WOOLSAFE® was originally established in 1991 by the International Wool Secretariat (the Wool Bureau in North America ) - the WOOLSAFE® Organization launched an approval program for professional carpet cleaning products and technicians in October of 1998. There are now more than 160 cleaning products that have been tested and approved for use on wool and other fine fabrics. Many of them are manufac
tured by suppliers you already use. You can view the list on the WoolSafe® site at www.woolsafeusa.org/suppliers. As you'll see, allot of them are "green" approved as well. Since there's more to cleaning that just the chemicals used, we offer an on-line course available to learn more about cleaning and maintenance. Originally this course was taught in a face-to face format as they do in the UK and Australia , but obviously we here in North America have a challenge with distance, so we created the on-line course. The first step in becoming a Service Provider is to learn about wool and its care by taking the on-line course. The WoolSafe® Fabric Care Specialist Training Course provides professional cleaners with a convenient and cost effective means for advancing their knowledge of wool-rich carpet, high-value rug and upholstery cleaning. Students are able to complete the course at their own pace from a home or office computer. The course is intended to supplement training received in other courses, and it is approved for 2-IICRC CECs in the cleaning, restoration or inspection categories. This course is divided into 33 sections or modules. Each of the 33 modules is followed by self-evaluation multiple-choice questions, which are based on the information presented in the current module. Students simply read each question and select the correct answer from the options provided. The question is graded electronically for immediate feedback. Once the course is successfully completed, students receive a completion certificate to send to the IICRC for two CECs. The graduate student will also receive a certificate of completion from WOOLSAFE® North America. The course is available at www.cleancareseminars.net/woolsafe and costs only $199.00. Go there to sign in and then call Clean Care at 800-455-4278 to give them your credit card number. They will give you a password to take the course. You can try out the first 5 modules before paying for it if you like. Once at least one person in a company has passed the course, the company may apply to become a WOOLSAFE®-Approved Service Provider. The annual fee is $125.00 per year and the company and name of WoolSafe® trained technician(s) will be listed on both the WOOLSAFE® @ www.woolsafeusa.org/find/a-registered-carpet-cleaner and Wools of New Zealand websites, and referenced on the Housekeeping Channel website. We also provide a link to that company’s website if they have one. The WOOLSAFE®-Approved Service Provider program is open to the following:
· Carpet cleaning companies - Independent cleaning companies, which obtain their cleaning equipment and/or supplies from one or more sources.
· Carpet cleaning franchisees - Companies using one particular cleaning/maintenance system, which may be a franchised or a licensed system.
· In-house carpet cleaners - In-house carpet maintenance divisions responsible for the cleaning and maintenance of carpet and rugs in the building(s) their company occupies. WOOLSAFE® Service Provider eligibility requirements:
*your company offers professional fabric cleaning services on a full-time basis;
having employees who have received appropriate technical and practical training in cleaning
* be an IICRC Certified Firm or meet equivalent qualification requirements (proper business licensing, liability insurance, consumer complaint follow-up policy, subscribe to the WOOLSAFE® Code of Ethics);
* be members of a trade, professional association or Certification organization, including franchises, which is recognized by The WOOLSAFE® Organization;
*encourage all employees to attend a WOOLSAFE®-Training Course, taught by a WOOLSAFE®-Approved Trainer either in-person or on-line, and pass the course exam,
* and use WOOLSAFE®-approved products when cleaning or maintaining wool or wool-rich carpet, rugs or upholstery. The company will receive a certificate to display in their office and the WoolSafe® logo to use in advertising. It will give the company additional recognition and credibility with clients, retailers and designers.
