APPLICATION OF STAIN BLOCKERS TO INSTALLED CARPET

Abstract: A method is disclosed to impart stain resistance to installed carpet comprising applying an effective amount of a stain blocking chemical, such as a sulfonated aromatic condensate, to installed carpet during or after cleaning the carpet. Preferably the chemical is added with a detergent during so called steam cleaning, or in water after cleaning.

Description: - /- APPLICATION OF STAIN BLOCKERS " TO INSTALLED CARPET BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a method " to impart or improve stain resistance to installed carpet by applying a stain resist chemical, such as a sulfonated aromatic condensate, to the installed carpet. The carpet discussed herein is made of nylon 6 carpet fiber, however the invention is useful for any nylon carpet fiber, particularly for nylon 6,6. The following terms are defined for use in this specification. By sulfonated aromatic condensate (s.a.c.) is meant any condensate of an aromatic compound whether sulfonated prior to or after condensation, particularly sulfonated aromatic formaldehyde condensate (s.a.f.c), effective to enhance stain resistance of fiber or carpet fabric. • By thiocyanate is meant any salt, organic or inorganic, containing a cation and the thiocyanate anion. By fluorocarbon is meant those fluorocarbon compounds effective to improve the antisoiling properties of fiber or carpet fabric. By nylon is meant the polyamide family of polymers, nylon 6, nylon 6,6, nylon 4, nylon 12 and the other polymers containing the -tC-N3- structure along with O H t e-§CH2i x chain. By carpet fabric is meant carpet fiber or yarn which has been typically tufted, woven, or otherwise constructed into fabric suitable for final use in home furnishings, particularly as floor covering. By fiber is meant continuous filament of a running or extremely long length or cut or otherwise short fiber known as staple. Carpet yarn may be made of multiple continuous filaments or spun staple fiber, both typically pretextured for increased bulk. By dispersing agent is meant any chemical compound or combination of chemical compounds effective to 07168 make stable, relatively nonprecipitating, noncoagulating mixtures of other chemical compounds. It is known to use sulfonated aromatic formalde¬ hyde condensates ( "s.a.f.c."s) in the yarn finish (during or after fiber quenching) to improve stain resistance of carpet fiber, see U.S. 4,680,212, in the dye bath for the same purpose, see U.S. 4,501,591 or incorporated into the fiber for the same purpose, see U.S. 4,579,762. All three above U.S. patents are hereby incorporated by reference, in toto. When used alone s.a.c.'s tend to turn yellow when exposed to light. Use of fluorochemical to improve both stain and soil resistance in combination with s.a.f.c.'s is also taught in U.S. 4,680,212, column 5. Other useful fluorochemicals for antisoiling are taught in commonly assigned U.S. 4,192,754; 4,209,610; 4,414,277; 4,604,316; 4,605,587 all also hereby incorporated by reference, in toto. It is known to use thiocyanates, such as ammo¬ nium thiocyanate, at different process conditions as "assists" during dyeing* for various purposes. See U.S. 3,652,199; 3,576,588; 3,387,913; 2,899,262; and 2,615,718 . all hereby incorporated by reference, _in toto. All the stain ratings in the tables are by visual rating; 0 is best or no stain, 10 is worst. Those ratings were done by skilled raters, using the same persons for each test when possible. Stain testing is by food dye in FDA Red No.40 Cherry Kool-Aid®; 30 ml solution of the concentration recommended on the package, unsweet¬ ened, is dropped from one foot and after three minutes, one and four hours, blotted by spraying water and dried with a dry paper towel until the towel comes away clean. Installed carpet soils because people walk dirt on it or as a result of air borne dust particles falling on it. If the carpet is not vacuumed regularly, dirt will build up on it. One of the most common ways to clean a carpet is by "steam cleaning" or "extraction" which is really a hot water extraction procedure. Steam is not generally used. - - The water temperature is warm or hot, common range of 120°F (49°C) to 140°F (60 β C), but can go above 200 β F (93 β C). Carpet owners either rent or hire a professional cleaner to have the carpet cleaned with a steam cleaning machine. These units use a diluted detergent solution that is pumped into a manifold containing spray nozzles. The detergent solution is sprayed on the carpet and is vacuumed off immediately carrying the detergent and dirt with it. The detergent solution is normally heated in the tank or mixed with warm or hot water. Any carpet after being steam cleaned contains detergent