Rug shedding is the process where loose fibers detach from a rug’s pile or nap over time. This is particularly common in hand-woven, machine-made rugs, and particularly in fuzzy rugs made from natural materials like wool and alpaca or specifically engineered fibers like viscose Says, Renaissance Rug Cleaning.
Contrarily, synthetic fibers such as nylon and Polypropylene tend to shed less in comparison to their natural peers. If you’re into hand-woven or hand-tufted rugs, you’ll notice they’re more susceptible to shedding, particularly when new. Most rugs shed some when you should expect some shedding, Renaissance Rug Cleaning says.
During the creation of many Oriental rugs, excess fibers are sheared off. This is followed by a thorough washing intended to clean the rug but also loosen and remove loose fibers. However, there are instances where not every fiber is efficiently removed. The thoroughness of a rug’s washing and finalization process can determine how much it sheds. Freshly manufactured rugs, for instance, may shed more due to the presence of residual loose fibers.
Digging Deeper: Fiber Types & Shedding?
The heart of the rug-shedding issue lies in the type of fiber. Broadly, rug fibers can be categorized into continuous fibers and staple fibers. Continuous fibers are elongated, uninterrupted strands, whereas staple fibers are shorter. Natural materials like wool, alpaca, and cotton are predominantly made of staple fibers. In contrast, synthetic fibers such as nylon, Polypropylene, and rayon fall under the continuous filament category. The quality and kind of these fibers play a crucial role in a rug’s shedding tendencies.
Interestingly, rug shedding is majorly attributed to staple fibers. Some continuous fibers are processed and cut short to mimic staple fibers can shed. These fibers mimic stable fiber and shed, too.
Wool shedding is particularly prevalent, but it’s noteworthy that the method of rug production, like gun tufting or hand-tufting, doesn’t directly impact shedding. Instead, it’s the fiber quality—shorter, loosely spun wool yarn in some hand-tufted rugs leads to more shedding, while long wool fiber typically sheds less.
Factors Influencing Rug Shedding
Fiber quality used in rugs is a big factor. If shorter fibers are used, they untwist easily and slip out of the rug
Rug finishing is the concluding phase in rug production, where multiple techniques are applied to augment the rug’s look, longevity, and usability. The exact finishing method might differ based on the rug type, materials, and the intended final appearance. In many countries such as Afghanistan, Oriental rugs is undergo aggressive scrubbing to open up the pile, remove loose fibers, and reduce shedding of loose fiber. Once extensively finished, such a rug will likely have minimal shedding. In other countries like Nepal, the look of the traditional nature of their rugs would be augmented by such an aggressive treatment. In the case of Nepalese and Tibetan rugs, shedding is a normal part of a rugs break-in process, not a defect.
When Rug Shedding Is An Issue
In some rugs, short-staple fiber loosely spun with a thick pile can result in perpetual non-stop shedding and loss of carpet fibers.
