I'm saddened by the continuous effort of CRI to undermine and repress professional carpet cleaners who have worked hard for so many years to serve the carpet industry and enhance the value of their products. Apparently the best interest of carpet and it's reputation are not at the top of everyone's agenda.

A brochure mailed to millions of homes for a product called "Final answer" may prove to be appropriate. As a WWII vet I remember the "Final solution."  In my opinion chemical products like these are doing more to destroy professional carpet cleaning than bait and switch advertising.

Another travesty is CRI's equipment testing program which gives a cheap little rental machine their top rating. A half-hour Infomercial touting CRI approval on television is flawed in both accuracy and voracity. Does anyone in Dalton understand how ridiculous this looks to real carpet cleaners?

A professional cleaner who has been in the business for many years is required to use CRI approved products and attend IICRC schools to validate a warranty. Yet, DIY "experts" who never cleaned a carpet in their life can do it with no training and keep the warranty in force.

This all may be a moot point with carpet sales sliding down the proverbial tubes. As a carpet cleaner, I'm glad we can clean stone, terrazzo, marble, tile, laminate and wood floors. My first love is carpet, but at least we'll still have work.

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 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.

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.

One internet complaint site has 120 grievances about carpet installation, far more than any other category including carpet sales and carpet cleaning. Most installation complaints involved big box stores and high volume television merchants. Other sites had similar complaints with about the same percentage being installation related.

Maybe carpet makers should re-evaluate to whom they sell their carpet. Does volume supersede everything else? Apparently it does! Support for small carpet retailers who care more about consumer satisfaction than volume might correct the dramatic decline in demand for carpet.

Psst CRI... there were NO complaints about cleaning equipment or chemical products. The few carpet cleaners mentioned were bait & switch types.  Now if the same effort and money spent on a lackluster testing program were re-directed to fighting bait and switch advertisers .... WOW!

Reason # 1...   They're at it again! They've mounted another ad campaign for Stainmaster carpet. The commercials claim it looks better, stays cleaner and lasts longer. That means one thing to me....customers won't have us clean for them as often . 

Reason #2 ...  When DuPont hit the airwaves in 1986, I wrote to inquire if Stainmaster carpets needed special care and asked for a sample so we could experiment. They ignored me. I called their Wilmington offices and spoke to a number of people to no avail. No Respect!

Reason #3 ...  I had to know how to clean it, so I bought a plush pile for my family room in a light color and put it next to the garage entrance. We used dozens of products on it, thoroughly abused it and kept detailed records which became the substance of our operational and educational programs. It was expensive to buy carpet retail and testing was time consuming.  

But the fact is, I love Stainmaster! It reinvigorated a stagnant carpet market in the late '80s and hopefully will do the same thing today. That original Stainmaster has been on my family room floor for 21 years and still looks good.

Stainmaster's phenomenal success was more than just a good product and a massive ad campaign. They promised EASY MAINTENANCE and the consumer bought it by the truckload. Carpet mills, retailers, installers and even carpet cleaners prospered from this golden goose.

CRI has lost its way by making carpet sound difficult to clean. They say it takes special products and advanced education for the people who clean it. CRI says only certain equipment can be used or the carpet warranty may be void. Besides not being true, this strategy, if continued, will effectively kill that goose. 

Too often we are so consumed by what is happening in the USA, we miss changes in the global market that impact us here.  An example is the implementation of an 80% export duty that the Russian government has levied on logs leaving the country.  Since they were the largest exporter of logs in the world, this will have an impact on lumber prices globally.  The purpose of the duty is to entice Russians to develop a value added wood industry for export rather than just ship out raw material.  Don't be surprised if in 5 years the best value wood flooring isn't coming from Russia.

Last month, India and a group of Asian countries including China signed a free trade agreement similar to the North American Free Trade Agreement or the European Economic Union.  This agreement was 5 years in the making and provides for duty free trade between countries and dispute resolution mechanisms.

The Olympics were spectacular and I would not want to be the next city to host these games.  While China performed superbly, their shining moment does not cover up some basic problems in their economy and society.  With over 20% of the world's population, they have only 7% of the world's water.  Many of the old government owned businesses have been turned over to entrepreneurs who are ill equipped to manage profitable businesses.  The assets are carried on the state bank's books at full value; loan defaults are not recognized because state businesses are often sold for a dollar a year plus a balloon at the end of 20 years for the remainder of the value.

An global agricultural agreement promoted by the World Trade Organization fell apart last month when the USA and India objected to the way government subsidies to farmers and crops were being treated differently between countries. 

How will all of this affect you?  Ripple affects will impact businesses here in the USA over the next five years.  Whether it is a company in China that can no longer pay their bills, a new wood floor from Russia, higher food and biofuel costs due to the international agricultural market, global changes will impact your business.  Keeping informed now will help prepare for the future.