2024 Fourth Quarter Newsletter

Polyester aka PET

Pat Slaven

Recently there was a cartoon in The Other Coast 9/9/24

https://www.gocomics.com/theothercoast/2024/09/09  

Hysterical, true and sad all at the same time.  

Two sheep are sitting in a back alley, drinking their woes away and complaining “nylon, rayon, polyester, we feel like we don’t matter any more.” A sheep dog watches them sadly. 

My last fiber discussion was Nylon. And before that Rayon (art silk….) Polyester is occasionally mentioned in the Rug Washers Forum. A while back there was something generally about dye crocking transfer on polyester. Ok this was Upholstery, it is doubtful if this was wet dye transfer or dry crocking. Nevertheless this begs a look at Polyester with issues caused by re-dyeing or over-dyeing and possibly NOT by a professional. And why that might be an issue for cleaners. PS - while I’m not detailing the back story of Polyester here. This is another synthetic fiber from the DuPont labs that Wallace Carothers worked to develop.(1)

Polyester is often ’solution’ dyed. The dope or hot gooey polymeric slurry of what is technically chipped PolyEthylene Terephthalate (PET) blended with pigment particles (non reactive…) are blended with the vat of molten polyester to color it before it is extruded into fiber.(2) This limits the available palette somewhat. However the colorant is literally part of the fiber, making it colorfast/washfast and lightfast. This combo is a rarity in our world of natural fibers. Well PET is a synthetic fiber and one of its (rare) beauties is that its color can be exceedingly stable with time. The garment or home decor item may look like hell for a lot of other reasons but the actual fiber color remains just fine. 

Another way of dyeing Polyester is using Disperse dyes.  

Commercially, Disperse dyes are applied at high temperature and pressure. Temperatures are well above 100 deg C (212 deg F) with technical specs between 120 to 140 Deg C (about 250 to 285 deg F)

Remember water boils at 100 deg C or 212 deg F….

However, Rit Dye, which is widely available, now has a dispersed union dye product called DyeMore that works on Polyester & other synthetic fibers blends and is sold to the general public. What could possibly go wrong for your average cleaning professional? 

PET (Polyester) is often blended with cotton or rayon. Regular Rit is a union dye -a blend of acid and direct dyes that don’t all necessarily get used but you pay for both. The Rit DyeMore product consists of direct, acid and disperse dyes. It can dye cellulose like cotton & rayon with the direct dyes. The acid dyes work on protein fibers wool, silk plus heaven forfend nylon, with its reactive groups that mimic protein fibers. Finally the disperse dyes color synthetic fibers - polyester, acetate and nylon when it's just being a synthetic wannabe…... Just like regular Rit which dyes cellulose and protein fibers, unless you have the perfect blend of fibers, some percentage of the dye is not reacting with the fiber and can be left on the surface. The directions for Rit DyeMore state that the item must be completely submerged and held at a boil for 10 to 60 minutes. Preferably at least 30 minutes (3). Direct dyes do not exactly react with the fiber and slip into the molecular structure wherever they can get lodged(4), conversely they can get dislodged famously dyeing white goods a lovely shade of pink. Acid dyes react well with protein fibers providing that temperature and pH are appropriate. Now, if one or two of these dyes aren't being used in the union dye blend and hang out on the surface. This is a recipe for dry crocking and wet bleeding.   

Rit astutely notes deep in the directions that their products should not be used on upholstery or carpet, but mere mortals and a few ‘professionals’ don’t necessarily read all the directions.  

So this is again basically a cautionary tale. If you have a dye ‘bleed’ issue with synthetic carpet or upholstery, ASK a lot of questions about the items’ providence.  

Per usual if you have suggestions for upcoming topics, send me a note at pat.slaven@gmail.com.

References: 

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallace_Carothers
  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyester
  3. https://www.ritdye.com/instructions/how-to-use-dyemore-for-synthetic-fibers/
  4. Handbook of Textile Fibers, Dyes and Finishes, Howard Needles 1980

Pat Slaven

 

Book Review By Connie Klopfenstein

“The Compound Effect” By Darren Hardy

Darren Hardy is the former publisher of Success magazine. He came up with the idea to write this book as he complied research from interviewing many successful people throughout his time at Success. The main concept of the book is that success is the result of small, smart choices, consistently applied over time. He uses the analogy of compound interest in finance to show how incremental steps can yield exponential results in personal and professional life. This can be applied to business, finances or personal growth. Momentum is a key factor in success as well as taking responsibility for your personal choices. 

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. It gave some relatable examples and strategies that you can implement immediately to improve your success. I recommend this book if you are struggling to find the motivation or tend to be a procrastinator. It will help you to become more mindful of the areas that you need to improve on, both in business and personally.

Upcoming Class Schedule

Turkey Journey

Dates: November 1-16, 2024

Location: Turkey

 

Great food, wonderful people, beautiful fall weather. Immerse yourself in Turkish culture while visiting big cities, small mountain villages, ancient ruins, and busy markets. Enjoy a guided tour through Istanbul, Bursa, Izmir, Usak, - Konya, and the old city, beaches, and Greek ruins of Antalya.

Private tours of rug washing and ‘antiquing’ plants, restoration facilities, rug museums, collectors, dealers, and an ongoing discussion of the rug industry as it is today with the people in that industry. Just enough driving so we can see some beautiful scenery; not too much time in busses.

Member Registration

Non-Member Registration

 

CRS Course & Test 

(Dallas, TX)

Dates: January 20-25, 2025

Location: Class and test given at Oriental Rug Cleaning Co., Dallas, TX

 

The Certified Rug Specialist class is a five-day, advanced rug identification seminar. Aimed at those who are already competent in basic rug ID and looking to take the next step, this class arms students with the tools to improve and expand their readily apparent rug identification skills, as well as provide them with the skills to identify those rugs which may not be so obvious.

In addition to identifying the rugs' origins, the class covers the practical uses for that knowledge, such as common pre-existing conditions, cleaning considerations common to the rug type and conversational knowledge with helps to distinguish oneself in the marketplace.

While this class is the primer for the rug identification portion of the CRS exam, it is also of value to anyone looking to improve their rug knowledge or "shake the dust" off existing rug ID skills. Class fees includes five lunches, handouts and a copy of A Comprehensive Guide to Oriental and Specialty Rug Cleaning, which serves as the class manual. While there are currently no specific prerequisites for this course, students must be cleared by the ARCS education committee to ensure they have the adequate background knowledge to benefit from the material presented.

The CRS class is for students with a good foundation of experience in cleaning and rug identification, the ability to readily identify commonly encountered rugs and looking for a program to take their skills to the next level. Participants must be ARCS members in good standing. No specific prerequisites are required, but all applicants for the class are encouraged to speak with the head of the Educational Committee, Robert Mann, or the class instructor, Ellen Amirkhan, for final approval.

Member Registration

  

New Board Members!

James Kruse

James has been the CEO of D.A. Burns & Sons in Seattle since he acquired it in 2021. An aerospace engineer turned businessman, he enjoys the challenge of learning new industries and improving processes. 

 

Tom Blandford

Tom is Production Manager at Woodard Cleaning and Restoration in St Louis, MO. He has over 26 years of experience in the cleaning and restoration industry. He is a certified Master Rug Cleaner and IICRC certified Master Textile Cleaner. 

 

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