BAMBOO... Newest Upholstery Fiber, But How Natural? Bamboo, the Chinese symbol of marketing potential in this new a lot of pesticides, bamboo longevity, has been used for thousands “green” fiber, other apparel uses frequently is touted as the of years as a source for food, flooring, have followed. ultimate “green” material. walls, musical instruments, paper— Now bamboo yarns are being It is true that the plant matures and more! Few natural materials can incorporated into the latest upholstery quickly and is easily regenerated rival its versatility. fabric offerings. These fabrics blend from an underground root system Because it grows so tall, many people bamboo with other fibers such as that remains after harvesting. think that bamboo is a tree. However, cotton and silk. Less common are Like other natural fibers, it is also bamboo is actually a grass which the fabrics of 100% bamboo, such as more readily biodegradable than reproduces itself very quickly. Some the one shown below. synthetics such as nylon and olefin. plants can grow to more than 100 Still, before declaring bamboo feet tall and new shoots on the larger completely eco-friendly, it is species can grow three feet in one day! important to know and understand Bamboo can be grown in many how the raw material is processed climates. While most of the world’s into a finished yarn, usable for production comes from China, weaving. Many of those methods bamboo is also found in most require a lot of chemical processing. tropical environments and even in temperate mountain zones. It is Shades of Green There are several different ways also grown commercially in some of in which bamboo fibers can be the warmer parts of the U.S. manufactured into yarns. The Bamboo Textiles simplest way is to separate the Cut and loop pile epingle in a horizontal In the last five years, bamboo has stripe. 100% Bamboo raw fibers from the plant, clean gained popularity as a textile fiber them, and process them in much used mostly in the apparel industry. Heavily Hyped the same way as linen is produced. It is often blended with cotton to Because bamboo replenishes However, this process yields a make lightweight knit fabrics for itself quickly and because it is a fairly coarse yarn that is somewhat t-shirts and other items. As more “tough” plant that can be grown limited in its uses. This method is manufacturers have noticed the in many different climates without not nearly as popular as others that produce a softer fiber.

Superior Service, Smart Solutions PAGE 1 COPYRIGHT 2016 Most bamboo yarn produced today The most environmentally friendly available. It would seem that virtually is chemically manu-factured by manufacturing method for all bamboo-containing fabrics dissolving the plant material in regenerated bamboo fibers is the that present a rayon or silk-like very strong solutions of sodium lyocell process. The solvent spinning appearance are regenerated fibers, hydroxide (lye) and carbon disulfide. technique for lyocell is simpler and most likely created using the viscose After several more steps, the more environmentally sound, since process previously described. resulting liquid solution is forced it uses a non-toxic solvent chemical Bamboo fabrics should be carefully through spinneret nozzles into that is later recycled. tested before any type of cleaning or diluted sulfuric acid, hardening the To our knowledge, the lyocell spotting procedure is used on them. thin strands into solid fibers. process that produces such well- These fabrics will probably require This process is identical to the known branded fibers as “Tencel” the same type of care as rayon. viscose process most commonly used is not being utilized for bamboo at to produce rayon. Bamboo yarns this time. (The starting material for The Aftercare Pros! manufactured by this process are Tencel is hardwood pulp.) Got a question about a fabric or sometimes called “bamboo rayon.” The Bottom Line floor covering? We are happy to answer it for you. Trust the experts Acetate is another synthetic fiber The bamboo fibers being used in at Fiber-Seal to offer the latest that can be produced using bamboo today’s textiles are lustrous, smooth information on the proper care for as the starting material. This process and attractive. Their environmental all of your soft surfaces. also uses solvents and reforms the impact is somewhat hard to gauge fibers through spinnerets. because of the limited information You can also connect with us on our social media networks!

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Superior Service, Smart Solutions PAGE 2 COPYRIGHT 2016