residues. These residues contribute to more rapid resoiling. It can also negatively impact other fiber built-in features such as soil repellancy or stain resistance. Soiling and staining will be worst on the upper third of the carpet tu ts. With the introduction of fifth generation carpets, where the carpets are treated with stain blockers to resist common household stain ' s, it is desirable to conserve the good staining properties throughout the life of the carpet which may include one or several steam cleanings. Table 1 shows a study of various parameters and the way they impact staining (wherein 0 is best and 10 is worst) , lightfastness (AATCC TM-16E measured in Gray Scale units) on a Suessen set (first table) and Superba set (second table) fourth (IV) and fifth (V) generation carpets. Fourth generation carpets refer to the carpets that have been treated either immediately after the yarn formation or later with fluoro-chemical to reduce the surface energy and provide oil and water repellancy. The fifth generation carpets are fourth generation yarns treated after and/or during dyeing with stain blockers. The carpets used in this study are carpets manufactured at a commercial carpet mill, J. P. Stevens. The Suessen set carpets are "Ainsley", the fifth generation was aftertreated at the carpet mill with 6.8 percent on weight of the fabric of Composition 1 from Table 8 (1.7 percent on weight of the fabric (owf) of Intratex Nl). Intratex Nl is defined in a footnote to Table 8. The Superba set carpets are "Not To Worry" and the fifth generation was aftertreated at the mill with 11.3 percent of Composition 1 (2.8 percent on weight of the fabric of Intratex Nl) . The equipment used during the studies to be described below are: 1. For steam cleaning with All In One detergent only: Deep Steam Extraction Unit (manufactured by Griffin) . 2. For other detergents, stain blockers or detergent with stain blocker or rinsing with chemicals: Rug Doctor rental unit. 3. For water rinsing: Castex 12-gallon portable unit. Standard cleaning (such as in Trial 1 in Table 1) or 1XSC refers to a carpet that was cleaned with two passes of All In One (AIO) detergent. See Table 2, note 1 for composition. By two passes is meant one pass in a given direction and another in the opposite direction (180 degrees from the first). The temperature of detergent solution was 140 β F (60 β C) measured before the spray nozzles. The All In One detergent is produced by Certified Chemical Company (Cleveland, Ohio) and was applied at a concentration of 1 ounce per gallon (0.5 to 1 ounce per gallon recommended) . - The following observations were made: 1. The stain, performance of the fourth generation carpet is worse than that of the fifth generation carpets. 2. The fifth generation Suessen or Superba set carpets lost stain performance after being steam cleaned and lost some lightfastness. Superba set carpets are more sensitive to loss of staining than Suessen set. 3. Comparing trial 1 to 2, applying lower amounts of detergent or less number of passes reduces the loss of staining. 4. Comparing trial 1 to 3, the lower the temperature of the detergent solution the lower the tendency for the carpets to stain. 5. Comparing trial 1 to 4 or 5, rinsing the samples with warm water 2 or 6 passes does not improve the stain performance, but it improves the lightfastness and shade change especially in the Suessen set samples. We tested other detergents used in the field at the manufacturers' recommended concentration to check if the same performance would be replicated on the same samples and in that way position the severity of the All In One. As shown in Table 2 (trials 71A, B and C) : 1. The staining performance deteriorated similarly with each one of the steam cleaning detergents when tested with a Rug Doctor cleaner under the same conditions [2 pass, 120°F (49 β C) to 130°F (54°C)]. In the case of the Prochem's Nonionic Emulsifer it may be slightly more severe especially on the Superba set carpets. 2. The lightfastness after cleaning was comparable for all the detergents tested. In the case of the Suessen set carpets the All In One was slightly more severe while on the Superba set the Liquid Formula 77 was more severe. