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Homebuyers Often Discover Carpet Damage too late.

By Anonymous

Unsuspecting homebuyers who purchase previously owned homes might end up with less than they bargained for with the existing carpet. The number one problem is the odor and damage caused by pet urine, which is at times difficult to detect. It could be days or weeks before the problem is discovered and is often long after the new owners have moved in. When shopping for a home it is very important to thoroughly inspect the carpet for pet urine before making an offer to buy a previously owned home.

Pet odors may not be so obvious.

When touring a home for sale, a homebuyer may not immediately notice the odor from pet urine if the carpet has been cleaned recently and might therefore assume that the carpet is in good condition. Similarly, if a homebuyer tours a home while it is unheated or when doors or windows are wide open, odors from pet urine will be less noticeable. Pet urine odor will be easiest to detect in the winter months while the heat is on, and also when air circulation is limited during hot summer days.

Carpet cleaning won't solve the problem.

Pet urine is very difficult to completely remove from carpet because it often soaks through the surface fibers into the carpet backing and may even become embedded into the padding and flooring below. Having the carpets professionally cleaned may help temporarily but the underlying damage caused from pet urine will not be solved and the urine odor will quickly return.

How to protect yourself.

It's not enough just to ask the seller if there is or has ever been a pet urine problem because people who have pets can become so accustomed the odor from pet urine that they may be unaware of the severity of the problem. In order for a homebuyer to know for sure if there is a pet urine problem they will need to conduct their own investigation.

The best way to determine the presence of pet urine damage would be to pull up the carpet in a corner of the room and look for signs of urine stains. A less popular method is to just get right down on the floor and smell the carpet in suspected areas. Cat urine glows under a black light and that may also be a method that could be used. The room must be darkened for this to be effective. Cats tend to go in a quiet corner or in closets, while dogs will usually urinate in the middle areas of a room. A thorough room by room search may be necessary to discover the scope and severity of the problem.

If it is determined that the carpet has pet urine damage, the total cost to repair the damage and replace the carpet should be considered prior to making an offer to purchase the home. If the damage is severe it is important to treat all affected areas with a product designed to remove the urine with enzymes or by sealing the subfloor with oil-based sealer to encapsulate the odor.

In some cases, urine soaked wood subflooring may need to be removed and have new wood installed. If urine has soaked into the subfloor the problem must be properly addressed before replacing the carpet or the urine odor will once again come up through the new carpet. A contractor should be able to provide a repair estimate.

The cost to replace carpet.

Replacing the carpet in a typical 2-bedroom home could easily cost more than $2500. Prices for carpet vary widely depending on the quality, face weight, type of fiber, and style selected. There are other expenses to consider including carpet padding, moving furniture, removing the old carpet and pad, and professional installation. Some carpet retailers include some of these items in their carpet price but homeowners are often charged extra if the job requires more than what is considered to be a simple or "basic" installation.

Alan J. Fletcher is a 25-year veteran of the flooring business. He is the editor of the Consumer Carpet Buying Forum at Howtobuycarpet.com and author of two books: Landlord Floors, carpet and vinyl management for rentals and Carpet Buying Secrets Revealed, everything you need to know before you buy carpet. Available at Amazon.com and Howtobuycarpet.com/order.htm

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Marketing Club for Carpet Cleaners

By Anonymous

Marketing Club for Carpet Cleaners

For immediate release

Mentor, Ohio, - October, 2002 – The marketing club for carpet cleaners, OCIBR, is pleased to announce that their new and updated website is up and running. The new website is located at http://www.ocibr.com (and/or: http://cleaning.sytes.net). Its user-friendly layout enables easy navigation throughout the OCIBR site, which includes hundreds of forms, flyers, newsletters, post cards and more, all submitted by the members.

Mark Cermak, OCIBR WebMaster, explained: “This site was really built by the OCIBR members. It incorporates dozens of suggestions that we have heard over the last few months of testing the site. Our members asked, and we listened.”

Regular users have responded with a flood of positive email about the site. One member put it this way: “The OCIBR Marketing Club is outstanding! It is a joy to use, simple to navigate, and I really like the look.”

OCIBR encourages the use and book-marking of the website, and welcomes any comments or suggestions.

For more information about the OCIBR Marketing Club contact:

Mark Cermak
5859 Buckeye
Mentor, Oh 44060
mcermak@ocibr.com
http://www.ocibr.com

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Marching Forward to Stamp Out Child Labour

By Anonymous

BHADOHI, INDIA September 14, 2004 -- Despite the efforts of western carpet chain stores and many NGOs, child labour in the Indian carpet industry is still endemic. A determined effort with solid economic underpinning is well under way starting in the rugs and carpets business.

Carpet and rug-making are an ancient trade that unfortunately took an
ugly turn during 70s and 80s. There was a great rush of demand for Indain handmade carpets. Orders poured in but there was a production constraint. To exploit this opportunity, loom owners and contractors started employing child labour who were mostly imported from neighbouring states. Their numbers increased to an alarming proportion during 90s.

The practice continues though is somewhat clandestine. These child workers are not only deprived of their basic rights but also develop health problems by sitting hunched on looms for hours often in poor light. In addition, the artificial dyes used caused serious damage to the environment both at the time of production and also at the time of disposal.

While consumers may be shocked at the environmental damage caused and the conditions under which children work to produce certain goods such as rugs and carpets, there are few reasonable alternatives to the rugs and carpets produced by child carpet workers coloured with artificial dyes.

A revolutionary environmentally friendly rug called CloudSEJ is now available which uses all natural inputs and retains the natural colouring of the fiber so that artificial dyes are not needed. The rugs do not need to be washed saving not only massive use of water but also avoiding the use of chemicals that pollute environment. CloudSEJ is made by master craftsmen in villages who are paid generously for their work and no child labour whatsoever is used. The production of CloudSEJ is part of a larger village-centred self-sustaining economic system that is already evolving.

Mr Naseem Ansari took particular exception to the use of child labour and environmentally dangerous materials in rug production. The ennWorld Trust was formed to work towards the elimination of child labour and environmentally unfriendly materials. The first product launched by ennWorld is the CloudSEJ rug.

"What we are doing is launching a viable and excellent rug to compete with the carpetwallas," explained Mr Ansari. The term "carpetwallas" literally means "carpet vendors" but is often used to refer to bosses of carpet production who exploit child labour to the fullest.

ennWorld has a satellite office in the UK and is headquartered in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India near to the nation's capital of New Delhi.

For more information, and to support ennWorld by ordering CloudSEJ rugs, go to www.enworld.org or email naseem@ennworld.org

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