April Showers Bring Flowers, But also Mud Spots on Carpet
The Carpet and Rug Institute Has Easy Carpet Cleaning Tips

Contact: CRI Communications Department, 706.428.2103

Dalton, GA (April 8, 2005) April showers bring May flowers, but they also bring carpet cleaning challenges from all the mud that is deposited indoors from garden shoes, soccer cleats and muddy paws. The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) has some timely cleaning tips for ensuring that your carpet makes it through April to the sunnier side of spring.

So, how do you remove those muddy spots?

To identify superior cleaning products, CRI developed the Seal of Approval testing and certification program. For a product to receive the CRI Seal of Approval, it must prove effective at removing some of the most stubborn carpet spills, including yellow mustard, grape juice, hot black coffee, chocolate syrup, permanent marker and dirty motor oil. Besides spot removers, the Seal of Approval is also awarded to pre-spray and in-tank cleaning products. Visit the CRI website to see a list of Seal of Approval certified products.

CRI offers these other spot removal tips:

• The quicker you act, the better. The longer a spot stays on a carpet, the harder it is to remove.
  
  
• Always blot -- never scrub -- with a clean white, dry, absorbent cloth. Scrubbing can damage the carpet fiber.
  
  
• Work from the outer edge in towards the center of the spot to avoid spreading it.

Vacuuming for Success

Today's carpets are designed to hide dirt and resist soiling and staining. But that's no excuse to skip regular vacuuming. Soil can damage fibers if it remains in the pile.

• Use a CRI Green Label certified vacuum cleaner. These machines remove soil effectively without damaging the carpet and help maintain good indoor air quality. Visit the CRI website to see a list of Green Label certified vacuum cleaners.
  
  
• Vacuum areas of your carpet that get light traffic once or twice a week and more often in places where people gather, kids play and pets roam.
  
  
• Use up to three passes of the machine for light soiling. Five to seven are necessary for heavily soiled areas.
  

When Deep Cleaning is Required

Stubborn spots and embedded soil require deep systems cleaning, preferably every 12 to 18 months. Options are to use a professional service or to rent or purchase carpet-cleaning equipment for do-it- yourself cleaning. In either case, use a cleaning method recommended by the carpet manufacturer to maintain the product warranty.

• Professional cleaning is recommended for carpet and areas rugs that are made of wool, silk or other natural fibers.
  
  
• For any do-it-yourself cleaning method, the following points are critical: always pre-vacuum to remove as much dry soil as possible, and follow instructions carefully!
  
  
• A common mistake with do-it-yourself cleaning is using too much cleaning agent and failing to extract all the product from the carpet during the cleaning process. The product residue not only attracts dirt and makes carpet look bad, but it also speeds the breakdown of fiber, shortening the life of the carpet.

To learn more, visit the "Care and Cleaning" section of the CRI website.