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention is a method to impart stain resistant characteristics to installed carpet comprising applying an effective amount of a stain blocking chemical to the carpet after installation of the carpet. The chemical can be applied without cleaning the carpet, but preferably during or after cleaning the carpet. It is preferred to clean the carpet with hot water containing a detergent, preferably at a temperature of between about 120°F (49 β C) to about 210° (99°C), and preferable at a pH of between about 1.5 and about 10. The stain blocking chemical is a sulfonated aromatic condensate, preferably the sulfonated aromatic formaldehyde condensate, most preferably the condensate is formaldehyde condensed with an alkali metal salt of para-phenol sulfonic acid and with 4,4' -diphenolsulfone. It is also preferred to have additionally present an acid, a thiocyanate, a dispersing agent or combinations thereof. The preferred thiocyanate is ammonium thiocyanate, the preferred acid is citric acid, and the dispersing agent is preferably di-isobutyl sulfosuccinate alone or with the sodium salt of condensed naphthalene sulfonic acid. It is also preferred that the stain blocking chemical be in the detergent used to clean the carpet. It is preferred that the stain blocking chemical is present in an amount between about 0.1 to 4 percent by weight of the water solution including the detergent used to clean the carpet. When the chemical is in the detergent solution preferred temperature is 60 β F (16 β C) to 210 β F (99 β C) and the preferred pH is between about 1.5 and 10.5. The preferred condensate of formalde- hyde with an alkali metal salt of para-phenol sulfonic acid and with 4,4'-diphenolsulfone may also be applied after cleaning the carpet by dissolving or dispersing it in water in an amount between about 1/10 percent and 4 percent by weight of the water solution and applied to the carpet at a temperature from between about 60 β F (16 β C) and 120°F (49°C) and at a pH of between about 1.5 and about 5. Carpets which have been treated for stain resistance at the carpet mill before installation can be restored to stain resistance after cleaning by rinsing the carpet with an effective amount of a thiocyanate and an acid, preferably citric acid and ammonium thiocyanate. The amount of ammonium thiocyanate can be between 0.1 and 5 percent by weight of the solution. The amount of citric acid preferably should be sufficient to give the resulting wet carpet a pH of between about 1.5 and 5. USE OF STAIN BLOCKERS The idea of using stain blockers to restore the stain performance is novel and presented a challenge due to the fact that the conditions of application are completely different than those of applying the same or similar chemicals at the carpet mills. For instance on a continuous line in any mill, the carpets are completely wet and heated to a given temperature before the treatment, the stain blockers are applied hot, then the carpets are lagged (stored a short time) while hot. The carpets then are rinsed to remove unwanted portions of the chemicals that cause severe change in lightfastness, color change and hand. Finally the carpets are dried in an oven. In the case of applying the stain blockers to installed carpet in the field, the carpet has to be only slightly wet, and the heated chemical solution needs to wet and heat the carpet. There is no lag time for the chemical to get attached because it is vacuumed right away and there is no after-rinse (in most cases) and the carpet air dries only. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The trial work on the initial phases of develop- ment of this invention is shown in Table 3. The beginning carpet samples were as in Tables 1 and 2. In this set of trials the carpets were steam cleaned (1XSC) with the All In One detergent and then treated with different stain blockers. Then, the carpets were stained with the food dye Red No. 40 in Cherry Kool-Aid®, concentration as recommended on the package, 30 ml unsweetened, dropped from 12 inches, and water blotted after three minutes, one and four hours. Separately other samples of unstained carpet were exposed to light for 20 to 40 hours. In trials 8 to 11, the stain blocker used was Intratex Nl (in the table it is shown as Composition 5) at 3 percent solution as received adjusted to pH=2 with the use of citric acid. The following observations can be made: 1. The stain performance after the different treatments was much superior to that of the carpets only steam cleaned. The stain performance of the fourth generation carpets was also improved significantly. 2. The Suessen set (fourth and fifth generation) carpets required only one application to have perfect stain performance while the Superba set fifth generation required two passes. The lightfastness of the Suessen sample was affected slightly with the two applications. Further testing was done to improve lightfastness. 