We've gone through twenty years of abusing carpet. I don't mean physically, I mean abusing it in the minds of consumers. Most problems with carpet are not in the quality of the product but are in the eyes and ears of the consumer. Vacuum cleaner hucksters on television show dust from carpet fouling the very air we breathe. Half hour long Infomercials by a cheap little rental machine embellish the amount of dirt and germs found in carpet.
Even our scientists are guilty. Dr. Michael Berry, one of the most quoted persons of science in our industry said, "Carpet is a sink." Just hearing this graphic analogy could cause a prospective buyer to choose another floor covering. "Clean that sink" and "Clean carpet for health's sake" have become the mantra of certain teachers and the information they teach is passed along to consumers by their students in the form of very negative advertising.
When the news business is slow, reporters revisit Kawasaki syndrome, formaldehyde and the 120 neuro-toxic chemicals found in carpet by "Green Nest." Do you remember Dr. Roselyn Anderson and the costly fraud she perpetrated on our industry with her claim that carpet off-gassing killed her lab mice? No wonder there has been a downturn in consumer confidence and carpet sales. Could it be time for a change in strategy?
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