Treated material: SmartStrand vs. Wool

[realflooringguy]

Smart Strand even feels oily when you install it. It's been around for a while and you can see the complaints if you enter "Smart Strand complaints" on google. retailers are programmed to push carpet so usually the words they speak aren't their own. Wools are treated too. They are cleaned with various chemicals to wash out the barn smell natural wool has. So unless you want the o'naturale smell get the cleaned wool and know your kids are just playing on sheep fur.

[Dobby Tappet]

Welcome real flooring guy! Hope you visit much and post often.

One slight clarification regarding the comment about wool, if I may...?

Wools are treated too. They are cleaned with various chemicals to wash out the barn smell natural wool has. So unless you want the o'naturale smell get the cleaned wool and know your kids are just playing on sheep fur.

All wool is cleaned as part of the spinning and finishing process. This must be done to remove the grease and oils that are naturally contained within the fibers. The cleaning process, called scouring, is done with a hot water wash and rinse. No chemicals are used in the scouring process because none are needed. Not only is the wool 'grease' water soluble, the addition of chemicals, soaps or cleaning agents would further contaminate the waste water and it simply does not happen.

Wool that is used in the commercial market is treated with a 'non-toxic' moth proofing agent. ((Non-toxic unless your a moth larvae that ingests a treated fiber)) The amount required to protect the fiber from the moth larvae is extremely small and almost unmeasurable except by parts per million. If more information on moth proofing is desired, we could discuss it in a new post.

Topical 'anti-stain' chemicals, like 'Scotch Guard', can be added to wool, I say 'can' because they will not have a negative impact on the wool. However, they have never been scientifically proven to benefit or otherwise enhance the performance or stain repellant properties the wool fiber has naturally. Which is why, one has to look far and wide to find a commercially produced wool carpet that has been treated with a stain or soil resistant chemical. The same is not true for carpets constructed with synthetic carpets.

Hope this helps.

With kindest regards,

Dobby

[FlooringGirl]

The comment about Smart Strand reminds me of unwashed berber fibers, which left the knees of installers and children orange, and the old recycled pop bottle carpet that everything stuck to. Actually, I've heard and learned so many negative things about this product that have never sold one ounce of it, despite our beautiful display.

Some people swear by it, but I'm reluctant to sell something with these big promises if they aren't yet proven for the longterm.

I've said it before, and am doing so again - you've never seen a permanently stained sheep, so wool has to be naturally repel staining. At our house, we have five sheepskin rugs, one is a giant quad, and they clean up very nicely.

Dobby, can you explain me the difference between washing and scouring? It has been a while since a rep explained to me the washing process - how is it different from scouring?

Thanks,
Tia

[kwfloors]

The cleaning process, called scouring, is done with a hot water wash and rinse. No chemicals are used in the scouring process because none are needed.

What do you mean by:
unwashed berber fibers, and the old recycled pop bottle carpet that everything stuck to

[FlooringGirl]

kwfloors said The cleaning process, called scouring, is done with a hot water wash and rinse. No chemicals are used in the scouring process because none are needed. What do you mean by: unwashed berber fibers, and the old recycled pop bottle carpet that everything stuck to

When we did used to get a lot of berbers that turned everyone's knees orange, the reps said it was because those were made of unwashed fibers - I'm thinking that meant unscoured?

The recycled pop bottle carpet - we had it in an apartment once, and the vacuum couldn't get anything off it, even just a piece of lint seemed to stick to it.

Tia

[Peter Kodner]

Tia, believe me, I have seen wool at all stages of processing and you would know unscoured wool! No amount of airing after installation would relieve the odor!

Maybe undyed, but not unscoured! If undyed, the color would not be dry crocking, which is what you describe. Sure sounds like poor dyeing to me.

[FlooringGirl]

Peter Kodner said Tia, believe me, I have seen wool at all stages of processing and you would know unscoured wool! No amount of airing after installation would relieve the odor! Maybe undyed, but not unscoured! If undyed, the color would not be dry crocking, which is what you describe. Sure sounds like poor dyeing to me.

Peter,

I'm not talking about wool, but about the synthetics. Sorry for the confusion, but I was on the flip side of naturals with my latest response to a previouis question ...

Tia

[Peter Kodner]

Still a dry crocking issue. I have never seen excess spin finish come off orange.