3. In going from spraying and no vacuuming to three-minute delay before vacuuming to immediate vacuuming, the staining performance of the Suessen set fifth generation continued being excellent and that of the Suessen ' fourth was slightly reduced. The staining of the Superba set carpets also deteriorated some. But, the change in shade and the hand of the carpets improved significantly. In order to study the impact on lightfastness of different chemistries, trials 13 and 15 (Table 3) were run with the chemicals buffered to pH=2 with citric acid under the same conditions as trial 11. In trial 13 the chemistry was Composition 2 from Table 8 (at 3 percent Intratex N) which gave excellent results in samples treated in the mills and in trial 15 Composition 3 from Table 8 (at 4 percent) which was very good for lightfast¬ ness. All the chemicals applied at these levels provide very good stain protection when applied in the mill and have about the same level of active stainblocker. (Compo- sition 3 has three to four times the percent solids but it is weaker stain blocker. ) The results indicate that: 1. The stain performance of Composition 2 was comparable on the Suessen set carpets and superior in the Superbas to that of Intratex Nl, .but the lightfastness, change in shade was by far inferior. 2. The stain performance of Composition 3 was comparable in the Suessen set carpets and inferior on the Superbas to that of Intratex Nl. The lightfastness and shade change were also inferior. After this work was completed, it was realized that the potential of applying the stain blocker with the steam cleaning was possible but, further work including different chemistry was required to improve the staining performance of the Superba set carpets and the lightfast- ness of all the samples. Also, it is possible to improve tremendously the stain performance of the fourth generation carpets by following the above procedures. Work was done to see if lower levels of stain blocker would achieve good lightfastness and to determine the level which would improve the stain performance of both fourth and fifth generation carpets. Table 4 shows the results of lowering the level of Intratex Nl to 1 percent on the same samples as above. The carpets treated had very good lightfastness-. On the Suessen set the stain performance of the fourth generation carpet, fluorocarbon treated for soil repellancy, had great improvement from 7.5 down to 3.0 and the fifth generation carpet was acceptable; the Superba IV improved only sightly from 9 down to 7.5 and the Superba V was unacceptable. Use of Composition 4 to Provide Improved Stain Performance and Acceptable Lightfastness Since the chemistries explored could not provide adequate stain performance and acceptable lightfastness, a different chemistry had to be used. Composition 4 has the components shown in Table 8. Intratex Nl is the stain blocker. The use of ammonium thiocyanate is to reduce yellowing. ' Other thiocyanates may also be useful. The dispersant is used to compatibilize the Intratex Nl and the thiocyanate and provide a wetting agent to penetrate the fiber. Other dispersing agents or sequestering agents may also be useful. A factorial trial was run on the same samples as above to determine the effect of Intratex Nl in Composition 4 at two levels, 1.5 percent and 0.5 percent of Intratex Nl at two pHs , 2 and 7 and to explore the possibility of combining the stain blocker with the detergent or in two separate applications . Th .data in Table 5 show the treatments with Composition 4 and the results of using other chemistries for staining, fastness and change in shade. The following can be noticed on the Superba carpets. 1. On trial 43 which is representative of a separate treatment, cleaning with detergent followed by the application of the Composition 4 (1 pass at 1.5 percent concentration of Intratex Nl in Composition 4 or 3.75 percent of Composition 4 at pH=2 at 120 β F (49°C) to 130 β F (54°C)), the stain performance of the Superba fifth generation carpet was outstanding. The lightfastness of the fourth generation carpet was similar to that of the steam cleaned carpet and that of the fifth generation carpet improved compared to steam cleaned alone and was similar to the original carpet or control. 2. Trial 45 shows that good results can also be obtained by using small amounts of Composition 4 in combination with the detergent. 