Fiber Characteristics

Section 1 “The Product” Fiber Characteristics There are some cleaning concerns that are directly related to what the Carpet is made out of. To be more specific, the characteristics of the fibers. Cleaning Concerns Related to Fiber Characteristics Quality of Results – Synthetic Fibers have an affinity for oils, protein (Animal) fibers hold onto protein stains, and Cellulosic (plant) fibers like juices and coffees. Shrinkage – Shrinkage only occurs when absorbent fibers swell from soaking up liquid. Yellowing/ Browning – Plant fibers contain cellulose which can brown when overwet. Synthetic fibers might yellow from additives like BHT when exposed to water. Dyes – Nylon & Wool are dyed with Acid Dyes which can be damaged by high alkalinity in some cleaning chemistry. Texture Change – Some carpet fibers will shed, pill, met, or felt if exposed to extreme heat or the friction from improper agitation. RemoteSmarts, LLC, 2015 – All Rights Reserved – Basic Carpet Cleaning Skills 3 I. FIBER CHARACTERISTICS A. Fiber Types- 1. Natural – Fibers that occur in Nature already in the form of fiber. These fibers require blending, carding, combing, ginning, etc. but to not change form. a. Plant fibers – also known as “Cellulosic” – These include cotton, jute, sisal, etc. Occasionally these are used as face fibers but usually they occur in the foundation or backing of carpet. b. Animal fibers – also known as “Protein” Fibers – These include Wool and Silk. 2. Synthetic – Fibers that must be manufactured into fiber from some other form. The manufacturing process is called extrusion. This is where liquid raw material is pumped through a showerhead – like assembly called a spinneret, to produce streams that solidify into filaments of fiber. a. Plant (Cellulosic) Raw Material is used to manufacture Rayon, and Acetate. b. Petroleum (Polymer) fibers are more common. In Carpet these include, Nylon, Olefin, Polyester, and Acrylic. Fibers Natural Synthetic Cellulosic Protein Cellulosic Polymer (Plant) (animal) (plant) Cotton Wool Rayon Olefin Jute Silk Acetate Acrylic Sisal PTT Coire Polyester Nylon RemoteSmarts, LLC, 2015 – All Rights Reserved – Basic Carpet Cleaning Skills 4 Cellulosic Fiber – Fiber from plants Cotton, Jute, Sisal, Rayon Description: Cotton and jute are natural cellulosic fibers, and rayon (viscose) is a manufactured cellulosic fiber made from wood pulp. The two fibers have similar properties because their basic structures are the same: cellulose. Cotton and rayon are rarely found in wall-to-wall carpets anymore, but are often used in constructing area rugs. Cotton is often used as the foundation in constructing hand-knotted oriental rugs. Jute is often used as a backing material on tufted carpeting. Cellulosic fibers are relatively inexpensive, have high moisture absorption and dry slowly. They have good resistance to alkalies and can be readily dyed in a wide range of colors. There are several disadvantages to cellulosic fibers. They crush easily, have low resistance to sunlight, are readily attacked to mildew and are flammable. Rayon has very poor dimensional stability when wet, which means that it shrinks and distorts easily in wet cleaning. Rayon is called Art Silk in India. Rayon is used as “silk” pile in some handmade rugs. Cleaning Characteristics: Caution – May bleed or lose texture. All cleaning methods are safe, depending on particular item. The cleaning method used for cleaning cotton or rayon rugs depends on 1) dyes used, 2) finishes applied and 3) percent of cellulosic content. Pretesting of all dyes in cellulosic items is vital, as cotton and rayon are often bleeders. If a special finish (e.g. flame retardant) is applied to a rayon or cotton item, ensure that it is not removed or otherwise affected by the cleaning method selected. 100% rayon items should be dry cleaned (absorbent compound or dry foam), as they are highly susceptible to shrinkage. Cellulosic items are also susceptible to browning, especially if cotton fibers are unprocessed and still contain seeds or other impurities. To avoid Browning, use a neutral (pH=7) or acidic (pH<7) detergent and facilitate rapid drying. Common trade names for rayon: Avril, Courtaulds Rayon, Courcel, Tencel, Zantrel. RemoteSmarts, LLC, 2015 – All Rights Reserved – Basic Carpet Cleaning Skills 5 Fill in the blanks from the web pages: All Cellulosic fibers Contain ______________________ which may be a source for Cellulosic Browning. All Cellulosic fibers are very absorbent which may lead to _____________________. Cellulosic fibers have poor _______________________ and are easily crushed. Of the two common fiber types, BCF and Staple, Natural Cellulosic fibers will always be ___________________. Protein Fibers – from animals Wool Description: Wool is a natural protein fiber obtained