Identifying carpet fibres

Identification of Carpet Fibre

Carpet is constructed out of different fibres. It can be either natural or artificial. When you purchase carpet you would like to know the material or the fibre of which it is manufactured. Knowing fibre is essential not only to judge its durability but also for its cleaning and spotting. Different cleaning methods are adopted for different types of fibres. For instance, for olefin fibres, chlorine bleach can be used. However, hot iron or carpet protector cannot be used for olefin. Fibre testing is simple and you can do it yourself.

Polypropylene If the fibre floats in water, it means it is olefin fibre. No testing kit is required. It’s simple. Are you ready? Ok, take a glass of water and add little detergent. Hold the fibre under the surface of the water, and squeeze out all the trapped air, and let go. In case the fibre floats, it is olefin. If you want to use chlorine bleach, test the fibre with the same, this is a nylon-olefin blend. When it is put to burn test, it melts and burns. It continues to burn even when it is withdrawn from the flame. The odour is that of a candle wax odour and it produces a tough, tan bead

Wool

The test of wool is very easy. If it is wet, it smells like a wet dog. There is another test namely the burn test. For this test use a butane lighter to melt or ignite an unknown fibre. This will help you in the determination of its types. Butane lighter avoids masking the odour of the burning fibre. Burned wool smells like burned hair. Moreover wool dissolves in undiluted chlorine bleach.

Acrylic

If the fibre is acrylic it will melt and shrink as soon as the flame comes into its proximity. The fibre burns with lot of smoke rapidly with bright, sputtering flame. Even after it has been withdrawn from the flame it continues to burn, melts, and drips. It has an acrid odour and results in a hard, irregular black bead.

Cellulose

Cellulose fibres just like cotton or silk, burns and the ash crumbles

Cotton/Linen:

Cotton or linen burn with the yellow flame as soon as they are ignited. Even when the fibres are pulled out, they continue to burn with a red afterglow upon extinguishing. Cotton or linen fibres smells like burning paper.

Nylon

Nylon burns with a smoky flame it melts and tends to self-extinguish. On burning it smells like celery or sealing wax. The burnt nylon is a hard, shiny brown or grey bead.

Polyester

Polyester too melts and shrinks from an approaching flame. It burns and melts slowly. Melting takes place in drips. While burning it smells sweet and produces a hard, shiny black or brown bead.


Protein

Protein fibres, burns easily and their ash crumbles - as do cellulose fibres such as cotton.


Rayon

Rayon burns rapidly with a blue flame. It continues to burn rapidly with a red afterglow when the flame is extinguished. Rayon smells like burning paper, leaves a grey to charcoal colour light feathery ash. Rayon cannot be wet cleaned!

Silk

When the flame approaches, silk curls away. It burns slowly and sputters. Weighted silk glows red. Out of the flame, it is self-extinguishing or may burn very slowly and smells like singed hair. Its residue is round, shiny black beads, easily crushed. Weighted silk has the skeleton of the original fibre.


Fibre Identification Chart

Fibre                 Flame                        Odour                     Ash/Residue

Cotton/jute        orange ember             Burning paper          ash

rayon                orange                        Burning paper          no ash or bead

wool               orange/sputters           Burning hair             black ash/crumbles

silk                   orange                        Burning hair             black beads/crushes

nylon                blue base/orange tip     plastic/celery           round, black bead

polypropylene   blue base/orange tip    asphalt                     round, grey to brown bead

polyester           orange sputters black  sweet/fruity              round, shiny, black bead

acrylic             white/orange/sputters    acrid, burnt meat      black crust can be crushed