CleanLink Minute Spotlights CRI SOA, Valuable Carpet Resources

Got a Minute? Cleaning Industry Web Publication Spotlights Seal of Approval.

CleanLink Minute examines green certifications, vacuums, extractors, pet stain and pet odor removers, among other topics.

Do you get CleanLink Minute? It pops into my inbox every week or so. As a marketing tool, I think it’s pretty cool – in these days of overcrowded inboxes, CleanLink Minute delivers what it promises – informative, well-written news items that time out at just about a minute long.

CleanLink Minute is sponsored by MyCleanLink.com, an online community that represents cleaning industry professionals and audiences from Contracting Profits, Sanitary Maintenance, and Housekeeping Solutions magazines.

CleanLink Minute scripts are read by members of these publications editorial staff - in other words, real people, not professional announcers. They aren’t slick productions – in some of them you can hear the reader’s paper rattling, but that’s one of the things I like about them. They seem to be purely editorial, without hidden agendas or behind-the-scenes ad dollars driving content – that’s my take, anyhow.

A few weeks ago I opened my CleanLink Minute and found several topics read by Dan Weltin, Editor-in-Chief of Contracting Profits magazine that mentioned the Carpet and Rug Institute’s Seal of Approval testing and certification program for carpet cleaning solutions and equipment. Here are the topics with excerpts from each:

Sifting Your Way through Green Carpet Chemical Certifications.

The Carpet and Rug Institutes Seal of Approval program is developed from the EPA’s Design for the Environment (or DfE) partership that approves products made with the safest ingredients. The Seal of Approval takes DfE one step further and makes sure the products work. Chemicals are tested against the performance of water for cleaning effectiveness, rate of resoiling, pH, surface texture change, optical brighteners and colorfastness.

Green Solutions for Pet Stains

When it comes to removing stains and odors in carpets caused by animals, cleaning professionals can turn to the Carpet and Rug Institute for a green solution. CRI recently created a new product category as part of its Seal of Approval certification that tests a product’s ability to remove tracked-in dirt, urine, feces and vomit stains.

What It Means To Be A Green Carpet Extractor

The easiest way to determine if a carpet extractor is green is to look for the Carpet and Rug Institute’s Seal of Approval. Machines bearing this seal remove significant amounts of soil from the carpeting, leading to better indoor air quality. Machines earn one of four ratings — Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum — based on how much soil is removed. Platinum rated extractors remove at least 90 percent of soil.

In addition, Seal of Approval machines remove most of the water from the carpet, resulting from the wet cleaning process.

The article also mentions other green attributes for extractors not covered under SOA: those that use less water and chemicals, and those that clean using energy-saving cold water.

Identifying Green Vacuums

To locate a green vacuum, the easiest method is to consult the Carpet and Rug Institute’s Seal of Approval program. Vacuums bearing the seal will have met strict guidelines for soil removal, dust containment and carpet fiber retention.

The Seal is further broken down into three ratings: Bronze, Silver and Gold. Vacuums earning the Bronze rating will capture between 40 and 49 percent of soil from the carpets and not release more than 100 micrograms of dust particles per cubic meter of air (meaning that dust is contained within the unit).

This article also mentions the SOA’s new energy-efficiency rating, and adds that green vacuums should also be durable, with cost-efficient replacement parts.

LEED Carpet Care Requirement

For facilities striving to earn the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings, Operations and Maintenance…green cleaning is a requirement. The guidelines for certification outline specific green carpet care criteria.

Vacuums must be certified by the Carpet and Rug Institutes Seal of Approval or older Green Label testing program…Carpet extractors used for deep cleaning must also achieve CRI’s Seal of Approval certification.

The article also points out that vacuums must operate at 70 decibels or less, and cleaning chemicals must carry either the Green Seal or EcoLogo environmental certifications .

Check out some other CleanLink Minutes next time you have…a minute. Duh.

And thanks to the industry professionals behind this innovative information source.

~Bethany