The Clean Trust was formerly known as the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) whose purpose is to ensure that consumers have access to trusted and trained cleaning professionals by establishing and monitoring certification programs and standards for the cleaning, restoration and inspection industries.
Inspector Services
March 31, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Carpet Inspectors May Offer Other Services
Carpet Inspectors often offer additional services such as inspections for laminate, hardwood, resilient and specialty floors.
Qualified inspectors may offer warranty services, repairs, cleaning, moisture testing, specifying, and consulting services.
Expert, certified inspectors may serve as an arbitrator, coming up with a solution that is equitable to all involved.
Inspectors may deal with state contractor boards or other regulative agencies.
Inspectors will also deal with cleaning chemical companies, suppliers or carpet manufacturers such as Shaw, Mohawk and Beaulieu or manufacturers of protective materials used on floor covering and an array of other organizations.
As you can see, an inspector may be commissioned by a number of different sources. Sometimes they will be commissioned by more than one source. The dealer may contact them for an inspection which he turns in to the supplier, and later the fiber producer or manufacturer wants an inspection of their own and a short time later the other company wants an inspection. The IICRC, FCITS and others will certify floor and carpet inspectors. It is through years of practice, education and dedication that one becomes a qualified expert inspector.
Article modified from Carpet Inspectors Handbook written by Terry Weinheimer and Kevin Weinheimer of The Weinheimer Group, LLC. Terry Weinheimer and Kevin Weinheimer are Certified, Qualified, Expert Carpet Inspectors and Floor Inspectors. They have operated a full time inspection and consulting company for over 20 years. Terry and Kevin may be contacted by using this Contact Form or at at 800-621-3427
The Qualified Carpet Inspector
March 31, 2012 By Leave a Comment
A carpet inspector by nature is a unique, inquisitive individual that has and continues to develop both standard and unusual talents in and outside of the carpet industry. A carpet inspector looks at carpet differently than a manufacturer, dealer, installer, cleaner, consumer and others. The inspector is looking at a carpet or other floor covering to determine if the product is performing normally, and if not, who or what has caused the problem.
The inspector must judge by using established and excepted industry standards, and in the absence of these standards be able to use their knowledge and experience as a guide in reaching an honest, fair and reasonable conclusion. The inspector must not allow emotions, greed, or feelings to get in the way.
The carpet inspector is an individual who must maintain a non-bias position, searching out and presenting factual information that can be backed up in court.
The inspector is the “eyes and ears” of the carpet industry, reporting what is seen and heard. The inspector is also the “advocate” of the consumer whose issues may go against those of the carpet industry.
A carpet or floor inspector should be certified by an organization such as IICRC or FCITS. A certified inspector will often provide carpet inspections for a carpet manufacture such as Shaw, Mohawk or Beaulieu. Certification alone does not make the inspector expert or qualified.
A qualified, expert carpet inspector must be a motivated individual, a self-starter with a great deal of industry knowledge. A qualified, expert inspector must be punctual and complete a project in a timely manner.
Ideally, a carpet inspector will have a well rounded floor covering background with knowledge that will include floor covering sales, carpet manufacturing, carpet construction, fiber production, the ability to recognize visible and latent defects, knowledge of expressed and implied warranties, padding specification and performance, cleaning procedures, installation procedures, carpet dyeing methods, adhesives and their uses, laboratory testing procedures, investigative processes, report writing and management techniques.
The inspector should also be a communicator and an exceptional listener; a typist, chemist, psychologist and detective. Practically speaking, few if any will have such a background and must enrich their knowledge through reading, talking with others, attending training courses and seminars, and through hands on experience in areas where they are lacking.
A qualified, expert carpet inspector must construct reports so they are accurate, understandable and diplomatic.
A qualified, expert carpet inspector is a detective that will search out and reconstruct many unusual problems, some of which they are seeing for the first time, even after many years in the business.
A qualified, expert carpet inspector is a psychologist, able to understand and work with the manufacturers, consumer, dealer, installer and others that may be associated with a given claim.
A qualified, expert carpet inspector must have a thick skin and yet be a diplomat and psychologist, for it is not unusual for the floor covering inspector to be spoken to rudely by the upset consumer who has been receiving the run around from the dealer and/or the manufacturer. The qualified carpet inspector will accept the fact that it is not them you are upset with but the situation itself and the inspector is often the first face to whom the consumer has had the opportunity to express their anger.
A qualified carpet inspector need not be a chemist but must be willing to gain some of this knowledge as they will perform many basic chemistry tests.
A qualified carpet inspector must be willing to travel for carpet inspections are not brought to the inspector. When you add the driving time on to the inspection time, report writing time, and office time a qualified carpet inspector will often work very long days.
A qualified carpet inspector must be able to listen and not talk too much, for the information that they are gathering is generally for the eyes and ears of the one that commissioned them and it is up to the commissioning party to decide who they share the inspection report with.
Article modified from Carpet Inspectors Handbook written by Terry Weinheimer and Kevin Weinheimer of The Weinheimer Group, LLC. Terry Weinheimer and Kevin Weinheimer are Certified, Qualified, Expert Carpet Inspectors and Floor Inspectors. Terry and Kevin may be contacted by using this Contact Form or at at 800-621-3427
Carpet Cleaning
December 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment
By cleaning a carpet before it becomes too soiled, the task of keeping it looking new will be much easier. While the thorough routine vacuuming of carpet will remove the majority of dry soil, wall to wall carpet still needs to be cleaned to remove the oily, sticky soil that builds up in a carpets pile as the result of tracked in unwanted soil and odors.
