Summit Maintenance Solutions of Tri-Cities Washington has signed on as the 1,000th participant in Carpet & Rug Institute's Seal of Approval Service Providers Program. Carpet cleaning professionals who use Seal of Approval solutions in conjunction with Seal of Approval equipment are eligible to be recognized as Seal of Approval Service Providers.

Summit Maintenance Solutions owner Dennis Torres said he applied for the SOA program in order to demonstrate his commitment to providing his customers with "proven equipment and the safest and most effective chemicals." His company uses SOA Gold Level-rated Hoover C1320 vacuums and Advanced AquaPro XP extractors, as well as SOA-approved solutions from Simple Green, Revitalize and Procyon.

Torres says he was first introduced to the Seal of Approval program as an employee of Bruker Elemental (formerly KeyMaster), the company that developed the handheld XRF devices used in SOA testing to measure the precise amount of soil removed from the carpet. XRF, which stands for X-Ray Fluorescence, was first used by NASA to test components for the Space Shuttle program.

"Working closely with XRF instruments convinced me of their accuracy in detecting the different elements that are present in carpets as well as numerous other objects. Our customers are aware that we don't just clean their carpets, we actually know the percentage of soil removed," Torres said. "That level of effectiveness says a lot about our concern and proactive approach to a safer work environment."

Carpet and Rug Institute President Werner Braun welcomed Summit Maintenance Solutions to the SOA family of product and equipment manufacturers and service providers. "With support from professionals such as Daniel Torres and Summit Maintenance Solutions, CRI's Seal of Approval program will continue to raise the bar on carpet cleaning and maintenance," he said.