3. In comparing trial 43 to 50, done under identical conditions but replacing Composition 4 with Composition 2 both having the same amount of Intratex Nl, the latter does not provide as good stain performance and the lightfastness is poor. 4. The results on fourth and fifth generation Suessen set samples treated with Composition 4 are also very good. Less amount of chemical would satisfy the ' Suessen set carpets. But, since carpet cleaners cannot tell the difference between Suessen and Superba heat set carpets the target should be the one that satisfies both. 5. If a larger amount of Composition 4 would be used on the fourth generation carpets, the stain performance could be even better and would still have acceptable lightfastness. It would probably take 2.5 to 4 percent of Intratex Nl in Composition 4 or 6.25 to 10 percent of Composition 4 on the Superba carpets and about half o* that for the Suessen set. 6. Comparable staining results can be obtained at hig and low pH, but to improve the lightfastness, the lower pH is recommended due to the fact that at low pH, the ammonium thiocyanate is more effective. Other Applications of Composition 4 Companies that specialize in developing detergents and other products such as carpet shampoos, rinse solutions, deodorizers, protectors, etc. for the carpet industry could use Composition 4 in the detergent formulations used to clean carpets. Detergent for Steam Cleaning Small .amounts of Composition 4 can be incorporated into detergent solutions, in such a way as to deposit ' the Composition 4 at the same time as the carpet is being cleaned to boost the stain performance. As seen from the discussion above, the pH of the solution is very important. Lowering the pH gets benefits in lightfastness and in a small amount in staining also. But there is a limit below which the detergents will not remove dirt. That pH, as found by companies that specialize in carpet cleaning compositions, is around 7.5 to 9, and it varies from detergent to detergent. One of the carpet cleaning formulation companies, at our request, used a modified commercially available detergent called Formula 77, having a pH of 8.4, and further modified it by incorporating Composition 4 into it. Table 6 shows test results of that formula. Stain resistance is excellent on Suessen set carpet. Carpet Shampoo or Traffic Lane Cleaner A company specializing in carpet cleaning compositions developed two candidates of carpet shampoo that contain small amounts of Composition 4. These shampoos are intended to be used by a housewife (or house- husband) in small areas that get heavier traffic flow or areas close to doors that tend to soil sooner than the rest of the carpet. The applications are by mopping, scrubbing or sponging the shampoo on the carpet and then letting it air dry. One candidate that tends to leave no residues is being commercialized. Rinse Solution (Carpet Stain Restorer or Carpet Protector) After cleaning with a commercially available detergent, a rinse solution containing Composition 4 can be used to restore stain resistance. Also the same rinse could be used after carpet has been sprayed with antistatic formulations, odor killers, or cationic fluoro- chemicals for the same purpose. The rinse can be applied by spraying. Restoration of Manufacturing Defects There are many cases when a carpet which has been treated for stain resistance and back coated is discovered to have inferior stain performance or lightfastness. The reason for it can be due to a mistake in manufacturing (calculation of the amounts required, the temperature deviation from specification, or other reasons) . By this invention the problem can be treated. We took a Suessen set carpet, treated in the car¬ pet mill with Composition 6; a Superba set carpet, treated in the mill with Composition 6; and a Superba 2 step fifth generation carpet treated in the mill with Composition 2, and treated them as originals with Composition 4. The results of trials with 0.5 percent Intratex Nl in the Composition 4 or 1.25 percent of Composition 4 at ambient and warm temperature are available in Table 7. The stain performance data in this table is not very strong, but it can be seen in the Su ' essen and Superba fifth generation carpets that without sacrificing stain performance the lightfastness can be improved. It is expected that stain resistance could also be improved by means of adding a s.a.c. by means of this invention to deficient carpet. Other Findings In order to improve on the performance of the Superba treated with Composition 6 in the mill and the lightfastness on the substrates cleaned with Formula 77 modified with Composition 4 (for unmodified composition, see Table 2, note 2) we decided to follow the cleaning with the use of a citric rinse (0.2 percent citric solution), or a citric (0.2 percent solution) and ammonium thiocyanate (1.5 percent ammonium thiocyanate) rinse. The best option can be seen in trial 84 (citric plus ammonium thiocyanate) , there is a half to one unit improvement in lightfastness on both substrates and some improvement as far as staining performance especially on the Superba substrate. The only word of caution is that the rinse solution should not be used in more advanced generation carpets such as the Superba set treated with two steps of Composition 2 because it would affect the lightfastness severely (see continuation of Table 6). