You may never have to use a carpet cleaning service again!

Self Cleaning Carpet: Is it a possibility or just science fiction?

Have you ever wished there was an easier way to clean your carpet?  Not just the endless vacuuming, but also the hassle of  having to find a good carpet cleaning service for your annual spring clean? Who do you hire, who do your trust, how much do you pay, will they do a good job…?

Just imagine yourself living in a home with self cleaning carpet!  Just imagine a quick once over with a light bulb and away you go – no more stains, no more wet carpet, no more stress!  What? A light bulb? Yes, that’s right, this might be the way of the future and it might not be as far fetched as it sounds.

Keep reading to find out how a light bulb and nanotechnology might one day revolutionise carpet cleaning service.

The Research

Researchers at Melbourne’s RMIT University are currently developing a technology which might well do away with the household washing machine.  They are working on creating fabric for clothing, which is self cleaning.  The researchers have found that by growing nanostructures on fabric, they can create textiles that self clean.

The nanostructures, when exposed to light, release a burst of energy which then destroys organic matter such as stains.  The idea is, that if you spill something on your clothing, you can just hang it out in the sunshine or under a light to remove the stain.  Dr Rajesh Ramanathan, is one of the lead researchers in the Nanotechnology Research Facility at RMIT.  His team has found the copper and silver based nanostructures are the best at absorbing light.  When they absorb light, energy is created and this in turn degrades organic matter such as stains.

So far the testing has only been on small amounts of fabric and certain organic stains.  Currently the team is working on testing the technology on more consumer related stains such as red wine and food to work out what quantities of nanostructures are required.  According to Dr Ramanathan,

“We have some understanding, but we will need more understanding of the system [and] how it works, and once we have that understanding hopefully in the near future we should be able to have self-cleaning textiles, so we can throw the washing machine of the house,”

In the future this type of technology could also be used to destroy super bugs which are currently resistant to most known anti bacterial treatments.  They have begun testing on super bugs and so far the results have been promising. I wonder if this technology will also reduce VOCs in carpet?

The future carpet cleaning service?

To date, the research has focused purely on stain resistant clothing textiles, however why stop there?  One day, nano structures could be grown onto carpet fibres and carpets could become self cleaning.  All you would need then, is a light emitting machine to go over the carpet and BAM! No more stains!  How revolutionary would that be?  This is definitely some research to watch, and who knows, what other uses it might have!

In the meantime, you will still need to vacuum your carpet regularly and have them professionally cleaned at least once a year, so contact us for a quote (before we become extinct!).