When You Need A Professional
In almost every facet of life, when a professional is needed. You would search for someone with experience and almost always they would have some form of credentials to support that they are indeed qualified to do the job. For example: License, Degree, or Certification.
The Carpet Cleaning industry is an unregulated business. Anyone can say they are a carpet cleaner and more often than not, that is exactly what some do. They run out and buy whatever equipment they can get their hands on, some will make a considerable investment in the equipment and never bother to to train, follow a standardized format, or have any ethical way of operating. People searching for a carpet cleaner sometimes rely on social media groups and their recommendations never bothering to to inquire if they are legally operating in the state as a legal business.
I simply can not call myself a doctor because a few friends of mine say I am and I purchase a lab coat and stethoscope. No matter what my knowledge is on the body or your health. What separates the hobbyist from the professional is an education and formal training. You are tested on your competency in the chosen field. If you pass there is a verifiable acknowledgement by way of Degree, License, or Certification. After that you can seek gainful employment in the field and gain the proper experience legitimately.
The IICRC which is an acronym for Institute of Inspection Carpet Restoration Certification. They are a non-profit body for the cleaning and restoration industry. Follow this link below for more in depth information on this organization. We at Cardinal Organic believe everyone should have some formal training and approach working in an ethical manner. Because this is an unregulated business, there are unscrupulous actors that become bathtub chemist and mix whatever they find over the counter often not know the damage they are causing to one of your largest investments, your flooring. We implore you to ask your carpet cleaner for a current IICRC membership card. Sometime the larger companies may have the certifications. It is the individual they send to clean your carpets that may not. Asking for this credential is an indication that the person has had some formal training and is qualified to service your home or business properly. It is an important first step verify that it is currently in good standing.
Follow the link below for more information:
https://www.iicrc.org/general/custom.asp?page=AbouttheIICRC
During The Pandemic
The world has been affected by this SARS-CoV2 pandemic and everything we know now is that nothing will ever be the same again. There is not an industry that hasn’t been affected and unprecedented death tolls have been rising daily. All the while COVID19 has become a contentious debate for many. You have those who believe in the science and there are those who make it a political topic and refuse to believe that it is really happening.
It becomes an arduous task keeping track of the mixed messages with so much disinformation. Yet small businesses are closing and corporate america have empty offices spaces from coast to coast and consolidating their workforce by the thousands. We see unemployment steadily rising, there are people desperately awaiting relief and some form of normalcy. We are all trying to hold on to some semblance of what we use to have but the reality is, that COVID-19 has been reported to be invisible, it can be airborne, and it can survive on surfaces more than a week!
What we can’t do is ignore it and pretend it doesn’t exist. This is affecting everyone on a global scale. We all must do our part in following the recommendations from the health experts. Local and federal agencies that are charged with public health and safety. Please get your information from reputable sources. For the latest updates pertaining to COVID19 please follow the link below:
Cardinal Organic has always had a disinfecting protocol for our business. For every home we clean carpets in, upon returning to our office. We off load all of our equipment take it apart and we clean and thoroughly disinfect it. Cardinal Organic during the time of COVID19 does not go from one home to another in the same day anymore. We found that it is best minimize exposure is to limit going to various homes or business every day. Furthermore after we clean and disinfect the equipment is not touched again until it is needed. Which in an abundance of precaution we clean and disinfect the equipment and van again, prior to arriving at our scheduled appointment.
During the pandemic what is new for us is scaling back the amount of work we will accept in a week. We have scaled back days and frequency of work to 2 appointment in a week. With a minimum of 48 hours between the next appointment. So that when we are scheduled to work. You are the only appointment for the day. No one prior and no one after. It is an added measure we employed voluntarily when we are hired to clean carpets. When arriving we follow social distancing guidelines and as an added bonus the area where we set up our equipment. We chemically free disinfect it when we leave to further reduce exposure and minimize potential risk.
We still have a long road ahead of us and there is hope the recently approved vaccine will help the population for the better. But the reality is, this is going to remain a threat well into 2021. We must not let our guard down and continue to clean more, clean often, and disinfect the right way.