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS It is possible to use a stain blocker to treat installed carpets to improve stain performance even though the conditions are not as controlled as they are in a mill. Most stain blockers will stop the food dye Red No. 40 found in Cherry Kool-Aid® from staining but they will affect lightfastness. Composition 4 has been found to protect from staining and overcome the negative lightfastness. The stain resist chemical can be applied by using a steam cleaning machine. It may be combined with the detergent or in a separate application after the carpet has been cleaned. It may be used warm or cold. It may also be applied with a sprayer. Although recommended for fifth or sixth generation carpets, it can also be applied on fourth (fluorocarbon treated) or earlier generations and improve stain performance. APPLICATION CONDITIONS - BEST MODE -The following recommended conditions are for Superba . set carpets but they will work also on Suessen set carpets. For Suessen set it would require less amounts but, since the carpet cleaner does not know what type of carpet it is, it is better to plan for the most critical. For a two-step process consisting of cleaning with detergent followed by a rinse solution (Composition 4) or for a single application combining the detergent and Composition 4, the following is recommended. Make two passes across the carpet at 180° to each other each with a 1.375 percent solution of Composition 4 (0.55 percent of Intratex Nl) in water adjusted with citric acid -to pH=2.0 with the solution being warm around 120°F (49°C) . For example to make an eight-liter solution: 110 grams of Composition 4 are added to 8000 grams of water and 454 grams of citric acid are added to buffer the liquid to pH=2.0. The range of application can go from 0.25 percent of Composition 4 (0.1 percent Intratex Nl) up to 10 percent of Composition 4 (4 percent Intratex Nl) and that will cover fifth as well as other generation fibers. The pH range can go from 1.5 to 10. ' It is preferred to be on the low side, 2 to 5, due to the most favorable exhaustion of the ammonium thiocyanate. The recommended number of passes is two. More passes with lower concentration or less number of passes with higher concentration is equally acceptable. The recommended application temperature is warm, but it would- work at ambient or room temperature also. The concentration of Composition 4 may need to be slightly higher or slightly lower depending on the amount of stain blocker that the carpet had originally and how much it lost due to cleaning and cleaning method. If the carpet has not been treated at all with stain blocker, the upper range, 10 percent Intratex Nl may be required for a Superba set carpet while perhaps 5 percent would be required on a Suessen. TABLE 1 For Suessen Set Carpets Stain Rating (Q=best, 10=worst) Suessen IV- 1 - Suessen V z Trial Time Before Water Blot No. Trial Description • 3m*/lhr/4hr 3m*/lhr/4hr Original Carpets 4.5/7.5/7.5 0.0/0.0/0.0 1 1XSC (2Pass-AIO**-140 β F) 2.5/8.0/8.0 0.0/1.5/4.0 2 1/2XSC (lPass-AIO-140°F) 0.0/1.0/2.5 3 1XSC (2Pass-AIO-100°F) 0.0/1.0/1.5 4 1XSC + 2Pass warm water 0.1/1.5/3.5 5 1XSC + 6Pass warm water 0.1/2.0/4.0 TABLE 1 (Continued) For Suessen Set Carpets Gray Scale Ratings Suessen IV Suessen V Trial Lightfastness , No. Trial Description 20/40 AFU 20/40 AFU Original Carpets 4.5/4.0 4.5/4.0 1 1XSC (2Pass-AIO-140°F) 4.0/3.5 2.5/3.0 2 1/2XSC (lPass-AIO-140°F) 2.5/3.5 3 1XSC _(2Pass-AIO-100°F) 2.5/3.5 4 1XSC + 2Pass warm water 4.0/4.0 5 1XSC + δPass warm water 4.0/4.0 * Three minutes. **A11 In One detergent, see Table ? , note 1 - ■ Fourth generation type carpet. 2 Fifth generation type carpet. For Superba Set Carpets Stain Rating (0=best, 10=worst) Superba IV Superba V Trial Time Before Water Blot No. Trial Description 3m*/lhr/4hr 3m*/lhr/4hr Original Carpets 8.5/8.5/8.5 0.0/0.1/0.1 1 1XSC (2Pass-AIO-140°F) 9.5/9.5/9.5 1.5/6.0/6.0 2 1/2XSC (lPass-AIO-140°F) 1.0/4.5/4.0 3 1XSC (2Pass-AIO-100°F) 1.0/4.0/4.0 4 1XSC + 2Pass warm water 2.0/5.5/5.0 5 1XSC + δPass warm water 1.5/5.5/5.5 For Superba Set Carpets Gray Scale Ratings Superba IV Superba V Trial Lightfastness, No. Trial Description 20/40 AFU 20/40 AFU " Original Carpets 4.0/3.5 3.5/3.5 1 1XSC (2Pass-AIO-140°F) 4.0/2.5 1.5/3.0 2 1/2XSC (lPass-AIO-140°F) 2.0/2.5 3 1XSC (-2Pass-AIO-100 β F) 1.5/2.5 4 1XSC + 2Pass warm water 2.5/2.5 5 1XSC + 6Pass warm water 2.5/3.0 * three minutes TABLE 2 STEAM CLEANING WITH VARIOUS DETERGENTS 1XSC (2 pass at 120-130°F) Suessen-Comp6 Stain Rating (0=best, Gray Scale 10=worst) Rating Time Before. Lightfast- Water Blot, ness , 4hr/24hr 20/40 AFU TR 71A 1XSC (Certified All In One 1 ) 3.0/3.5 