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Carpet
Care Manual
Fiber
Identification
BURN
TEST
By
knowing the type of fiber you'll be cleaning or spotting you can avoid
potential damage. Using the burn test offers simple identification.
Test: Cut a small tuft of carpet fiber. Hold it with a tweezers
or paper clip and ignite it. Observe the flame, odor and ash. Use the
chart below for identification.
| FIBER |
FLAME |
ODOR |
ASH |
| NYLON |
Burns
slowly while melting
|
Celery |
Hard,
tough bead |
| OLEFIN |
Burns
with melting
|
Asphalt
or Paraffin |
Hard,
tough tan bead |
| POLYESTER |
Sputters
with melting |
Sweet |
Hard,
tough black bead |
| RAYON |
Burns
fast without melting
|
Burning
Paper |
Almost
none, like paper |
| ACRYLIC |
Burns
fast, white-orange color |
Charred
Meat |
Irregular,
hard crust |
| WOOL |
Burns
slowly and sputters |
Burning
Hair |
Easily
crumbled black bead |
FIBER CHARACTERISTICS
| FIBER |
CHARACTERISTICS |
| NYLON |
Nylon
is very durable, resilient and soil-resistant. It offers good
colorfastness. Nylon tends to stain easily and dries slowly after
cleaning.
|
| OLEFIN |
Olefin
is naturally stain, fade and moisture-resistant and is extemely
colorfast. It cleans easily and dries very quickly compared to
most fibers.
|
| POLYESTER |
Polyester
is naturally stain and fade-resistant and offers exceptional softness
and color clarity. Polyester is not as resilient as nylon and yellows
with repeated exposure to petroleum-based spotters. |
| RAYON |
Seldom
used carpet fiber since it's hard to dye.
|
| ACRYLIC |
Popular
fiber in the 1960's since it looks and feels like wool. It tends
to fill (fuzz), so is is seldom used. |
| WOOL |
Wool
is a natural fiber that does not offer the same durability and resilence
as nylon. Wool is not exceptionally stain or soil-resistant and
should only be cleaned with neutral pH detergents. Always avoid
excess moisture when cleaning. |
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