CRI Accepting Deep Cleaning Systems for Testing

Dalton, GA, March 2, 2006--Continuing to build on its Seal of Approval signature program for carpet cleaning, the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) announced today that it is accepting products for testing under the latest phase of the program. The new CRI Seal of Approval for Deep Cleaning Systems evaluates the effectiveness of the overall cleaning process and includes testing of equipment and cleaning solutions used in combination. This latest component joins CRI’s successful Seal of Approval testing programs already in place for deep cleaning extractors and cleaning solutions. The Seal of Approval (SOA) for Deep Cleaning Systems tests for eight performance criteria: soil removal, re-soiling, appearance retention, amount of moisture left in the carpet, surface appearance change, colorfastness, pH level, and optical brighteners. SOA for Deep Cleaning Systems includes the use of x- ray fluorescence(XRF), a sophisticated technology that precisely measures the amount of soil removed from carpet. XRF was developed by private industry and enhanced by NASA for the Space Shuttle program and is recognized as a Certified Space Technology by the Space Foundation. The Space Foundation’s certification of the Seal of Approval program is a way to recognize CRI’s use of space technology to improve carpet cleaning for millions of consumers. “We’ve taken the successful work we’ve done in evaluating carpet extraction equipment using XRF technology and married it with our Seal of Approval protocol for cleaning solutions. This is an opportunity for us to designate which systems work best for the customer as well as give the individual companies that produce and market cleaning systems another way to distinguish their products as superior,” said Werner Braun, president of the CRI. The CRI Seal of Approval program began in 2004 by setting test methods and performance criteria for two categories of cleaning products: spot removers and pre-spray/in-tank cleaning solutions. Since the initial launch more than 50 cleaning solutions have undergone certification and can be found on CRI’s website. In 2005, the program expanded to include the XRF technology for the testing of deep cleaning extraction equipment. The SOA for Deep Cleaning Systems will incorporate the same Gold-Silver-Bronze rating that accompanied the launch of the SOA program for deep cleaning extraction equipment. Systems that exceed average soil removal standards receive a bronze rating. Those achieving higher soil removal receive a silver rating, and those receiving the highest level of measurable soil removal are awarded a gold level Seal of Approval. Companies wishing to submit their Deep Cleaning Systems for certification can visit the CRI website for more information. In approximately four to six weeks, CRI will be announcing new product certifications under the new SOA Deep Cleaning Systems program.