Mohawk: CRI Seal of Approval Opportunity to Enhanc

Dalton, GA, September 14, 2005--Mohawk Industries is a strong supporter of CRI’s Seal of Approval Program for a number of reasons, but one stands out: Mohawk believes this is an excellent opportunity to enhance the professionalism of the industry—and enhance the value of flooring to the consumer. The Carpet and Rug Institute’s Seal of Approval program is designed to establish test methods and performance criteria for cleaning products including professional floor cleaning systems. Since proper cleaning is a critical element in the life of carpet, it can “make or break” the consumer’s perception of the quality of a floor. “Our product stays in the consumer’s home for years,” notes Jeff Lorberbaum, President and CEO of Mohawk. “Once it’s in the home, we lose much of the control over the product. So even if it’s subjected to extra abuse, neglect, or poor cleaning, the consumer still regards the floor as a Mohawk product. The more we can do to build value in her purchase, and educate her on proper cleaning and maintenance techniques, the better off the entire carpet industry will be.” Two years ago, Mohawk created and introduced its own professional carpet cleaning system that has been adopted by Mohawk dealers wanting to develop a cleaning profit center for their stores. The Mohawk Professional Floor Care carpet cleaning system is a patented, proprietary technology that suspends and removes soils in a unique way, leaving no soil attracting residues in the carpet. Mohawk cleaning products are 100% non-toxic, and safe for families and pets. The Mohawk Professional Floor Care System has recently earned a Gold Level rating from CRI’s Seal of Approval program. Ed Williams, senior vice president of marketing for Mohawk, noted that the quantitative measurements allowed by the introduction of NASA’s X-Ray Florescence (XRF) technology into the process gave the industry an effective way of looking at not only what cleaning processes removed, but what they left behind. “Even for carpet cleaning processes that ultimately aren’t as effective, the perception can be that they work well, because you can see soil being extracted. But what you don’t see is that detergents and other compounds may still be left in the carpet after cleaning. Since the role of a detergent is to attract and capture dirt, an improper cleaning process that leaves a detergent residue can actually make the carpet dirtier than when it started by making it a magnet for soiling,” he said. “The Space Foundation Certified XRF Technology allows the CRI testing protocol to see not just the dirt left behind in vacuuming and cleaning, but what cleaning products also remain in the flooring. That’s the magic behind it, and that’s what’s going to lead to better cleaning systems,” Williams said. “For Mohawk, it was quite an honor that our Professional Floor Care carpet cleaning system has earned the highest standard. We have invested heavily in developing cleaning chemistry that doesn’t leave residue. And we learned a number of things by working with CRI to make our systems and our cleaning techniques better,” he said. An Impact on Carpet Warranties Lorberbaum noted that installation, cleaning, and maintenance are critical issues for the carpet industry, and that by working with CRI, manufacturers have made major steps forward in improving the value of their products. “Our products are better than ever, and the prices of carpet have lagged behind those of other consumer durables. That makes new carpet an exceptional value for the consumer. But it’s only valuable if it gets installed properly and is cleaned properly. The Seal of Approval program that CRI is introducing today is a big step toward ensuring this happens,” he said.

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