Nonwoven Fabrics in Everyday Items

Simply put, nonwovens have opened doors of opportunity for everyday convenience that would have been the stuff of dreams or wild imagination not too long ago. Just like Henry Ford made it possible for everyday folks to own a car and the Wright brothers to glide from one part of the country to another over 1000 miles away in a matter of hours, nonwovens have revolutionized several industries, now being in hundreds of products which would otherwise be too expensive or not feasible to manufacture at a profit.

One of the outstanding qualities of nonwovens is that they can be extremely durable, if that’s what’s needed, or single-use, limited-life fabrics. Beyond this, nonwovens possess limitlessly versatile qualities like super absorbency, resilience, liquid repellency, stretchability, strength, softness, flame retardancy, cushning, washability, bacterial barriers, filtering and sterility.

Able to combine these qualities in innumerable ways, nonwoven manufacturers create products with the unique, specific characteristics requested or needed by a client, usually at a very reasonable price. In spite of all these advantages, many people may not know about nonwovens and, if they do, they probably don’t know what a big, indispensable part of their lives nonwovens are.

Well, here is just a tiny fraction of the essential products nonwovens have made possible.

INDISPENSABLY IMPORTANT PRODUCTS THAT USE NONWOVENS

NONWOVEN PRODUCTS THAT STAND OUT THE MOST

Bed linen

These disposable products are practical and affordable because of their tendencies to stay soft to the touch, not damage table surfaces, be 100% biodegradable & environmentally-friendly, come in beautiful designs, be appropriately hygienic, and reasonably priced.

Carpet/carpet backings

Nonwoven fabric is ideally suited for carpet construction enhancement by being able to extend the life of a carpet, by protecting the integrity of said product, and by reducing the chances for mold development or bacterial buildup, with proper use and deployment.  These also make installation easier, help protect wooden surfaces and can also help make repairs more feasible.

Diapers

Unfortunately, disposable diapers have only been around for a short time, comparatively speaking.  Before their advent, there wasn’t really an alternative to cloth diapers.  Cloth diapers didn’t absorb much, were unnecessarily smelly and had to be laundered.

Although the earliest forms of disposable diapers weren’t so great, the new designs have literally changed for the better the whole “how to keep babies fresh, comfortable, dry and clean for as long as possible” paradigm.  New disposable diapers come with color changing indicators that indicate if the child is wet, special sizing features, and re-attachable TM-type Velcro closures. 

Floor Duster Cloths

A dry floor cloth can provide superlative performance and convenience.  The nonwoven sheets used are made in required thicknesses that allow it to conform to just about any surface in order to more efficiently trap dirt, dust and hair.

Heat/Electricity Conductive Fabric

Nonwovens may help alleviate the energy crisis by helping to deliver cost-effective solutions related to heating.  Electrically conductive fabrics, with special under-padding integration, can help heat a surface, whether constructed of ceramic tiles, wood, ceiling tiles or wall coverings. In these scenarios heated fabrics could take the place of other heating systems by producing heat through radiation.

Home Furnishing Fabrics

Interestingly, new developments in nonwoven fabrics will create home furnishing products that are good at repelling dirt, getting rid of dust mites, and providing antimicrobial characteristics.

Laundry Dryer Sheets

Most people have used dryer sheets at least once in their lifetime. These durable fabrics, usually anti-static and of very thin construction, can put up with very high temperatures in the dryer.  They can also be made so that they gradually and over time release special softeners and scents while the clothes are being dried. 

Medical products & supplies

The most dramatic use of nonwovens in the medical theatre of operations are the only-once-used surgical gowns worn by surgeons and their staff during often-complicated, possibly lasting for hours operations.  The advantage of these products is their well-documented ability to protest healthcare personnel from patients’ bodily fluids and blood; they are also dependably sterile.

Many people in healthcare facilities end up acquiring Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs), or nosocomial infections, every year; these sometimes culminate in death.  One way to end up acquiring one of these is through incisions—sometimes referred to as Surgical Site Infections or SSIs.  There is no question that nonwoven gowns and drapes greatly reduce chances of acquiring the many types of infections initiated (or made worse) during a hospital stay. They also help reduce spread of disease in general. 

Nonwoven Products for the Healthcare/Medical Industries

“Smart” Nonwoven Products

Since we already have smart phones, TVs and even a “Smart” car, why should it come as a surprise that nonwovens will soon also join such ranks. The products that may one day be available include burglar-proof blinds, blast-resistant curtains, and alarm-system-embedded carpets. This isn’t mere Sci-Fi make-believe stuff—like stem cell technology, nonwoven fabric technology is a virtual clean slate or blank check of engineering possibilities.

Taking a closer look at the blast-resistant curtains, for example, reveals that some nonwoven fibers have the unique ability to expand under tension, thus allowing the fabric to absorb some of the pressure set off by the shockwaves, at the same time acting as a catching mechanism for flying debris (including glass, metal, and other life-threatening things).

Tea Bags & Coffee

Where would the world be without the technology that that nonwovens have extended to coffee and tea bag users.  These special fabrics don’t add any flavor or odor to the precious cargo they hold, are good at filtering liquid while holding the solid securely behind, and are comparatively strong (even when wet).

Wall Paper

Wall paper has gone up in the world thanks to nonwovens.  Nonwoven fabrics used in wallpaper have no seam separation issues (like other materials used for the exact same purpose) and are easier to remove than other types of wallpaper. Furthermore, nonwovens are ideally suited for properties in great disrepair and in need of extra TLC since these types of wallcovering materials offer high stability, strength, versatility and, to boot, cost-effectiveness. 

CONCLUSION

Amazingly, nonwovens are used in multitudes of household applications that range from filtering and cleaning to providing aesthetic enhancements to a home.  When used in kitchens, bedrooms, living rooms and dining rooms, high-quality and performance nonwovens make possible practical, comfortable, safe, hygienic and, most important of all, attractive solutions for modern home life.

Nonwovens used in home furnishing, as well as in places of work, have been evolving for some time now, in many ways raising the bar on what fabrics are supposed to make possible, if the capacity exists within them to shine, enhance and astound. What more can they help humanity achieve? Truly, the sky is the limit—then again, maybe that’s an understatement!