Anti Stain Treatment For Carpets

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First & foremost it is important to unravel the confusion and mystery surrounding the various fibres and treatments which give stain resistance, soil repellency and soil hiding properties to carpet pile.

"soil repelling" or "anti-soil" treatments

DEFINITION
Anti-soil treatments are those which give a degree of resistance to soiling of the material to which they are applied. These treatments are most commonly based on fluorocarbon chemicals, their main virtue is one of imparting dry soil resistance, whilst liquid spills are made easier to remove by normal cleaning methods.

These flurocarbons (of the type used to coat non-stick frying pans) are able to shed particulate soil by virtue of their slipperiness. Additionally, to 'bead up' on the pile surface. This beading effect assists in the mopping up of such spills.

Whilst anti-soil treatment remains intact a limited barrier against staining alsi exists. Reliance should not however be placed on this mode of protection.

METHOD OF APPLICATION
Anti-soil treatments are most often applied onto the pile surface during manufacture using spray (or foaming) techniques, the aim being to sheath the upper region of the pile fibres (or in the case of foaming techniques permeate and coat the entire pile). This is referred to as a topical treatment.

Anti-soil treatments can also be applied or topped up by spraying onto carpets 'in situ'.

The major technoligical advancement in anti-soil treatments has been the spraying of individual yarn filaments whilst extruding certain brands of nylon yarn. This process assures the complete sheathing and offers the ultimate degree of soil repellency when the yarn is converted into carpet pile, the protection lasts the lifetime of the carpet.


EXAMPLE OF ANTI-SOIL TREATMENTS/YARN SYSTEMS

Scotchguard (TM) by 3m Company
- Fluorochemicals treatment used extensively in the UK
- Applied either during carpet manufacture or when the carpet is installed
- Commonly applied to synthetic fibre types
- Found in certain wool blend carpets, though not extensively

Bayguard (TM) by Bayer of Germany
- Fluorochemical treatment not used in the UK but found in a small number of nylon pile qualities originating from Belgium

Antron Plus (TM) Yarn by Dupont
- Pre-dating Antron Stainmaster, this yarn was the first to have the individual yarn filaments fluorocarbon coated and include anti static carbon core filaments.

Teflon (TM) by Dupont
- Fluorocarbon treatment applied to Antron Plus and Stainmaster yarns


LIMITATIONS OF ANTI-SOIL TREATMENTS

- Individual spraying of fibres ensures greater longevity of anti-soil performance than from topical treatment however use of a carpet ancourages the anti- soil coating to become detached from the pile fibre/filaments. This denudation is accelerated by the use of hot water extraction cleaning techniques; three wet clean cycles being the limit of a topical treatments useful life.
- Use of a fluorochemical top up shampoo is recommended to maintain performance
- Limited stain protection, therefore any spillage onto the carpet must be moped up immediately to minimize any tendency to staining


STAIN RESIST OR STAINBLOCKER TREATMENTS

DEFINITION
Stainblocker treatments are colourless dyes which when applied to nylon carpet pile (either during or after conventional dyeing) block off all the remaining acid dye sites on the fibre surface which could later accept a stain in the form of an acid food colour eg. fruit juices.

"Stainblocker" chemical staining resistance is generally complemented by an anti-soil treatment with all the attendant benefits described above including a first line of defence against staining.

METHOD OF APPLICATION
Stainblockers are applied either during or after conventional dyeing and the effect is a coating of the nylon fibres with the colourless agent (ie outer surface only).


EXAMPLES OF STAINBLOCKER TREATMENTS & SYSTEMS

Antron Stainmaster (TM) by Dupont
- Stainblocker chemistry employed with soil repellency provided through individual fluorochemical (teflon (TM) ) coating of yarn filaments.

Anso V Worry Free (TM) by Allied Fibres
-Stainblocker chemistry employed with soil repellency provided through individual fluorochemcial coating of yarn filaments

Scotchguard Stain Release (TM) by 3m
- Stainblocker chemistry employed with Scotchguard (TM) anit-soil as a topical treatment only

Non-Branded
- A number of Stainblocker systems exists are most commonly used in conjunction with a topically applied anti-soil treatment.


LIMITATIONS OF STAINBLOCKER TREATMENTS & SYSTEMS

- Limited stain protection -see Manufacturers literature
- As described above stainblocking only gives protection to the outer surface of the fibre/filament. Certain stains if allowed to act for an ectended period of time (typically greater than one day) could penetrate this layer.
- Stainblockers can be broken down by strong alkaline cleaning agents ie with ph 8.5
- Frequent wet extraction cleaning of carpet pile will eventually remove the satinblocker. The first such clean would normally only occur after 18 months use. (Consider the potentially damaging action of 'Vax' type cleaners if used frequently or over zealously).
-With regard to anti-soil treatments individual spraying of fibres with fluorocarbon ensures greater longevity of performance than from topical treatment


STAIN RESISTANT FIBRE TYPES

Certain pile fibre types eg polypropylene and poyester are by virtue of their chemical constituency inherently stain resistant.

Polpropylene
- Hydrophobic fibre that does not absorb moisture
- Unless chemically modified this fibre cannot be 'dyed' in the conventional sense (colouration is achieved through pigmentation of molten polymer). By the same token staining by food and beverage colourants will not occur.
- Anti-soiling properties may be use of an anti-soil treatment

Polyester
- Very low water absorption characteristics
- Very difficult to dye and consequently stain
- Anti-soil properties may be added by use of an anti-soil treatment.


LIMITATIONS ON MATERIALS WHICH CAN RECEIVE STAIN RESIST AND/OR SOIL REPELLENCY TREATMENTS

Stain resistance is only offered by Stainblocker nylons or stain resistant fibre types. Soil repellency can be added to enhance and complement the stain resistance.

Wool or wool rich carpets whilst able to receive an anti-soil treatment cannot be made stain resistant.