Why is CRI’s Seal of Approval (SOA) important?

I am asked this by my students, customers and clients that I inspect carpets for all the time. It really is quite simple and easy to relate to when you think about it.

There are a couple of old wive’s tales that say “once you clean a carpet it will get dirty that much faster” and the other is “don’t clean a carpet until you have to”.

The reason these tales have wrung true for so many years is that carpets actually do have a tendency to get dirty quickly after cleaning. Why? Well the proof may lie in the Seal of Approval Program. The CRI tested 25 carpet cleaning products before the program was implemented. Of those 25 products, 21 cleaned worse than water alone!!!

The main criteria for a carpet cleaning product to pass the SOA is:

•Overall cleaning effectiveness — This ensures that the product removes soil and spots better than plain water.
•Rate of resoiling — This ensures that the product does not attract dirt to the cleaned areas faster than the rest of the carpet.
•pH — A more neutral pH ensures that carpet dyes and fibers are not adversely affected.
•Surface texture change— The product must leave the carpet pile minimally changed after repeated cleanings.
•Optical brighteners — None is allowed, as they can leave some patches of carpet lighter than the rest.
•Colorfastness — Products must not be so aggressive that they cause a color change in the carpet.The rate of resoiling is often made worse by the carpet cleaner’s over use of cleaning chemistry. For some reason cleaners don’t like using measuring cups.
This just expedites the problem.

Our Carpet Prespray Receives CRI Approval

Great news! Our carpet preconditioner has received the Carpet and Rug Institute’s Seal of Approval. Now most people are going to say whats that? or so what?
Well believe it or not the major carpet mills insist that their carpets be cleaned by IICRC certified technicians using CRI approved products.
So now our company cleans with both a prespray and a rinse agent that CRI approved.
I am extremely happy to make this announcement on our blog’s post. I hope if you believe in green cleaning you will follow us here or on Facebook.

Lee Senter, Expert Author

The owner of Fresh and Clean, Lee Senter, has been deemed the go to person in regards to all things carpet related. As a certified carpet inspector and an instructor in the industry, one can easily say that Lee is in fact a true carpet expert.

Lee has been writing informative articles that have been posted to blogs and the acclaimed EZines.com site. Just recently Lee has been made to be an Expert Author writing featured articles for EZines.com.

All articles are posted EZines.com. Take a gander at the informative pieces on carpet care and the importance of green cleaning.