from sheep. It is durable, flexible, bulky and resilient. It is naturally flame retardant and can be dyed easily is a wide range of colors. It is sensitive to color change, yellowing and strength loss when exposed to sunlight and loses strength when wet. It is damaged by oxidizing agents and alkalies, and may be susceptible to attack by textile insects such as carpet beetles and moths. Wool stains easily from acid dyes (e.g. food colors) and drink spills. Wool does not soil easily and has a natural repellency to oily soils. Wool carpets can be safely cleaned by any of the carpet cleaning methods described in this guide. Chemicals used to clean wool should meet the following requirements: They should leave a dry powdery or crystalline residue, they should have a diluted pH between 5.0 and 8.0, they should not contain bleach or fluorescent whitening agents, and the application temperature should not exceed 150 degrees F (65degrees C). Excessive agitation should be avoided as wool fibers can felt in the presence of heat and moisture. The International Wood Secretariat (IWS) has a labeling program for cleaning chemicals. Products bearing the IWS ram logo have been approved for use in cleaning wool carpets and rugs. From the Web pages fill in the following statements: Protein Fibers are made of amino acids and can therefore be damaged by _______________ chemistry. _______________ is a common household chemical that can dissolve wool. Wool has _____________________ and bounces back when crushed. Silk comes from the _________________ of the ___________________. RemoteSmarts, LLC, 2015 – All Rights Reserved – Basic Carpet Cleaning Skills 6 Synthetic (Man Made) Fibers The Process of manufacturing Synthetic Fibers is known as Extrusion. Extrusion is where liquid polymer is pumped through a device similar to a shower head, known as a Spinnerette. The Liquid streams of Polymer coming out of the spinnerette are cooled, dried, and hardened into single strands of Fibers known as filaments. These filaments are then crimped to add bulkiness and are known as “Bulked Continuous Filaments” (BCF). Sometimes they are chopped into measured short lengths (Staple fiber) and used in that form. The synthetic fibers are translucent (light can pass through them) and have a sheen or luster. This translucent characteristic causes them to magnify soil. Therefore soil hiding characteristics must be engineered artificially by controlling light reflection. Sometimes Pigment is added to the liquid polymer prior to extrusion producing colored filaments. This process is known as Solution Dying and is a very color fast way of adding color to fiber. The resilience and absorbency of synthetic fibers varies depending on the raw material used to form the original polymer. Specific Fibers Olefin /Polypropylene Description: Olefin fibers, primarily made from polypropylene, are popular for use in carpets because they are easy to manufacture, have low moisture absorption and are relatively inexpensive. Polypropylene/Olefin is common as a backing material as well as a face yarn in modern carpets. Because of their low moisture absorption, olefin carpets are resistant to most water-borne stains and dry very quickly. Olefins have excellent resistance to alkalies and acids and are mildew resistant. They have high abrasion resistance, but only moderate or fair to poor resilience. This is often compensated by a tight, dense, loop pile carpet construction. Olefins are sensitive to oxidation by sunlight and have a low melting point. This low melting point can be a disadvantage because heat from a burning ash or seaming iron, or friction from dragging furniture, can melt the fibers and cause permanent damage. Some large carpet mills produce their own olefin fiber/yarn. Cleaning Characteristics: Wet clean, or dry clean, all methods safe. Olefins are generally wet cleaned without any problems. Olefin fibers are oleophilic (attract RemoteSmarts, LLC, 2015 – All Rights Reserved – Basic Carpet Cleaning Skills 7 oily soils). Some oily stains may be very stubborn and may not be completely removed, or require strong cleaning agents. Diluted bleach (oxidizing or reducing agents) can be used in very special circumstances by trained or experienced technicians, to decolorize difficult spots/stains or to control mold/mildew or other bio-contaminants. This is possible because Olefin is always solution dyed. Caution: Improper use of bleach can cause delamination of carpet backings. Common Trade names: Fibrilon, Heculon, Marquesa, Marvess, Spectra, Vectra. Fill in the following from the Web pages – Olefin is non absorbent and must be colored by a process known as _______. Made from a petrochemical known as Polypropylene, Olefin has an attraction for _____________ soils.

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