like new.

5. Spay or Neuter

Unneutered dogs typically urinate more in the house as an action of marking their territory, so it’s something every caring pet parent should consider. Follow your veterinarian’s instructions for the right time to spay or neuter your dog.

And enjoy your new puppy!

The post Tips for Housetraining Your Puppy and Keeping Your Carpet Clean appeared first on The Carpet and Rug Institute.