3.5/3.0 1 ounce/gallon TR 71B 1XSC (Chemspec Liquid 2 Formula 77) 3.5/3.5 4.0/3.5 2 ounces/5 gallons TR 71C 1XSC (Prochem Non-ionic 3.5/4.0 4.0/3.5 Emulsifier 3) 0.5 ounce/gallon Superba-Comp6 Stain Rating (0=best, Gray Scale 10=worst) Rating Time Before Lightfast- Water Blot, ness, 4hr/24hr 20/40 AFU TR 71A 1XSC (Certified All In One) 4.5/6.0 2.5/2.0 1 ounce/gallon TR 71B 1XSC (Chemspec Liquid Formula 77) 5.0/4.0 2.0/1.5 2 ounces/5 gallons TR 71C 1XSC (Prochem Non-ionic 6.0/7.5 2.5/2.0 Emulsifier) 0.5 ounce/gallon 1 A commercially available detergent from Certified Chemical Company, Cleveland, Ohio, which contains a mixture of sodium carbonate, sodium tetraborate, other surfactants, corrosion inhibitors and brighteners. 2 A commercial available detergent from Chemspec, Baltimore, Maryland, containing sodium silicate, trisodium nitrilotriacetate, phosphate ester, alcohol ethoxylate surfactant, limonene and sodium xylene sulfonate. 3 detergent commercially available from Professional Chemicals Corporation, Terpe, Arizona, containing phosphates, silicates and glycol ethers. For Suessen Set Carpets Suessen IV Suessen V Gray Scale Ratings Suessen IV Suessen V Trial Lightfastness, No. Trial Description 20/40 AFU 20/40 AFU " Original Carpets 4.5/4.0 4.5/4.0. 1 1XSC (2Pass-AIO-140°F) 4.0/3.5 2.5/3.0 8 lXSC+Comp5 3%(lPass-no vac) 3.0/3.0 3.0/2.5 9 lXSC+Comp5 3%(2Pass-no vac) 3.0/2.5 2.0/1.5 10 lXSC+Comρ5 3%(2Pass-3min vac) 3.0/2.5 3.0/3.0 11 lXSC+Comp5 3% (2Pass-vac) 3.5/3.5 3.0/2.5 13 lXSC+Comp2 12% (2Pass-vac) 1.0/1.0 1.0/1.0 15 lXSC+Comρ3 4%(2Pass-vac) 1.0/1.0 1.0/1.0 * three minutes **See Table 2, note 1 TABLE 3 (Continued) Gray Scale Ratings Superba IV Superba V Trial Lightfastness, No. Trial Description 20/40 AFU~ 20/40 AFU Original Carpets 4.0/3.5 3.5/3.5- 1 1XSC (2Pass-AIO-140 β F) 4.0/2.5 1.5/3.0 8 lXSC+Comp5 3%(lPass-no vac) 4.0/3.5 4.0/3.0 9 lXSC+Comp5 3%(2Pass-no vac) 4.0/3.5 4.0/3.0 10 lXSC+Comp5 3%(2Pass-3min vac) 2.0/2.0 2.5/2.5 11 lXSC+Comp5 3%(2Pass-vac) 3.0/2.5 2.5/3.0 13 lXSC+Comp2 12%(2Pass-vac) 1.0/1.0 1.0/1.0 15 lXSC+Comp3 4%(2Pass-vac) 2.0/1.0 1.0/1.0 * three minutes -19- TABLE For Suessen Set Carpets Trial No. Trial Description Original Carpets 4.5/7.5/7.5 0.0/0.0/0.0 40 1XSC (2Pass-AIO**-120°F) 3.0/7.5/7.5 0.0/1.5/4.0 34 lXSC+Comp5 l%(lPass-vac) 0.3/1.0/3.0 0.0/0.0/0.1 Gray Scale Ratings Suessen IV Suessen V Trial Lightfastness, No. Trial Description 20/40 AFU 20/40 AFT Original Carpets 4.0/3.5 4.5/4.0 40 1XSC (2Pass-AIO-120°F) 4.0/3.5 4.5/4.0 34 lXSC+Comp5 1% (lPass-vac) 4.5/4.0 4.5/4.0 - For Superba Set Carpets Stain Rating (Q=best, 10=wσrst) Superba IV Superba V Trial Time Before Water 31ot No. Trial Description 3m*/lhr/4h 3m*/lhr/4hr Original Carpets 8.5/8.5/8.5 0.0/0.1/0.1 40 1XSC (2Pass-AIO-120°F) 9.0/9.0/9.0 1.5/3.5/4.0 34 lXSC+Comp5 1%(lPass-vac) 5.0/6.5/7.5 0.1/3.0/4.0 Gray Scale Ratings Superba IV Superba V Trial Lightfastness , No. Trial Description 20/40 AFTT 20/40 AFU " Original Carpets 4.0/3.5 4.0/3.5 40 1XSC (2Pass-AIO-120°F) ' 4.0/3.5 3.5/4.0 34 lXSC+Comp5 1% (lPass-vac) 4.0/3.5 4.0/3.5 * three minutes **See Table 2, note 1 at pH=2 * three minutes ** See Table 2, Note 1 TABLE 5 (Continued) For Suessen Set Carpets Gray Scale Ratings Suessen IV Suessen V Trial Lightfastness, No. Trial Description 20/40 AFU 20/40 AFU Original Carpets 4.5/4.0 4.5/4.0 60 IXSC (2Pass-AIO-140 β F) 4.3/4.3 3.5/4.0 Trials with Comp4 42 IXSC (2Pass-AIO+1.875% 2.5/3.0 2.5/3.0 Comp4 at pH=7) 43 lXSC+Comp4 3.75% (IPass 4.3/4.3 4.3/4.3 at pH=2) 44 lXSC+Comp4 1.25% (IPass 3.8/3.9 3.8/3.8 at ρH=7) 45 lXSC(2Pass-AIO+0.625% 4.3/4.3 4.3/4.3 Comp4 at pH=2) Trials with Comρ5 46 lXSC+Comp5 1.5% (IPass 2.0/2.5 2.5/2.0 at pH=7) 47 IXSC (2Pass-AIO+0.75% 4.3/4.3 4.3/4.3 Comp5 at pH=2) 48 IXSC (2Pass-AIO+0.25% 4.5/4.0 3.0/3.5 Comp5 at pH=7) 49 lXSC+Comρ5 0.5% (IPass 4.3/4.3 4.3/4.3 at pH=2) 50 lXSC+Comρ2 1.5% (IPass 1.8/2.3 2.5/1.5 at pH=2 TABLE 5 (Continued) * three minutes TABLE 5 (Continued) For Superba Set Carpets Gray Scale Ratings Superba IV Superba V Trial Lightfastness, No. Trial Description 20/40 AFU 20/40 AFU Original Carpets 4.0/3.5 3.5/3.5 60 IXSC (2Pass-AIO-140°F) 4.3/4.3 3.0/3.0 Trials with Comp4 42 IXSC (2Pass-AIO+1.875% 3.0/3.5 3.0/3.0 Comp4 at pH=7) 43 lXSC+Comp4 3.75% (IPass 4.3/4.3 3.5/3.5 at pH=2) 44 lXSC+Comp4 1.25% (IPass 3.5/3.5 3.5/3.0 at pH=7) 45 lXSC(2Pass-AIO+0.625% 4.3/4.3 3.5/3.5 Comp4 at pH=2) Trials with Comp5 46 lXSC+Comp5 1.5% (IPass 2.5/3.0 2.5/3.0 at pH=7) 47 IXSC (2Pass-AIO+0.75% 3.5/3.5 3.5/3.3 Comp5 at pH=2) 48 IXSC (2Pass-AIO+0.25% 3.5/4.0 3.0/3.0 Comp5 at pH=7) 49 lXSC+Comp5 0.5% (IPass 3.5/4.0 3.3/3.3 at pH=2) 50 lXSC+Comp2 1.5% (IPass 2.5/1.5 2.0/2.0 at pH=2 citric and ammon um thiocyanate rinse For Superba Set Comp6 Carpets Superba-V Stain Rating (0=best, Gray Scale 10=worst) Rating Time Before Lightfast¬ Trial Water Blot, ness, No. Trial Description lhr/4hr 20/40 AFU Original Carpets 0.3/0.8 2.5/2.5 M.