[Steven Butler]

Can you get genuine scotchguard anymore? I’ve always turned people down but obviously know of what products are available to use in the industry...chemspec/Prochem/nano etc but a lot of my customers especially the middle aged wealthy ones specifically have asked for scotchguard.  Cheers

[Robroy]

Wasnt there something in it , which was bad for your health , hence not available here in the uk

[john martin]

your right it seems ...

America's Environmental Protection Agency has issued a worldwide alert about a potentially toxic chemical used in Britain's biggest selling carpet and upholstery protection spray.

The main ingredient of Scotchgard, made by 3M, has been found in human tissue, wildlife and the general environment. Tests have raised fears that it could cause cancer and disrupt cell activity. After worldwide research on the spread of the chemical, the only human samples where it was not found was in stored blood of Korean War soldiers - taken before Scotchgard was invented.

After pressure from the US government's Environmental Protection Agency, 3M decided it would phase out production of the chemical, a fluorocarbon called PFOS, by the end of the year. It will cost the company £200 million-worth of sales of Scotchgard products, and destroy 1,500 jobs in three factories.

[john martin]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfluorooctanesulfonic_acid

[Robroy]

Wait ...isn't flurocarbon in other carpet protectors like the ashbys one ?

[dan paton]

You can buy it again now. However i think its only available in spray cans.

[Cleanevangelist]

Dan

protector that is in cans is for upholstery. it prevents over wetting the fabric. the protector is carried by solvents and not water like carpet protector

Ian

[Steven Butler]

The problem with spray cans is you can’t charge much for something they can buy and apply themselves....

[john martin]

i have since seen that the passage i pasted above was from 2000  , they got rid of the most harmfull substances since i believe , why the big containers are not available here , when they are on the USA suppliers sites ...  i have no idea .

[Kinver_Clean]

EU regulations.

[DB]

The Scotchgard product for the UK was made in Belgium to cater for the diverse fibres used in our carpets and rugs. The US version  dealt with the mainly man-made fibres in the USA

Back in 2000 when the scare came to light we were told that the problem lay  in the manufacturing process and that applicators were assured that there was no risk to them...the US version continued to be sold in the UK
The spray cans of Scotchgard fabric protector have always been available. and was sadly misused by a lot of the retailers.
I saw first hand some retailers spraying several three piece suites per can... 3M said that each 3 piece suite  required 'NINE' cans per suite for optimum performance.... if I recall it had a Trichlorethylene  solvent carrier...not a nice product to use  without the proper precautions in place

[Jen Slack]

Hi there,
I have a new anti-stain product on the market that you should check out. We developed it due to the precise issues you raised about previous protective treatments in this thread!
It's for sale via System Hygiene in either 525ml bottles or 5 litre containers. Perhaps get a bottle of the 525ml first so you can sample it?
https://www.systemhygiene.co.uk/catalogsearch/advanced/result/?name=+&brand=&brand=+&brand=1099

[Shaun_Ashmore]

What’s the coverage rate?
What’s the di.ution?
Does the carpet have to be left slightly acidic after cleaning?

[Jen Slack]

Hi Shaun,
The coverage is around 60 metres squared, so it does go far. Obviously it depends on how liberally it's applied. We do recommend a double application.
It's not diluted and is ready to use.
The product itself is slightly acidic (below pH5) and  it works fine on surfaces either way. It's more ideal that the carpet is primed before the protection is applied, though. So applying straight after the carpet is cleaned is a good idea. If it's a brand new carpet, it will benefit from being sprayed with water first or applying Prochem Fibre and Fabric Rinse or an acidic rinsing agent to prime the carpet before treating it with Better Protect. This will break the surface tension and allow the treatment to soak in quicker and easier. I hope that helps?