The effectiveness of the carpet cleaning chemicals and equipment on the market varies widely. In fact, some products do a pretty poor job of getting a carpet clean. Want to know which ones? Well, if Carey Mitchell has his way, that kind of information will be readily available.

Mitchell is Technical Director for Shaw Industries Inc., the world’s largest carpet producer. He is proposing to make public the company’s exhaustive carpet maintenance testing information. If he wins approval from Shaw’s board of directors, the cleaning equipment and products market could be rocked to its core.

That’s because there are a lot of ineffective cleaning systems, Mitchell said. At the same time, there are some technologies and cleaning product formulations that are highly effective, yet are either little-known or have failed to be acknowledged as industry standards. This would empower the marketplace — and could change the face of carpet cleaning.

The magic word: Warranty

Shaw Industries Inc. sells a lot of carpet — about $4.2 billion worth in 2000. Buyers, particularly huge accounts such as hotel chains like Marriott and commercial real estate companies, want to ensure their carpet investment remains protected by Shaw’s manufacturer’s warranty. Since its warranties cover appearance, retention and wear, Shaw insists buyers maintain their carpets in accordance with its recommendations.

That includes the type of equipment and cleaning chemicals used. This has the potential to put cleaning products makers somewhat at the mercy of the carpet manufacturer. Shaw’s warranties create issues involving some of the cleaning equipment industry’s biggest names.

“With regard to performance, some of the products out there, particularly on the jan-san side, are terrible,” said Mitchell.

Mitchell believes making Technical Services test results public will save Shaw at least $3.5 million a year in warranty claims. He has prepared a position paper to present to company managers. Shaw is owned by Warren Buffett’s Hathaway Capital. Mitchell has already met with managers and the proposal could become effective almost immediately.

The fallout

Some manufacturers will benefit from this information entering the public arena. Others won’t be as lucky.

“The smart ones will take notice. The stupid ones will take it on the chin,” Mitchell said. Mitchell notes he has already shared much of this information in industry seminars. More would be supplied via Shaw’s website and in printed product literature.

If Shaw’s testing information is so powerful, why isn’t it a guiding force in the industry? In many ways it already is — though most cleaners aren’t aware of it. Additionally, market forces dictate limit the impact one company can have.

“We gather data,” said Mitchell. “But who is going to listen to one person? Marketplace forces make it happen.”

The people who buy cleaning equipment are influenced in their decisions by many factors, such as advertising, word-of-mouth, peer networking, distributor recommendations, product/equipment demonstrations at tradeshows, etc.

The testing performed by Shaw is just one cog in this machine. But it’s already a powerful one — both end-users and manufacturers currently seek information from Shaw Technical Services (STS). However, a large-scale rollout of the testing information to the cleaning industry at large would give Shaw unprecedented influence over the way manufacturer’s create products.

“In the past, I’ve been willing to identify good solutions, but we haven’t talked about bad ones,” said Mitchell. “That is going to change.”

Responsive manufacturers

Companies large and small have used the information provided by STS testing to quickly adapt products to solve problems. Johnson Wax Professional controls some 30 percent of the market for carpet pre-spray. In STS testing, a problem showed up: Wax spots, which could not be removed by extraction, appeared on samples. Johnson reportedly attributed the problem to restrictions on phosphates.

Nevertheless, within weeks, Mitchell said, Johnson presented a new product formulation that solved the problem.

“I told them I would still mention their name in seminars, but this time, I would be singing their praises,” Mitchell said.

Shaw has found some carpet cleaning systems can damage carpet fibers. Untwisting and wear are concerns, especially where “moving part” cleaning is involved. One company utilizes rotating brushes to agitate absorbent cleaning material.

“[The company in question] came up with a softer brush that address any concerns about damage to carpets,” Mitchell said.

New technologies that work

Another advantage of Shaw’s testing is the ability to discover new ideas and technologies that really work, even if they’re radically different from the industry standards. Take for example, a seemingly simple basic technology using large amounts of water to clean carpets.

“We believe that [is] the right approach,” said Mitchell, referring to a portable that connects to building tap systems, eliminating tank-changing and allowing it to clean with a large volume of water.

“We’d like to see this kind of cleaning used more broadly,” Mitchell explained. “Water is the key. The more of it the better.”

“That’s the problem with most walk-behinds,” he continued. “They don’t have much water flow. We looked at heat; all those guys that say heat is the key... well, using cold water didn’t change the cleaning [with this particular machine]. Lowering the pressure didn’t change the cleaning. Water is the key. On the other hand, a low-flow machine at low pressure and low temperature doesn’t clean very much.”

Another cleaning solution uses compressed air to clean rugs, including Orientals, before immersion cleaning. The system was praised by Mitchell. It is available as a turn-key system and suits carpet cleaning operators with a building that can house the operation.

This article is from the January, 2002 issue of Cleanfax magazine, a trade journal for the carpet cleaning and disaster restoration and clean-up industry. To receive a free introductory six month subscription to Cleanfax magazine, fill out the online subscription form by clicking here.