* Liquid Formula 77 79 IXSC (2Pass-pH2-70F) 0.5/1.5 2.5/3.0 80 IXSC (2Pass-pH2-70F+rinse) 1.5/2.0 2.5/3.0 81 IXSC (2Pass-pH2-120F) 0.5/1.5 2.5/2.5 82 IXSC (2Pass-pH2-120F+rinse) 3.5/2.5 2.5/3.0 Special Rinses 83 IXSC (2Pass-pH2-120F+ 3.0/4.0 3.5/3.5 citric rinse 84 IXSC (2Pass-pH2-120F+ 0.1/0.5 3.5/3.0 citric and ammonium thiocyanate rinse * Modified to include Composition 4 TABLE 6 (Continued) For Superba Comp2 2-Step Carpets Superba-V Stain Rating (0=best, Gray Scale 10=worst) Rating Time Before Lightfast¬ Trial Water Blot, ness , No. Trial Description lhr/4hr 20/40 AFU Original Carpets 0.0/0.0 4.0/4.0 M.* Liquid Formula 77 79 IXSC (2Pass-pH2-70F) 0.0/0.0 4.0/4.0 80 IXSC (2Pass-pH2-70F+rinse) 0.0/0.0 3.5/3.5 81 IXSC (2Pass-pH2-120F) 0.0/0.0 3.5/3.0 82 IXSC (2Pass-pH2-120F+rinse) 0.0/0.1 4.0/3.5 Special Rinses 83 IXSC (2Pass-pH2-120F+ 0.1/0.1 4.0/3.5 citric rinse 84 IXSC (2Pass-pH2-120F+ 0.0/0.0 3.5/2.0 citric and ammonium thiocyanate rinse * Modified to include Composition 4 82 2Pass-pH2-120F-VAC+rinse 0.0/0.5 4.5/4.0 - • Intratex N and Nl are both the sulfonated aromatic condensate of formaldehyde with an alkali metal salt of para-phenol sulfonic acid and with 4,4'-diphenolsulfone, but Intratex N has a pH of 10.5, while Intratex Nl has a pH of 7.0. Composition 5 is Intratex Nl, Composition 6 is Intratex N. Composition 3 is sulfonated diphenyl ether formaldehyde condensate adjusted to pH 2 with citric acid. sodium salt of condensed naphthalene sulfonic acid 3 di-isobutyl sulfosuccinate

Claims: WE CLAIM: 1. A method to impart stain resistant characteristics to installed carpet comprising applying an effective amount of a stain blocking chemical to the carpet after installation of the carpet, wherein said application is during or after said installed carpet is cleaned, and the carpet is of nylon fiber, the cleaning is with hot water containing a detergent, at a temperature of between about 120°F (49°C) to about 210°F (99°C), and the pH is maintained between about 1.5 and about 10. 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the stain blocking chemical is a sulfonated aromatic condensate. 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the stain blocking chemical is a sulfonated aromatic formaldehyde condensate. 4. The method of claim 3 wherein the condensate is formaldehyde condensed with an alkali metal salt of para-phenol sulfonic acid .and with 4,4'-diphenolsulfone. 5. The method of claim 3 wherein additionally present is an acid, a thiocyanate, a dispersing agent or combinations thereof. 6. The method of claim 5 wherein the thiocyanate is ammonium thiocyanate, the acid is citric acid, and the dispersing agent is a mixture of the sodium salt of condensed naphthalene sulfonic acid and di-isobutyl sulfosuccinate. 7. The method of claim 6 wherein the dispersing agent is di-isobutyl sulfosuccinate alone. 8. The method of claim 2 wherein the stain blocking chemical is in a detergent used to clean the carpet. 9. A method to impart stain resistance to installed nylon carpet comprising applying an effective amount of the condensate of formaldehyde with an alkali metal salt of para-phenol sulfonic acid and with 4,4*-diphenolsulfone in an amount of between about 0.1 to 4 percent by weight of the water solution during carpet cleaning at a temperature of from between about 60°F (16 β C) to 210°F (99°C) at a pH of between about 1.5 and 10.5. 10. The method of claim 9 wherein a detergent is also present. 11. The method of claim 9 wherein additionally present is an acid, a thiocyanate, a dispersing agent or combinations thereof. 12. The method of claim 9 wherein the thiocyanate is ammonium thiocyanate, the acid is citric acid, and the dispersing agent is a mixture of the sodium salt of condensed naphthalene sulfonic acid and di-isobutyl sulfosuccinate. 13. The method of claim 9 wherein the dispersing agent is di-isobutyl sulfosuccinate. 14. A method to restore stain resistance to nylon carpet which has been previously treated for stain resistance and then cleaned comprising rinsing the carpet with an effective amount of a thiocyanate and an acid. 15. The method of claim 21 wherein the acid is citric acid and the thiocyanate is ammonium thiocyanate, wherein the amount of acid is sufficient to give the resulting wet carpet a pH of between about 1.5 and 5.

Inventors: FRIEDBERGER MICHAEL PHILIP, SZMUILOWICZ YEHUDA ISAAC, FRIEDBERGER, MICHAEL, PHILIP, SZMUILOWICZ, YEHUDA, ISAAC
Applicants: ALLIED SIGNAL INC, ALLIED-SIGNAL INC.
Application year: 1989
Main classification: D06M15
IPC codes: C09K3, C11D17, D06M13, D06M15, D06M101