April 2006 - Sanitary Maintenance Article: "Understanding Microfiber"

"Understanding Microfiber"
by Tim Hodges
As published in SM Magizine, April 2006

Microfiber has been a very hot topic in the cleaning industry for the past several years and deservingly so. It is without a doubt a very effective agent when incorporated into the surface cleaning tools used in the Jan/San arena. While microfiber was first introduced to cleaning professionals on the west coast in the late 1980's it wasn't until the late 90's that it really began to build a head of steam and shortly after the turn of the millennium it could be found in multiple industries with products ranging from car wash mitts to furniture upholstery to facial and optical clothes and yes even to mops and dusters.

When it comes to applying microfiber to the floor cleaning process it was introduced as a flat pad available in multiple lengths from 12 to 24 inches and usually 4 to 5 inches wide that most often attached to a flat pad holder by either a hook and loop system or by clips and tabs which up until now has remained largely unchanged. This type of construction offers a lightweight tool that is ergonomically friendly and has worked very well where it has been embraced. The advantages of microfiber cleaning are immediately apparent in the healthcare industry and it has also been successful in institutions such as schools, colleges and universities, however, while the system has proven to be effective in these sectors of our industry it has also been met with challenges because it requires a completely different method of use which many seasoned cleaning professionals find hard to accept. Not only that but it also leaves voids such as cleaning large spaces and areas of heavy sedimentation where it is not practical to use these products and traditional methods still work best. In addition to these frequently encountered obstacles there is also the issue of new tooling and delivery systems required for properly implementing microfiber-cleaning procedures making it necessary to have two entirely different cleaning systems at all times. For these reasons in recent years there has been a mad scramble to find the microfiber answer not only to healthcare and institutional needs but also to those of the industrial, commercial laundry and foodservice user segments that will solve these types of issues. 

Moving from traditional floor care methods to using new techniques that maximize the benefits of microfiber products is not a quantum leap but it is quite a stretch that has left questions unanswered and room for creative development. This is where old meets new in the engineering of hybrid yarns which blend traditional fibers such as polyester, acrylic and rayon with microfiber to generate a product that offers the best of both worlds. These engineered yarns have varying blend ratios and construction that provide the needed yarn characteristics for a specific application. For instance there are microfiber yarn blends engineered specifically for wet mopping and dry mopping but it doesn't just stop there.

In the case of wet mop yarns there are products available that have micro denier fibers completely integrated into the blend, which exposes them at all levels including the outermost surface of the yarn. When microfibers are integrated in this manner it provides a product that has a traditional look and feel but also cleans at a much higher level with the ability to capture and hold not only large sediments but also organisms as small as 3 microns in size. Contrary to that, which most users have never considered, there are yarns engineered with micro denier filaments that never come into contact with the floor. While this product provides a level of cleanliness at least as good as traditional products the real advantages associated with this style of yarn are seen elsewhere. Because the micro denier filaments create a core this style of yarn construction takes advantage of microfiber's inherent wicking ability and channels it. By engineering the microfiber in this manner wet pick-up performance is increased by as much as 50%, drying times are often cut in half, and shrinkage is reduced from the normal 25-30% to 10%. The end result of either of these yarn styles is a product that can be used with traditional tooling and methods while improving the level of cleanliness in any market segment. 

Microfiber engineered yarns offer many advantages to dry mopping as well. Traditional dust mopping products have been manufactured from standard fiber blends that have worked well but they do not take full advantage of advances in textile engineering that are available today. By intimately blending wedge-shaped micro denier fibers within the yarn mass a product is created that takes dust mopping to a whole new level. The wedge-shaped nylon microfibers create a static charge, which attracts and holds extremely fine dust particles in a way that cannot be achieved with traditional yarns. In addition to this the surface area is greatly increase so the mop not only captures smaller particles but it can contain more of them than ever before. Like the wet mop microfiber yarns these products also provide greatly reduced drying times and shrinkage and not to go without mention they also work with traditional tools and methods.

The advances in cleaning that can be attained through the use of microfiber products are far from being fully discovered but as we learn all that is to be gained from this new technology it is nice to know that it is being incorporated into familiar products that many professionals find comfort in using. These hybrid yarn products are not the beginning of microfiber as it relates to floor cleaning and they are certainly not the end, but they do serve as a great conduit from a cleaning method that is over 100 years old to one that should carry us many years into
the future.

For More information contact The O'Dell Corporation at 1.800.342.2843.