Dalton GA - Thursday, October 13, 2011. The Carpet and Rug
Institute's (CRI) Seal of Approval (SOA) testing and certification program for carpet
cleaning products and equipment has mushroomed in recent weeks, adding several
solutions, vacuums, and a cleaning system. There are currently 331 solutions,
300 vacuums, 93 extractors and 89 systems in the SOA program, for a total of
813.
In the Solutions category, 3M Building and Commercial
Services Division of St. Paul, Minnesota earned certification for its 3M™
Scotchguard™ Extraction Cleaner 27H in-tank solution and its 3M™ Scotchguard™
Extraction Cleaner 28H pre-spray.
Basic Carpet Care of Lawrence, Kansas adds its first
solution to the SOA program: Responsible Care® Spotter spot remover.
Each of these products has passed a series of stringent
tests performed by an independent laboratory in order to make the list of
cleaning solutions. The tests for spot removers, pre-sprays and in-tank
solutions include protocols for efficacy (removing stains), resoiling (whether
the product attracts soil at an accelerated rate), pH (excessively acid or
alkaline products can affect dyes and fibers), optical brighteners (can
adversely affect color, appearance and performance) and colorfastness to light
(residues on pile yarn can accelerate color change).
In Vacuums, the Tennant Co. of Minneapolis, Minnesota, added
three new vacuums: The Tennant Lightweight V-LWU-13 commercial upright at the
Gold Level; the V-DMU-14 commercial upright at the Silver Level, and V-WA-30
wide-area commercial at the Bronze Level.
PowrFlite, a division of the Tacony Corporation from Fort
Worth, Texas adds three commercial wide area vacuum models to the Seal of
Approval program at the Bronze Level: the PowrFlite PF2030, PowrFlite PF2008,
and PowrFlite PF2004.
Tornado, also a division of the Tacony Corporation, and
based in Fenton, Missouri, earned certification at the Bronze Level for its
Tornado CK 3030 commercial wide-area vacuum.
CleanMax, another division of the Tacony Corporation, added
its CleanMax Wide Area Vacuum to the SOA program at the Bronze Level.
Oreck Manufacturing of Cookeville, Tennessee adds two
household uprights to its growing list of Seal of Approval products: the U 7070
Forever Series Gold enters SOA at the Bronze Level, and the U8210 Edge Forever
Series earned Silver-Level certification.
Oreck Commercial, based in Plymouth, Massachusetts, earned
Bronze-level approval for its SC240P-CC24 and SV280P-CC28 commercial wide-area
vacuums.
Mastercraft Industries, a newcomer to the Seal of Approval
program based in Newburgh, New York, earned Bronze-Level certification for its
SV280P and SV240P commercial wide-area vacuums.
To earn the CRI Seal of Approval/Green Label certification,
vacuums must pass the following independent laboratory tests:
- Soil removal - CRI uses NASA-enhanced x-ray
fluorescence technology to measure the precise amount of soil removed from
carpet.
- Dust containment - The vacuum must release no more
than 100 micrograms of dust particles per cubic meter of air, keeping dirt and
dust locked in the vacuum - not escaping back into the air where it can be
breathed.
- Carpet texture retention - The vacuum must not
affect the texture of the carpet more than a one-step change based on one year
of normal vacuum use.
In Systems, Rug Doctor of Fenton, Missouri, earned approval
for another deep-cleaning system; its Mighty Pro X3 with Oxy-Steam Green
Cleaner Passed SOA testing at the Platinum level.
In the Seal of Approval program, the deep-cleaning system is
the combination of a machine and a particular cleaning solution, following a
set procedure. The cleaning solution is tested under the protocol for the
solutions testing and then a set procedure is designated and followed. The
product is then tested, like the extractors, for soil removal, water retention
and texture retention.
