Carpet Fibers and Related Cleaning Characteristics

There are a wide variety of fibers that can be constructed into carpet, but the six fibers we will concentrate on here make up virtually all the installed carpet you are likely to encounter in the United States. From the late 1960’s until around 2010, nylon was the most dominant carpet fiber with the largest market share. Today you are more likely to encounter Polyester and Triexta as the leading carpet fibers.

Carpet yarns are comprised of filaments of natural (wool, cotton) or synthetic fibers (polyester, Triexta, nylon, or olefin) spun, twisted, or plied together. A yarn comprised of two or more singles is known as a plied yarn.

Triexta

Triexta is the newest fiber in the carpeting industry. It is made of PTT polyester, and was originally defined that way. But Du Pont and Mohawk lobbed the US Federal Trade Commission to have the fiber recognized as a new fiber. It is sold under brand names that include Sorona (DuPont) and SmartStrand (Mohawk).

There are several reasons characteristics of Triexta that potentially separate it from traditional polyester. The first is that Triexta is recognized as being more durable and resilient than conventional polyester. In fact, many in the industry claim Triexta to be as durable as nylon carpet fibers. From a cleaning industry standpoint, the jury Is still out on that. Since the fiber is new, opinions still very on long term performance/. The appearance of Triexta is closer to nylon than it is to polyester. Compare Triexta and nylon to a matte finish, while polyester has a higher shine or luster to it. Like polyester, Triexta has a higher level of natural stain resistance. However, any experienced cleaner can tell you despite manufacturer claims, no carpet is “stain proof.” Triexta is also very colorfast, so direct exposure to sunlight and UV rays will not cause discoloration of the fiber.

Probably the most noticeable characteristic of Triexta though, and the reason many people select it in the first place is that it is very soft. Some people compare it to silk, though that is a bit of a stretch. A last promoted characteristic of Triexta is that it is made from a more environmentally sustainable biotechnology than nylon. Triexta, like almost all fibers, is available in various qualities and price points, and like other carpet fibers, you generally get what you pay for despite the fact that the cheapest Triexta carpets often have the same warranty claims toward stain resistance, resiliency, and fading.

The most distinguishable characteristic of Triexta when it comes to cleaning though is that it is oleophilic, meaning that it soaks in oil-based soiling easily. Polyester and olefin both share this discernable disadvantage. Triexta carpets exposed to have high level of oil-based soiling will always be harder to clean than nylon.

Cleaning characteristics – In order to penetrate the water repelling tendencies of Triexta carpet, and dissolve and break down the soaked in oily soiling, there are certainly some HydraMaster chemicals which have been demonstrated to be more effective on Triexta carpet. In addition, if a Triexta carpet is exposed to high levels of oil based soiling over an extended time and is not cleaned on a regular basis, eventually the carpet will “ugly out” no matter how it is cleaned because it has simply absorbed too much oil in for any cleaning service to be able to successfully fully restore the appearance

For a prespray, consider HydraMaster PolyBreak when encountering normal soiling conditions in a residential environment. For neglected carpets, or Triexta carpet exposed to longer cleaning cycles or heavy oil-based soiling, consider HydraMaster Blitz with GreaseBreaker or MAXXTREME. For an extraction chemical, we generally recommend alkaline rinsing on Triexta rather than acid rinsing. We have found HydraMaster HydraFREE to work extremely well on Triexta. HydraMaster HydraClean and HydraDri also work well too. For Triexta carpets that being restoratively cleaned on a regular basis, HydraMaster PolyBreak is the ideal prespray. PolyBreak contains surfactants designed to break through the water-repelling tendencies of the fiber, so that the oil that has naturally been absorbed into the carpet fiber can be dissolved and removed. For an extraction chemical, we generally recommend alkaline rinsing on Triexta rather than acid rinsing. We have found HydraMaster HydraFREE to work extremely well on Triexta. HydraMaster HydraClean and HydraDri also work well too.

Polyester

Carpets constructed of polyester fiber are naturally stain resistant because they are usually pre-dyed. They also have a natural “sheen’ or shine. Polyester (PET) is a synthetic man-made fiber. However, polyester has traditionally exhibited extremely poor resilience, making it very rare in commercial installations. Historically, carpets constructed of polyester fiber are most often installed in low traffic residential installations. Polyester was most often used in residential “shag-style” carpets that were popular in the 1960’s and 1970’s. More recently, polyester in its original form (PET) has gained a stronger foothold in both residential and commercial settings, primarily because of the fact is it less expensive and the natural stain resistance.

