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What is Cotton?:
Cotton is a vegetable fiber that grows in a boll around the cotton seeds. The seeds need to be separated from cotton lint by the process of ginning. Cotton fiber’s size ranges from 0.5 inches to 2.0 inches.
What Are the Properties of Cotton Fibers?:
Cotton fiber is soft, smooth, highly absorbent and flexible fabric. Cotton is an environmentally friendly, natural and biodegradable fabric. Cotton is the most widely used textile fiber today in the world.
How Is Cotton Used in Rugs?:
Cotton is commonly used in fringes in rugs. There, soiling and graying are a problem. Cotton is made into small area rugs, such as braided cloth rugs, that can be washed and dried easily. Some woven rugs have cotton as the warp fibers, (particularly antiques and imports from certain countries).
Cotton is occasionally found in carpet, but it is too easily and irreversibly stained and wears too poorly to be common.
Flame Test for Cotton:
Cellulosic fibers such as cotton and linen ignite readily with an approaching flame and scorches. Once in the flame, it burns rapidly with yellow flame. When pulled out of the flame, it continues to burn rapidly with a red afterglow upon extinguishing. Smells like burning paper. Its burned residue is a gray to charcoal colored light feathery ash, which easily crumbles.
Advantages of Cotton Fiber:
- Cotton is very strong, and 15% stronger when wet, unlike silk which is weaker when wet.
- Easily dyed and available in many colors and patterns.
- Static Resistant.
- Heat Resistant.
- Soft to the touch - softer than some other natural material options like jute and sisal.
- Cotton is fairly durable.
- Cotton rugs are often machine-washable.
- Cotton rugs are less expensive than wool rugs and have a more casual look.
- Cotton can be cleaned of pet hair and dirt more easily than other types of rugs.
DISadvantages of Cotton Fiber:
- Slow drying time.
- Stains easily.
- Over a long period of time, cotton rugs severely brown.
- Cotton is flammable. To make cotton rugs flame retardant, they are treated with chemicals during finishing or by blending the cotton with flame retardant.
- It can gray and does not wear well in heavy traffic areas.
- Cotton stains and soils easily.
- Cotton fades and yellows with direct sunlight.
- Will wear out rapidly if placed in high traffic areas.
- Tear easily.
How to Care for Cotton Fiber Rugs and Carpets:
Cotton rugs are very easy to clean and most are machine washable, (if without backing) allowing for even easier cleaning. Using a rug pad under the carpet will help keep the rug safe from tearing.
Rug fringe is usually white cotton and grays severely. 3% hydrogen peroxide is excellent for whitening cotton fringes on oriental design rugs.
Chlorine bleach dissolves wool and severely weakens cotton.
A cotton rug should be cleaned with Natural Fiber Cleaner at 1 ounce per gallon in a well-ventilated area. Natural Fiber Cleaner contains a reducing bleach and detergents.
As with upholstery, ALWAYS pretest for dye stability. Apply the prespray and detergent to a white towel, rub a dark area that might bleed, wait at least 15 minutes and repeat. If the dye bleeds, try a lower pH detergent, such as LCA 256®. If cotton, test with Natural Fiber Cleaner. If it still bleeds, you may need to “shampoo” the rug with Chemspec Oriental Rug Shampoo. If it still bleeds, the rug can only be dry-cleaned. For mild bleeding, simply apply Brown Out to the rug prior to cleaning.
If it is a cotton rug or a rug that readily browns, clean with Natural Fiber Cleaner at 1 ounce per gallon in a well-ventilated area. Natural Fiber Cleaner contains sodium bisulfite, a reducing bleach, and detergents.
Cotton rugs should always be treated after cleaning with a solvent-based stain protector such as Sta-Clene® to help prevent permanent stains.
The Bane-Clene article titled “Rugs, Area Rugs, Orientals, Partitions, Tapestries - Cleaning the Bane-Clene Way” goes into more detail on cleaning of rugs, including cotton rugs.
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