There is a false myth that cleaning a carpet before it is necessary will result in rapid resoiling. Many years ago coconut oil shampoos were used for cleaning carpet and some of them did leave residues that resulted in rapid resoiling. Today almost all carpet cleaning products leave very little residue. The fact is that carpet in a typical household should be cleaned every 12 – 18 months depending on the number of people and pets living there and the amount of traffic. A good way to tell if a carpet is due for cleaning is by moving a chair or sofa so that the trafficked and non trafficked areas can be compared.
Professional Carpet Cleaners
While there are many do-it-your-self cleaning machines for purchase and rent, it is usually advisable to use a qualified professional carpet cleaner such as those Certified by the Clean Trust, previously IICRC – Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration. A professional cleaner will have the experience that enables them to do a much better job than you can do yourself. The equipment they use has more extraction power than the units available to you, and the carpet will dry faster as well. They know the cleaning agents to use, and they know the differences in carpet construction and fibers.
Doing it Yourself
If you have made the decision to rent a steam cleaning machine and do the job yourself, you should check on several systems before you make a selection. Most of the units available for rent don’t clean well enough and may end up damaging your carpet. Therefore, you should always consider the following:
- A number of rental companies offer cleaning equipment that is similar to what a professional will use. You need equipment that has enough vacuum power to allow the carpet to dry rapidly, preferably in less than 12 hours. It is best to avoid rental units found in many retail, hardware and grocery stores that don’t have the power to extract the cleaning solution from the carpet fast enough. Over wetting combined with slow drying can be damaging to a carpet.
- Avoid over wetting the carpet. Prolonged dampness combined with traffic can cause a separation of the backing. When a carpet remains wet for an extended period of time, this can lead to mildew growth and bacteria in the carpet backing.
- After cleaning your carpet place fans to increase air movement and speed the drying.
- Today most carpet has stain resistant treatments. Make sure that the carpet cleaning products you purchase are designed for the type of fiber you are cleaning. Failure to properly clean a carpet is action to void a stain resistant or carpet performance warranty.
- Never use cleaning or spotting solutions that contain bleaches as they can mess up the color of the carpet.
- Never use any silicone based treatments on the carpet. Silicone treatments are not needed and not designed for most of the carpet that is manufactured today.
A Comparison of Carpet Cleaning Systems
With all cleaning methods a wall to wall carpet needs to be thoroughly vacuumed prior to cleaning to remove any heavy soil such as silicates (the primary constituent of soil), without this pre-vacuuming, dirt and sand are forced to the backing of the carpet. It is highly recommended that you give your carpet a very thorough vacuuming prior to the arrival of the professional carpet cleaning company. While vacuuming make not of any special areas of concern and point these out to the cleaning crew upon its arrival.
Absorbent Powder / Dry Extraction Cleaning
An absorbent granular material that has been incorporated into a mixture of detergent, solvent and water is brushed into the carpet pile with a machine incorporating a double cylindrical brush. Once the material has dried the carpet is vacuumed to remove the powder and the soil that it has captured. The best use for the absorbent powder cleaning method is the commercial installation where the carpet is cleaned regularly and requires quick drying.
Bonnet/Spin Pad
This method in appearance is similar to the rotary shampoo method. The machine used is essentially the same. A detergent is usually sprayed onto the carpet. A rotating absorbent pad spins and agitates the carpet fibers as the soil is collected into the pad. This method improperly preferred on cut pile carpet can cause untwisting of the face pile. While this method is reasonably quick drying it must be done more often as it is more of a surface cleaning. The best use for this method of cleaning is the commercial installation where they clean regularly and require quick drying.
Cylindrical Foam Shampoo
The cylindrical foam method uses a machine with an air compressor that whips the shampoo solution into heavy foam. The foam is brushed into the carpet with a cylindrical brush. Once the carpet has dried it is vacuumed to remove the shampoo and the particles that have theoretically bonded to it. Not all of the shampoo and soil is actually captured but instead much of it is forced deeper into the pile. While this method is reasonably quick drying it must be done more often as it is more of a surface cleaning. The best use for cylindrical foam cleaning is the commercial installation where they clean regularly and require quick drying.
Rotary Shampoo
The Rotary shampoo method uses chemicals similar to those used with cylindrical foam. The rotary floor machine usually has an attached solution tank for the shampoo solution. The diluted solution is fed through a tub to a “shower-feed” where it is applied to the carpet. While the shampoo is being applied a round brush on the machine is scrubbing the carpet. This shampoo method uses more moisture than the cylindrical brush method. The rotary shampoo method is not recommended for use on cut pile carpet as it can cause untwisting of the face pile.
Steam Cleaning or Hot Water Extraction
With this method a non-foaming detergent is injected into the carpet fibers and is almost simultaneously vacuumed out of the carpet taking the dirt and soil with it. The extraction method when performed a skilled technician and quality chemicals will leave very little residue to attract to soil. You can use a truck mounted unit or a portable self contained unit as well. In the hands of an unskilled person a carpet can be over-wet during extraction cleaning so be sure to take extra dry passes when cleaning it yourself.
If you have concerns with the performance of your carpet it is suggested to have a thorough professional carpet cleaning prior to submitting a claim. While you cannot expect a 5 year old carpet to look brand new in traffic areas a Certified Carpet Inspector will be able to draw a fairer conclusion as to a carpets performance if they are inspecting a clean carpet.