Does It Mean Anything?

Would you be surprised to learn that most carpet cleaning companies have no formal training? They are not required to be licensed?  That there is no requirement for companies to have any certification what so ever?  Is Training and certification important?  After all, isn’t carpet cleaning a “menial” task anyone can perform?

Actually, a carpet cleaning professional is working with one of the most valuable assets in your home.  Should it be trusted with just anyone?  Unfortunately, the carpet cleaning industry is full of “rogues” that only care about how much money they can get from you, and nothing about the life of your carpeting.  They do not care about the industry in which they work.

Have you ever noticed that in many states, Air conditioning companies, Plumbers, and Pest Control companies are required to be licensed?  Not so for carpet cleaners.  Fortunately for you and for me, there are fine people in the carpet cleaning industry that realize the standard must be raised.  Those of us in that process help to police our own industry.  In order to do this, associations and certification organizations were created.

One such organization is the IICRC (Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and restoration Certification).  This organization provides certification courses and exams for the carpet cleaning industry.  By attending these courses, carpet cleaners are taught about fiber identification, carpet construction, cleaning chemistry, cleaning methods, and professionalism.

Carpet Manufactures are also monitoring the situation as well, and this is why if you have someone that is NOT IICRC Certified clean your carpet, don’t clean your carpet ever 12 months, or clean it yourself you will void your built in warranty from the manufacture.  Carpet manufactures also will void your warranty if you use any other cleaning method besides “HOT WATER EXTRACTION.”

• //www.shawfloors.com/cms/Articles.aspx?DN=1129,1112,1106,29,4,Documents
• //www.mohawkflooring.com/my-mohawk/mohawk-warranties/carpet.aspx

There are several levels of certification:  Certified Technician, Journeyman Technician, and Master Cleaning Technician which requires a number of certification categories and 3 years of study.

So, the question remains – “Does it mean anything?”  Yes,yes,yes!  It means a lot! It means that the certified firm is on the cutting edge of technology and change in the industry.  It means that a certified firm knows the right way to apply cleaning procedures and chemistry.  It means that the certified firm is working together with other certified firms to raise the standard of carpet cleaning in general, therefore providing you with a higher quality product.