Carpet Fibre & Construction Identification Flashcards

Vocabulary terms and definitions for carpet fibre identification, on-site testing procedures, and construction types for professional cleaning.

Wool

A natural protein fibre that is soft, highly resilient, and naturally flame-resistant, but vulnerable to high pH (alkaline) chemicals.

Silk

An extremely fine, glossy, high-value natural protein fibre that is very delicate and prone to permanent watermarking.

Cotton & Jute

Natural cellulosic fibres that are highly absorbent and slow-drying; they are prone to cellulosic browning (yellow/brown staining) when over-wet.

Viscose / Rayon

Also known as faux silk or bamboo silk; a fibre with a silky sheen that loses up to $70\%$ of its structural strength when wet.

Polyamide (Nylon)

A strong, durable, and highly resilient synthetic fibre that smells like celery or hot plastic during a burn test and sinks in water.

Polypropylene (Olefin)

A synthetic fibre with a low melting point of $70\text{--}75^\circ\text{C}$ that resists water stains but attracts oil-based soil; it is the only carpet fibre lighter than water (floats).

Polyester

A soft and water-stain resistant synthetic fibre that flattens quickly under heavy foot traffic and produces a sweet/fruity smell during a burn test.

Flame / Burn Test

A verification procedure where a fibre snippet is burned to identify it based on whether it melts or chars, its odor, and its residue.

Float Test

A test used to distinguish Polypropylene (which floats) from Nylon or Polyester (which sink) by placing a synthetic snippet in water.

Bleach Test

A chemical spot test where household bleach dissolves wool and silk within minutes while leaving synthetic fibres intact.

Woven (Axminster & Wilton)

Carpet construction types that carry a high risk of shrinkage if over-wet; Axminster has individually tied tufts while Wilton uses continuous yarn.

Belgian Wilton

A carpet that looks like traditional Wilton but features a synthetic backing with low pile; it is extremely moisture-sensitive with a high shrinkage risk.

Tufted

Construction where face pile is punched into a primary backing and glued to a secondary backing with latex adhesive; prone to delamination if over-soaked.

Carpet Tiles

Modular square tiles with heavy rubber or bitumen (tar-like) backing; bitumen can melt and pull into the pile if solvent or high-pH spotters are used.

Cellulosic Browning

Yellow or brown staining that occurs on natural cellulosic fibres like cotton and jute when they are over-wet.

Delamination

The separation of the primary backing from the secondary backing in tufted carpets, often caused by over-soaking the latex adhesive.