CARPETS
Wall-to-wall carpeting is made from several different materials. Some are
difficult to clean other easy.
|
Synthetics
|
Natural Fibers
|
|
Polyester (Difficult)
|
Cotton (Caution)
|
|
Olefin/Polypropylene (Difficult)
|
Wool (Caution)
|
|
Nylon (easy)
|
|
Synthetics make up the larger part of the industry,
controlling about 80%,with natural fibers coming in next. Natural fibers are
more costly.
Olefin and Nylon are also used to make rope. These ropes are used
to tie ships up at port and are are also used to make water ski rope. Olefin
repels water, will float and becomes stronger when it is stretched.
Synthetics including Polyester are not damaged by water.
Natural fibers are also not damaged by
water. Think in terms of clothing that is made of cotton (washable but dries
slowly) or wool (sheep are rained on without harm).
Latex glue will lose 50% of its strength when wet for more than 24 hours and it
will also regain most its strength when dry.
Delamination is never determined while the carpeting is wet and never determined
by pulling the carpet apart at the corners. Even new carpet can be separated in
that way.
|
Percentage of Moisture Regain of
Various Fabrics |
|
Nylon |
4.0-4.5% |
|
Wool |
16% |
|
Polyester |
0.4-0.8% |
|
Olefin |
0.0% |
Fabrics that have lower moisture gain take longer to dry.
This is because they dry from the bottom and not from the top of the fiber.
Grandmother was right-Hot water cleans better!
High heat is your carpet's best friend, next to your vacuum cleaner. Nylon, the
fiber used in the majority of carpets, responds extremely well to high
temperatures, prolonging the life of the fiber, according to fiber producers
such as DuPont.
| 
