The IICRC, originally named the International Institute of Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Inc., was founded in 1972 by Ed York. Since starting in 1972, the IICRC has evolved into a global organization with more than 53,000 active certified technicians and more than 6,000 Certified Firms around the world. IICRC is headquartered in Las Vegas, NV, United States, and has offices in the United Kingdom and Australia.
Certifications and Cleantrust program
As a professional certification organization, the IICRC does not have members but instead has registered technicians or “registrants.” The IICRC does not operate certification schools but instead approves schools and instructors to teach and administer its certification programs. Cleantrust is a certification program created by the IICRC. Currently, the IICRC has more than 140 approved instructors and 70 approved schools offering cleantrust certification. Certification is based upon successful completion of a course in which curriculum follows the standards for that category as well as a passing grade on a standardized exam. Once certified, IICRC registrants must earn continuing education credits to maintain their certification. IICRC certification courses include over 20 qualifications in cleaning, inspection, and restoration.
Standards
In addition to certification, the IICRC creates standards to help develop common, industry-accepted language and terminology regarding cleaning, inspection and restoration. The IICRC’s standards include:
BSR-IICRC S100 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Cleaning of Textile Floor Coverings
BSR-IICRC S210 Standard and Reference Guide for Dimension Stone Maintenance and Restoration
IICRC S300 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Upholstery Cleaning
BSR-IICRC S520 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Mold Remediation
BSR-IICRC S540 Standard and Reference Guide for Trauma and Crime Scene Biological and Infectious Hazard Clean Up
BSR-IICRC S600 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Carpet Installation
BSR-IICRC S800 Standard and Reference Guide for Inspecting Textile Floor Coverings
Governance
The IICRC is managed by a board of directors, which is composed of 15 members elected by the IICRC’s shareholders. The elected board members are active in their respective industries and frequently represent the IICRC in media such as trade publications and consumer media. The IICRC board of directors meets quarterly to formulate standards and create future policies. The executive committee is composed of the organization's officers and is led by a chairman.