Polyester (like Triexta and Olefin) is oil loving, meaning it soaks in oil-based soiling, whether it is a food grade cooking oil, or a petroleum-based oil.

Cleaning Characteristics – Polyester generally does clean up very well. However, cleaning cannot restore the resilience of the carpet, meaning that even after cleaning it “lays down” in areas subjected to heavy traffic. Often, the person or company who hired you to clean their polyester carpet is disappointed that the cleaning does not make the traffic lane look as good as the edges of the carpet. That is why it is important to establish with the customer ahead of time this characteristic of polyester. In addition, if an polyester carpet is exposed to high levels of oil based soiling over an extended time and is not cleaned on a regular basis, eventually the carpet will “ugly out” no matter how it is cleaned because it has simply absorbed too much oil in for any cleaning service to be able to successfully fully restore the appearance.

For neglected carpets, carpet exposed to longer cleaning cycles or heavy oil-based soiling, consider HydraMaster Blitz with GreaseBreaker or MAXXTREME as your carpet prespray. For an extraction chemical, we generally recommend alkaline rinsing on polyester rather than acid rinsing. We have found HydraMaster HydraClean or HydraDri to work extremely well on polyester. HydraMaster HydraFREE also works well. If you do want to acid or neutralize rinse the carpet in the extraction step, we recommend HydraMaster ClearWater Rinse. For polyester carpets that being restoratively cleaned on a regular basis, HydraMaster PolyBreak is the ideal prespray. PolyBreak contains surfactants designed to break through the water-repelling tendencies of the fiber, so that the oil that has naturally been absorbed into the carpet fiber can be dissolved and removed. For an extraction chemical, we generally recommend alkaline rinsing on polyester rather than acid rinsing. We have found HydraMaster HydraFREE to work extremely well on polyester. HydraMaster HydraClean and HydraDri also work well too.

Nylon

Carpet constructed of nylon fiber is extremely resilient, meaning that it will “bounce-back” to its original position after being subjected to even heavy traffic. If taken care of properly, nylon carpet will virtually never “wear” out. Nylon is a synthetic man-made carpet fiber. Nylon is usually given its color with acid dyes, making it the most diversified carpet when it comes to color choices. Because it is acid dyed; however, it can be affected by acidic spills.

Residential nylon carpet is usually post dyed and then treated with fluorochemicals, polymers, and dye blocking treatments to enhance its resistance to common food and beverage stains. Cleaning chemicals with a ready-to-use pH higher than 10 and cleaning and deodorizing treatments that contain detergents with a cationic charge can adversely affect these protective treatments. Using these types of chemicals on residential nylon carpet may affect the carpet owner’s warranty coverage.

Commercial nylon carpet is usually pre-dyed, making it more inherently resistant to staining. Commercial nylon carpet is usually solution dyed, meaning the dye is introduced into the carpet while it is still a polymer (plastic) liquid, prior to the polymer (plastic fiber) being excluded. A wider variety of cleaning and deodorizing chemicals can typically be used on commercial nylon carpet. One exception to this is nylon carpet that has been print dyed. Print dyeing is a post dyeing process that is typically used to give commercial carpet the appearance of a more expensive woven carpet. Print dyeing is when a direct application of a dye is “printed” onto the surface of the carpet. Printed carpets are also often used to match corporate logo colors. Some manufacturers of printed nylon carpet recommend never using a cleaning chemical with a ready-to-use pH higher than 8. Using cleaning chemicals with an extremely high pH on printed carpets can often lead to color loss, often referred to as bleeding. Bleeding is the movement or migration of dyes in a liquid state from a wet fabric. The color is coming out of the fiber. Don’t confuse bleeding with crocking, when the dye can be rubbed off a fiber with a towel in a dry state. Excess dye is coming off the fiber. Sometimes crocked dyes become visible in that they affect the color of your wastewater.

