|
| Dupont Stainmaster®While Dupont Stainmaster® is not a carpet brand, it has become an icon among consumers. Dupont Stainmaster was a breakthrough in carpet stain protection. The introduction of Stainmaster in1986 changed the way America bought carpet. Previously, consumers were forced to buy carpet in dark brown, gold, and avocado carpet colors in order to camouflage carpet stains and soiling. Stainmaster made it possible for consumers to purchase white, teal, and other pastel colors and the entire theory of interior design was forever changed. Stainmaster was such a unique product, consumers began to ask for it by name. Like Que-tip® and Band-Aid® if became a name synonymous with stain-proof carpet. While no carpet is stain-proof, when you compared the alternative, Stainmaster was near close to perfection. Stainmaster was the result of American ingenuity and was like building a better mousetrap. Prior to the Stainmaster launch, most carpet styles used either Teflon® or Scotchgard®. These products were designed to resist soil, but they provided limited resistance to carpet stains, as well. Both of these products were surface treatments. Their purpose was to provide a barrier or coating that would limit stains from penetrating the surface and entering the carpet fiber. These products added surface tension. Like a Teflon® frying pan or a wax coating on your automobile, these coatings allowed stains to bead on the surface, which allowed time for removal. Unfortunately, like car wax, these treatments wore away with cleaning and foot traffic. Stainmaster addressed the physical and chemical properties of how carpet fibers stained. Since carpet staining was similar to carpet dyeing, Dupont chemists examined the electrical properties of how carpet fiber was dyed and worked backward. The question they asked was "We have spent all this time figuring out how to dye carpet more easily, what would happen if we could prevent these fibers from being dyed?" Dupont knew that carpet fibers had tiny holes called "dye sites" in which dye entered the fiber. These dye sites had positive electrical charges, so the carpet industry used acid-based dyes, which had negative electrical charges. Once dye attached to these fibers, the electrical charge was neutralized and these dyes sites would not accept additional dyes. Dupont realized that not all of these dye sites were neutralized. Darker carpet colors resisted stains better, because more dye sites were neutralized to provide the deeper, richer carpet colors. Products like Kool-Aid® and Gatorade®, and most food products, also use acid dyes. These products stain carpet fibers because these dyes would attach to any dye site that had not been neutralized. Dupont attacked the issue by investigating how to neutralize these remaining dye sites. Though not completely accurate in regard to their technology, Dupont, essentially, used a clear, colorless dye to neutralize the remaining dye sites and the rest is history. Sometimes, the best ideas are the easiest to comprehend. It just took a couple of hundred years or so. Since Stainmaster utilizes the electrical properties of carpet fiber chemistry, it is "built-in" to the fiber and does not wear away or wash away like Teflon® or Scotchgard®, which are topical treatments. While Stainmaster provides excellent stain resistance, it provides little or no resistance to soil. Carpet manufacturers augment these stain treatments with surface soil treatments, but these treatments do wear away. In caring for your new carpet, you should clean your carpet during the first two-years following carpet installation and reapply these soil treatments. Following the initial carpet cleaning and treatment you should schedule carpet cleaning and soil treatment every 12-18 months thereafter to protect your carpet investment. One other note should be clarified. Stainmaster is not a carpet brand. Stainmaster is manufactured by most carpet manufacturers and carry the Dupont label. Dupont does not manufacture carpet. They simply sell fiber and chemical treatments to carpet manufacturers. Many carpet manufacturers offer their own stain treatment technology. Just because the carpet style you like does not read "Stainmaster", does not mean you are getting a product that does not provide premium stain protection properties. |
Flooring Section Links
|
1207 W. Walnut Ave · P.O. Box 1263 · Dalton, GA 30722-1263 FREE ESTIMATES Store Hours:
|
