CRI has a new fact sheet with examples of the cost of carpet, life expectancy, time it took to "Ugly Out" and the total dollar loss to the carpet owner. It is obviously meant to sell the CRI Seal of Approval program. It definitely will not sell carpet. This fact sheet is guaranteed to scare off potential carpet buyers by the thousands if it's widely circulated.

Conspicuously missing were answers to these questions:  Was the carpet ever professionally cleaned? Was cleaning done by an in-house staff? How often was it cleaned? Was it ever cleaned? What method and /or products were used on the "Ugly " carpet?  Each answer could open a meaningful in-depth dialog.

One example from the fact sheet: Carpet for a financial institution cost $227,000.00, the life expectancy was 7 years, it "Uglied Out" in  2 years at a loss of $162,000.00, and tripled the environmental footprint (whatever that means). Another example: Carpet in a five star hotel cost $242,000.00, the life expectancy was 7 years, it "Uglied Out" in 4 years at a loss of $103,000.00.

For 15 years I held more than 100 meetings a year in hotels and motels from border to border, coast to coast and even some overseas. Two things that nearly every hotel or motel I visited had in common were dirty carpets and miserly management that would shortcut or eliminate maintenance altogether.

"Uglied Out???".... "Bank loses $162K in two years on carpet." ... Who thinks up this stuff ?