Cleaning Characteristics – nylon is the most resilient fiber meaning that when you can successfully remove the soil, the heat from the cleaning also causes the fiber to “fluff up” again and be restored to a like-new condition when properly maintained. Nylon carpet that is restoratively cleaned on a recommended frequency basis (every 6 months to a year residentially, as often as soiling conditions demand commercially) will provide long term the best performance of any carpet fiber. Its stain resistance be enhanced by the application of a carper protector like HydraMaster Complete Guard a minimum of every third extraction cleaning. In a residential setting, HydraMaster Fast Break HD is the ideal prespray for residential carpets that are being cleaned on a regular basis. It is in compliance with stain resistant warranties cleaning recommendations. For commercial nylon carpets, we recommend HydraMaster Blitz with Greasebreaker or Quake HD as a prespray. For commercial nylon that is installed in an environment with high amounts of food-based oil and grease like restaurants, we recommend HydraMaster Soil Break as the ideal prespray. Soil Break contains collected enzymes that break down the caked on oil. For print dyed commercial carpets, we recommend HydraMaster Release with OxyBreak as a prespray. For extraction and rinsing on residential nylon carpet, we recommend the application of an acid neutralizing rinse like HydraMaster ClearWater Rinse. For commercial carpet, we recommend alkaline rinsing with HydraMaster HydraDri, HydraClean, or HydraFREE. For print dyed nylon carpet, we recommend the application of an acid neutralizing rinse like HydraMaster ClearWater Rinse.

The encapsulation carpet cleaning method can be safely and effectively used as an interim appearance retention carpet cleaning method on nylon utilizing HydraMaster ZipDri Encap TS.

Olefin

Carpets constructed of olefin fiber have gained market share at the expense of nylon over the last 10 years. Olefin carpets are almost always pre-dyed, imparting them with excellent stain resistance. Although olefin carpets are often sold as “stain-proof, ” they are stainable. Olefin is a synthetic, man-made fiber. Carpets constructed of olefin fiber are usually less expensive than similar nylon carpets. Olefin fibers are also extremely water resistant, making them extremely popular for carpet installations that are outdoors or that may be subjected to extreme humidity or moist conditions. Olefin carpets are not as resilient as nylon carpets, making them more subject to crushing and matting when subjected to heavy traffic.

Olefin carpets are subject to damage from friction-based heat. If you drag heavy furniture across an olefin carpet, you can literally “burn” streaks or marks into the carpet. Contrary to some reports, olefin carpet is not subject to damage from cleaning solution temperature. Carpet constructed of olefin is an “oil-loving” fiber, making it particularly susceptible to oily soling. This characteristic of olefin combined with the fact that it is extremely water resistance has led to the development of specific carpet cleaning presprays designed especially for olefin carpets. Practically any cleaning, spotting, or deodorizing chemical can be used safely on olefin carpets, but these specially formulated olefin presprays are usually more effective.

Cleaning characteristics – Like polyester and Triexta, olefin carpets generally does clean up very well. However, cleaning cannot restore the resilience of the carpet, meaning that even after cleaning it “lays down” (matting and crushing) in areas subjected to heavy traffic. Often, the person or company who hired you to clean their olefin carpet is disappointed that the cleaning does not make the traffic lane look as good as the edges of the carpet. That is why it is important to establish with the customer ahead of time this characteristic of olefin.  In addition, if an olefin carpet is exposed to high levels of oil based soiling over an extended time and is not cleaned on a regular basis, eventually the carpet will “ugly out” no matter how it is cleaned because it has simply absorbed too much oil in for any cleaning service to be able to successfully fully restore the appearance.

For neglected carpets, carpet exposed to longer cleaning cycles or heavy oil-based soiling, consider HydraMaster Blitz with GreaseBreaker or MAXXTREME as your carpet prespray. For an extraction chemical, we generally recommend alkaline rinsing on polyester rather than acid rinsing. We have found HydraMaster HydraClean or HydraDri to work extremely well on polyester. HydraMaster HydraFREE also works well. If you do want to acid or neutralize rinse the carpet in the extraction step, we recommend HydraMaster ClearWater Rinse. For polyester carpets that being restoratively cleaned on a regular basis, HydraMaster PolyBreak is the ideal prespray. PolyBreak contains surfactants designed to break through the water-repelling tendencies of the fiber, so that the oil that has naturally been absorbed into the carpet fiber can be dissolved and removed. For an extraction chemical, we generally recommend alkaline rinsing on polyester rather than acid rinsing. We have found HydraMaster HydraFREE to work extremely well on polyester. HydraMaster HydraClean and HydraDri also work well too.

Wool

Wool fiber is from the fleece of a sheep or lamb, and therefore is a natural protein fiber. Carpets constructed with wool fiber have an excellent soft feel, are very resilient, and wear well. Because wool is a protein fiber, it is especially susceptible to protein soils and stains. Wool fiber is often used in rich looking expensive, luxurious residential carpet. However, because it wears so well, is naturally flame resistant, and is a poor conductor of electricity, you will find wool carpet being used occasionally in large commercial installations. An excellent example of this would be in large casinos.

