The Good Housekeeping Seal
by Dave Flickinger, RRO
Each month in this column, one of NRCA's technical services staff members will answer readers' technical questions. If you have a specific question you would like answered in this column, send it to Professional Roofing magazine, 10255 W. Higgins Road, Suite 600, Rosemont, IL 60018-5607.
Q: I have seen the Good Housekeeping Seal in advertisements and on the packaging of some roofing products. What does the presence of the seal indicate?
A: The Good Housekeeping Seal is issued by the Good Housekeeping Institute. The institute was founded in 1900 and performs consumer product evaluations for Good Housekeeping magazine. Some of the consumer products commonly evaluated include appliances; housewares; clothing; children's toys; and automotive and building products, such as windows, flooring, vinyl siding, sheathing, insulation and asphalt shingles.
The Good Housekeeping Seal, established in 1909, symbolizes Good Housekeeping's commitment to providing consumer protection by offering an independent warranty for any product that bears the seal. Products that are advertised in Good Housekeeping but do not bear the seal also may be eligible for the Good Housekeeping warranty.
The two-year limited warranty stipulates that Good Housekeeping will replace the product or provide a purchase-price refund if a product "proves to be defective at any time within two years from the date it was first sold to a consumer." The policy covers products purchased or given to consumers.
The warranty also states "some products must be installed, used and serviced as the manufacturer directs to give proper performance" and that Good Housekeeping is not responsible for "improper installation or service or if the product is abused."
According to Good Housekeeping, all product advertisements that are published in Good Housekeeping are reviewed by the institute and are eligible for the Good Housekeeping Seal after review and acceptance. The use of the seal requires a minimum expenditure for magazine advertisements for each product line that will bear the seal.
Also, each product, as well as its packaging, labeling and advertising claims, must be evaluated by the institute. Based on the institute's initial evaluation of advertising claims, the institute determines the criteria for a product manufacturer to substantiate a product's advertising claims. In addition, the institute can require testing for any item it deems appropriate to substantiate a product's warranty or advertising claims.
NRCA inquired about the testing of physical characteristics of roofing products that bear the seal. According to the institute, a review of products' service-life information, material-testing data and manufacturing quality-control policies generally are required, but there are no formal, standardized testing protocols for roofing materials.
According to the institute, testing for building products may include ultraviolet exposure and environmental testing, but no specifics about this type of testing were received by NRCA.
The institute does not necessarily require products to comply with other recognized authorities' requirements (e.g., building codes, Underwriters Laboratories Inc.). For example, an asphalt shingle is not formally required to be tested by the institute to determine whether it meets the criteria of available material standards, such as ASTM D 3462, "Standard Specification for Asphalt Shingles Made from Glass Felt and Surfaced with Mineral Granules," or ASTM D 225, "Standard Specification for Asphalt Shingles (Organic Felt) Surfaced with Mineral Granules." These material specification standards are referenced in most model building codes as minimum requirements for an asphalt shingle's physical characteristics.
For additional information about the Good Housekeeping Seal or the Good Housekeeping Institute, visit www.goodhousekeeping.com or write Good Housekeeping, Consumer & Reader Services, 959 Eighth Ave., New York, NY 10019.
Dave Flickinger is an NRCA manager of technical services.
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