[Dobby Tappet]

the reps said...

Believe it or not, just because an individual is working in the capacity of a manufactures representative or agent is no assurance that they have even a clue about of what they are speaking. Some of the biggest ignoramuses I have ever met in business, came disguised as reps.

This does not mean there are not good one's out there. Only that, like knowledgeable retailers, installers and inspectors, good ones are the exception and few and far between. The same also applies to technical service personal.

Wool, in it's natural state, is what our hair would be like if we never washed it. And, just as with people, certain sheep breeds have greater amounts of oil in their fleece than others. The oil, is not like oil in our cars. It is not petroleum based. Rather, the oil found in fleece is most similar to what we find in our ears, as ear wax. This wax like substance is called grease and is the substance from which lanolin is derived. And, just like when we wash the oils from our own hair, these substances are water soluble and this solubility increases with temperature.

To really get a feel for this substance, the next time you have the opportunity to touch an adult sheep. Insert your fingers deep into the fleece to the point where you can feel the skin. Give the sheep a quick, gentle massage, as you would with a dog or cat. The substance you feel on your finger tips is the wool grease. It has a feel similar to a fine hand lotion and will actually work as a hand softener.

Now, imagine how a carpet would feel and perform with this substance on it. Never mind the odor issue, unwashed or unscoured wool would be disastrous as a finished product. Be it a carpet, sweater, scarf, socks, blanket or anything. The fibers would mat, cling and attract dirt. Imagine how our hair feels at its dirtiest, unwashed point. Then imagine how it feels when its been washed and properly rinsed and that's the difference.

With regards to odor in wool carpet. Sometimes, in very rare instances, a carpet may come through with a sheepy odor. The odor to which I refer is clearly unmistakable. It will not go away with simple ventilation and is more intense when the circulation of air is reduced in the space. The presence of this odor is almost always the result of improper rinsing in the scouring process. Just as with our hair, the wool must be rinsed with clean water. Fortunately, the solution for this condition is simple. The material in question needs to be cleaned with a hot water extraction using water only. No soaps, shampoo and definitely no de-odorizors. {{we want to remove the odor, not mask it}} This is a simple remedy and generally one the manufacture will cover when filed through the standard claims process.

Hope this helps to provide a better understanding of washed/scoured wool.

With kindest regards,

Dobby

[Dobby Tappet]

A correction to the post above... (#2)

Soaps or detergents are used in the initial scouring process which is done in hot water. {{Hot, as in 140 degrees}} The purpose of detergent is to dissolve vegetable matter and other non-desirable particles and also assist in the detangling process. This not being dissimilar to when we use shampoo to wash our own hair. This is followed with cold water rinse baths.

Whew, glad we cleared that up. See, I am not always right. But I am working on it!

Dobby

PS: An interesting side note to a common misconception about processed wool is; where does the lanolin go? Understanding how it is obtained, processed and used will really explain how ridiculous the statements are about the lanolin making a finished wool fiber soft or resilient. It will also provide us with the knowledge to gently and effectively address questions about wool.

[Peter Kodner]

Dobby, are not the detergents/soaps on the alkaline side? The rinse alone neutralizes them?

[Dobby Tappet]

Peter, here is a link to a really good article from the Wool Research Organization of New Zealand that can answer your question far better than I. The specifics on detergents begins on page 12.

http://nzic.org.nz/ChemProcesses/animal/5F.pdf

The whole article is a really good read for those who enjoy analytical and technical reports. Love those figures, illustrations and charts!

Hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

with kindest regards,

Dobby

[Lo Down]

Dobby Tappet said Peter, here is a link to a really good article from the Wool Research Organization of New Zealand that can answer your question far better than I. The specifics on detergents begins on page 12. http://nzic.org.nz/ChemProcesses/animal/5F.pdf The whole article is a really good read for those who enjoy analytical and technical reports. Love those figures, illustrations and charts! Hope you enjoy this as much as I did. with kindest regards, Dobby

I scrolled through all that Dobby............ there were two words I had never even heard of before.

[Peter Kodner]

Lo Down said I scrolled through all that Dobby............ there were two words I had never even heard of before.

Only 2? The longer I live, the more words new to me I find...

[Daris Mulkin]

I scrolled through all that Dobby............ there were two words I had never even heard of before. lo said.

Only 2 words lo? ......

Daris