Wool has an undeserved reputation for being difficult to clean. This undeserved reputation has often even been contributed to some manufacturers of wool carpet themselves, who make it sound like cleaning wool carpet is more difficult than it has to be. Most of these fears come from when wool carpet was often constructed with jute backing. Jute is a type of raw cotton material (like burlap) that was extremely susceptible to cellulosic browning and prematurely breaking down, particularly when exposed to over-wetting from carpet cleaning. Today most wool carpet is constructed with a polypropylene backing material.

Cleaning Characteristics – There are still, however, a few special considerations the cleaning technician should pay attention to when cleaning a wool carpet. Wool is extremely absorbent, which means that when cleaned with a wet cleaning method, it dries slower than a synthetic carpet. Special consideration should be given when cleaning wool carpet to ensure that the carpet is not over wet during cleaning. Ventilation and airflow during drying must not be inhibited, and in extremely humid environments, it is advantageous to accelerate drying with the use of air movers. Proper wet cleaning with a high-performance portable extractor or truck mounted extractor will ensure that the carpet dries rapidly. Secondly, wool carpet is susceptible to some spots and stains, particularly from protein materials. Wools resistance to staining can be enhanced with the use of a fluorochemical carpet protector. In addition, advanced spot removing, and stain treatment chemicals will reduce this problem greatly. Wool will completely dissolve in chlorine bleach. Finally, high pH cleaning chemicals can physically damage wool. This process of the fiber breaking down is known as felting. According to some wool carpet trade groups, the safe pH range for cleaning wool carpeting is between 4.5 and 8.5).  Wool carpeting normally responds best to cleaning with an acid rinse/extraction detergent. For extremely soiled wool carpet, you may use a mild alkaline rinse/extraction detergent.

We recommend the use of HydraMaster WoolMaster as the prespray for residential wool carpeting. It is specifically formulated to safely and effectively clean wool carpeting. For commercial cool carpeting, consider HydraMaster Fast Break HD as your prespray. We recommend the use of an acid rinse for residential or commercial wool carpet. HydraMaster ClearWater Rinse or RinseOut work ideally in this application.

The encapsulation carpet cleaning method can be safely and effectively used as an interim appearance retention carpet cleaning method on wool. Most experts do not recommend the use of the bonnet cleaning system on wool carpeting.

Cotton

Cotton is extremely rare as a face fiber used in installed carpet construction. Cotton comes from the seed of the cotton plant and is a natural cellulosic (means it came from a plant) fiber. Cotton is extremely absorbent and is the only carpet fiber subject to potential shrinkage, even when constructed with polypropylene backing. Cotton is also the fiber that is most susceptible to true cellulosic browning. It is unlikely you will be required to clean and care for cotton as a carpet fiber. It has very poor resiliency and is very subject to staining from many materials.

Should the rare event occur where you are responsible for maintaining a cotton carpet, the encapsulation carpet cleaning method utilizing HydraMaster ZipDri Encap can be safely and effectively used as an interim appearance retention carpet cleaning method. In the extremely rare case where a cotton carpet must be extraction cleaned, use HydraMaster WoolMaster as your prespray. Use HydraMaster RinseOut as your extraction rinse. In order to effectively and safely wet clean a cotton carpet, a high-performance portable extractor or truck mount should be used. Cleaning solution temperature should be no higher than 160 degrees F. Air movers should be run across the carpet to accelerate drying.

Final Thoughts about Carpet Fibers, Spots and Stains, and Carpet Protectors

Any experienced cleaning technician will tell you that there is no such thing as a “stain-proof” carpet. Although Triexta, olefin, and polyester carpets are often sold for their stain resistance, they do stain when exposed to certain materials for an extended time. Because of this, you need a HydraMaster Professional spotting kit to deal with all types of carpet fibers.

Another misconception about these so called “naturally stain resistant” carpets like Triexta, olefin and polyester are that carpet protectors like HydraMaster Complete Guard are not of any use. Some even claim they might be harmful to these carpets. Nothing could be further from the truth. Quite simply, the performance of any carpet will be enhanced when a carpet protector like Complete Guard is applied on a consistent basis (we recommend a minimum of every third extraction cleaning). Although there are no “dye-sites” in olefin, polyester, or Triexta carpet, the protector still applies two important protective enhancements. The fluorochemicals help these oil loving carpet fibers resist oil-based soling better. This helps the carpet clean up better and last longer. The polymers help these carpets resist soil build up and add a second layer of stain prevention. We recommend the application of Complete Guard to all residential carpets.

For a more specific and thorough cleaning chemical selection guide and cleaning procedures guide, consult with the HydraMaster Cleaning Reference Guide, available for free download at  https://hydramaster.com/cleaning-guides/