Carpet Stains and Stain Protection

Throughout its history, the single most common consumer complaint about carpet flooring is that carpet stains. Wear comes in a close second, but carpet stains are still the leading cause of dissatisfaction for carpet.

Why Carpets Stain

For decades now, the majority of carpets have been made using nylon fibers. Nylons perform very well under traffic, but they do have an affinity for common food and beverage stains found in the home. These stains contain acid dyes which are the same type of dyes that are used to color nylon carpeting. Acid based stains make up about 95% of all household stains. It stands to reason that some type of protectant must be added to nylon to help prevent these stains from becoming part of your carpet.

Carpet Stain Protection Treatments

In the 1980’s stain blocker chemistry debuted with Stainmaster carpet. With Stainmaster, DuPont created a chemistry that would help “block” stains on nylon carpets. DuPont advertised Stainmaster heavily, making it a household name. Carpet stain prevention chemistry is now a standard feature on most nylon carpets, along with soil resistance chemistry, and though it does not fully protect the carpet from stains, it does help.

These carpet stain and soil prevention innovations have been good for nylon and good for carpeting in general, but there are downsides. Since they are additive chemistries, they are only temporary – regardless of how they are applied. After manufacturer recommended carpet cleanings, the stain protection does diminish and most manufacturers provide guidance on what products to use to retreat your carpeting. Carpet stain protection also lessens over time with wear, therefore, in the active rooms where you need the most stain resistance, you have less and less protection as time goes by. And finally, some carpet stain protection formulations have come under scrutiny for their environmental impact. Many contained perfluorooctanyl formulas including PFOA, PFOS and PFOS-related products. These chemicals have been found in water and waste streams and have an extremely long half-life. Scotchgard was the first to voluntarily remove all PFOA related products in 2000. The EPA later mandated that these formulations be eliminated by the end of 2010; therefore, most carpet stain protection formulations used today have already been adapted to remove these materials.

Alternatives to Carpet Stain Protection Treatments

Some carpet manufacturers have also created new fibers or systems that allow them to create an inherently stain resistant carpet fiber that has no need for a chemical application and never washes or wears off. This approach is deemed best for the consumer and for the environment. Solution dyed nylons, which are pigmented instead of dyed with liquids, are not affected by acid based stains and are quite durable. The only draw back is the color palette which tends to be shorter and more muted. New polymers have been engineered so that no topical chemistries are needed for stain resistance. Triexta, invented by DuPont is one example of an inherently stain resistant carpet and cleans up with just water. Because of this new polymer, chemicals are eliminated in the manufacturing process, no chemicals are required in the cleaning process, and no chemical retreatment is needed after cleaning. The carpets cannot be dyed with acid dyes and therefore cannot be stained by acid dyes. The durability is as good as nylon and this new fiber is quite popular for its softness as well as its performance.

The carpet industry is taking steps to decrease its dependency on chemical applications and to ensure that the chemicals that are necessary do no harm. It is unlikely that stain and soil chemistries for nylon will ever completely go away, but with more innovations like Triexta, the need can be dramatically reduced.