According to Floor Focus, the CRI’s annual meeting focused on correcting misinformation. CRI has gathered scientific information that refutes many myths, especially the one that carpet is hard to clean. With more than 46 years in the cleaning business, I know carpet is easy to clean.

But if it's so easy to clean why did CRI set up a testing program for equipment and cleaning supplies? And consumers are told by some CRI members that only certain cleaners with IICRC certification using CRI approved products can clean their carpet or the warranty may be void. Does this sound like carpet is easy to clean?

The absurdity comes full circle when a little rental carpet cleaning machine is awarded CRI's highest rating. The little machine with a cheap fan-type vacuum ranks higher than some truck-mounted cleaning systems that use large, positive displacement vacuum pumps.

As the ol' accountant says, "Go figure!"

 
"The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands  should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt.  People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance."  Cicero - 55 BC

 And so, it has always been this way . . . If I recall, Rome collapsed completely

The truth about some carpet complaints

"Blotching" as a carpet complaint is often treated as a mystery spot or a carpet defect. It is seldom blamed on a cleaning process. Three requirements necessary for success in (HWE) wet extraction cleaning is 'even' wetting, consistent extraction and quick drying.

Double stroking (solution valve open in both directions)causes the solution to puddle at the end of the back stroke as the direction of the cleaning head is reversed. Excess moisture settles deep into  the carpet fibers. Double stroking is the lazy way to clean and some equipment makers even install a lock so the operator does not have to key the valve with a finger or thumb.

Even plain water contains trace minerals and chemicals. Deeper wetting dries at a slower pace and as the last drop of water evaporates into the air it leaves a residual trace on the tip of the fiber that eventually attracts soil. Discoloration may not occur for weeks or even months after the carpet is cleaned.

Single stroking (solution applied only on backstroke with vacuum head brought over moisture line before reverse) is a mark of care and good workmanship. This is one of many subtle differences in the various techniques used in the HWE process.

On this day in 1775 a small group got together at Tun Tavern in Philadelphia to found the United States Marine Corps. Following is the resolution adopted by the Continental Congress:

"Resolved, That two Battalions of Marines be raised, consisting of one Colonel, two Lieutenant Colonels, two Majors, and other officers as usual in other regiments; and that they consist of an equal number of Privates with other Battalions; that particular care be taken, that no persons be appointed to office, or enlisted into said Battalions, but such as are good seamen, or so acquainted with maritime affairs as to be able to serve to advantage by sea when required: that they be enlisted and commissioned to serve for and during the present war between Great Britain and the Colonies, unless dismissed by order of Congress: that they be distinguished by the names of the First and Second Battalions of American Marines, and that they be considered part of the number which the Continental Army before Boston is ordered to consist of."

From that humble beginning of two battalions, the Corps grew to six divisions during WWII. I was proud to serve in the 4th Division which was disbanded after the war. Today there are only three divisions but these battle-ready forces with new weaponry and rapid transport are the equivalent of six divisions during the big war.

From one old Jarhead to all who have served and to all you modern-day warriors ...."Semper Fi and happy birthday!"

Kansas State University did a fuel consumption comparison with two buildings and determined that the carpeted building saved 13.4% on heating costs. The advisory on ways to conserve fuel and energy said to put carpet on hard floors, weather strip windows, insulate attics, close off unused rooms and even put carpet in finished attics, basements and the crawl space under a home. According to Kansas State University, the insulating qualities of carpet help in the summer time, too, when the building is being cooled.

Does this sound like something recently published because of high fuel and home heating costs? These excerpts were taken from a column called "Your money's worth" which was published in newspapers across the land. It was written by Sylvia Porter, February 14, 1976.

"You say you love me, but sometimes you don’t show it. In the beginning you could not do enough for me. Now you seem to take me for granted. Some days I wonder if I mean anything at all to you.

"Maybe when I’m gone you’ll appreciate me and all the things I do for you. I’m responsible for the food on your table, the clothes you wear, the welfare of your home and for the thousand-and-one things you want and need. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have the car you drive or the house you live in.

"I've kept quiet and waited to see how long it would take for you to realize how much you really need me. Cherish me...take good care of me...and I’ll take good care of you. "I’M YOUR JOB!"

Things are bad, money is scarce and credit is tight. Right?

Not for everyone! Politicians at every level of government are spending like....well...like politicians.  There seems to be no shortage of money for them. Do you suppose they've found a way to tap that "Bail-out" fund?  Hundreds of millions of dollars in political funds are being pumped into the advertising industry this year.

Did you ever wonder where it all came from if money is so tight? This influx of money (there are rumors some of it's foreign) makes advertising rates artificially high for legitimate business that really can't afford the extra expense.

There's a reason for the sharp downturn in business this year.  The reason is politics.

A carpet cleaner called me with concern about doing business with a local carpet retailer who had called him. He feared the retailer would be impressed and want to get into the cleaning business. I pointed out the possible business he could acquire through referrals and that most retailers do not want to be in the cleaning business. 
 
Stop by your local carpet retailer to introduce yourself and your business and offer to clean the owners residence at no charge. Offer a demonstration to educate their sales staff on the importance of cleaning. Education and good PR will create a source of new customers.

Retailers really appreciate someone to answer cleaning questions for them and their customers. Some have even given a cleaner access to their customer mailing list and made cleaning part of an in-house warranty.  Many work with cleaners on a commission basis.

Friend or foe? You make the call.

A social experiment

On his way to lunch, a man passed a homeless guy with a sign, "Vote for Obama, I need the money."  Inside the restaurant his server wore an  'Obama in 08' button. When the bill came the customer explained that he was exploring the Obama wealth redistribution concept.

The server stood in disbelief as he was told the customer was going to redistribute his tip to someone more deserving and in need like the homeless guy outside. The server angrily stormed away uttering some unkind words. The customer gave the homeless guy $5 and told him to be sure to thank the server inside.

At the end of this unscientific redistribution of wealth experiment, the man realized the homeless guy was very grateful for the $5 he did not earn, but the server was pretty angry that the money he did earn was given to someone who needed it more.

Redistribution of wealth is easier in concept than in practical application.

More than a year ago in an interview, Alan Greenspan gave his cerebral explanation of "Globalization." It's hard to interpret into normal language, but let me try! In order to bring the living standard of the 3rd world up to that of the USA, our living standard must decline.

The financial crisis indicates with no uncertainty that international banking is one of the culprits and the Council of Foreign Relations (CFR) of which Greenspan is a member has it's tentacles spread around the globe. CFR was organized in 1921 by "old money" folks like John D. Rockefeller and J. P. Morgan. All the talk about the "Amero" to compete with the Euro hints that the elitists in monetary circles are planning the demise of the Dollar and the Pound Sterling.

Ever wonder why President Bush doesn't stop the illegal flow of immigrants from Mexico? He's a member of CFR and they're vision is for a North American work force. Colin (CFR member) Powell's recent endorsement of Obama hints that McCain might not support the flow of cheap labor although he too is a member of CFR.

Just a year after Greenspan's classic explanation, we are indeed seeing the influence of what is lovingly called "Globalization." A better term for the occurrence might be "World Wide Socialism." I predict that all the phony bail-out money we're printing to save the financial industry will come home to haunt us in the form of massive inflation over the next few years.

One of the basic defensive operations taught in the Marine Corps was to dig a hole and keep digging till the barrage stopped. Better gird your loins and dig that foxhole deeper! The CFR troops are hard at it.