Don’t ignore it anymore! This magical material is silently guarding your sleep safety

The ‘invisible threat’ of soft furniture and bedding​

Late at night, the city falls into a deep sleep, and you peacefully sleep in the soft bed and warm blanket. Suddenly, a pungent odor entered the nasal cavity, followed by thick smoke billowing out. You suddenly woke up, only to see flickering flames in the room, and the source of the fire was actually the sofa or bed that usually gives you comfort! Such thrilling scenes are not only present in movies, but also tragedies that happen in many families. ​
According to relevant statistical data, among numerous household fire accidents, fires caused by soft furniture and bedding account for a considerable proportion. These seemingly ordinary daily necessities, once caught on fire, often spread rapidly and rapidly. Because many soft furniture uses flammable materials such as sponges and foam, bedding such as quilts and sheets are mostly made of cotton, linen and other fibers, which are easy to burn. When encountering a small open flame, such as an unextinguished cigarette butt or an electric spark generated by a short circuit, it may be instantly ignited and become a raging fire. Moreover, when they burn, they release a large amount of toxic and harmful gases such as carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, etc. These gases are more deadly than flames and can cause poisoning and coma in a short period of time, hindering the escape route. ​

Faced with such severe fire safety hazards, is there any material that can become a “savior” to protect our home safety? The answer is non-woven fabric. Perhaps in your impression, non-woven fabric is just a material for making shopping bags and masks, but it also plays a huge role in the fire safety field of soft furniture and bedding. It is like a low-key superhero silently guarding our lives. ​

Unveiling the flame retardant ‘black technology’ of non-woven fabrics

（1） Magical flame retardant, showing off its power at critical moments

The reason why non-woven fabrics can shine in the field of fire safety is inseparable from the “secret weapon” of flame retardants. When producing flame retardants non woven fabrics, various flame retardants are added, which are like loyal “fire guards” always ready to protect our safety. Common flame retardants include halogen based, organic phosphorus based, nitrogen based, and inorganic flame retardants, which have different working principles but can effectively improve the flame retardant performance of non-woven fabrics. ​

Taking halogenated flame retardants as an example, when the temperature increases and approaches the decomposition temperature of non-woven fabrics, the carbon halogen bonds in halogenated flame retardants will break, releasing halogen free radicals. These free radicals are very reactive and can quickly combine with the free radicals generated in combustion reactions, thereby interrupting the chain reaction of combustion. Imagine burning like a crazy relay race, where free radicals are the ones passing the “flame relay baton”, and halogen free radicals are like “Cheng Yaojin” who kills halfway, snatching the relay baton and making this dangerous relay race impossible to continue, making it difficult for the fire to spread. ​

Organophosphorus flame retardants are another strategy. When heated, it undergoes a series of chemical reactions, ultimately forming a structurally stable cross-linked solid substance or carbonized layer. This carbonized layer is like a strong “fireproof armor” covering the non-woven fabric. On the one hand, it can prevent the non-woven fabric from further thermal decomposition and reduce the production of combustible gases from the source; On the other hand, it can block the substances produced by internal thermal decomposition from entering the gas phase and participating in the combustion process, just like building a firewall to separate flames from flammable substances. For example, in some experiments, non-woven fabrics coated with organic phosphorus flame retardants only slowly carbonized on the surface when exposed to an open flame, without large-scale combustion, fully demonstrating their excellent flame retardant effect. ​

（2） Unique structure, building a fireproof “firewall”

In addition to the contribution of flame retardants, the unique structure of non-woven fabrics also adds a lot of points to their flame retardant performance. From a microscopic perspective, the fiber arrangement and forming method of non-woven fabrics are significantly different from traditional fabrics. Its fibers are oriented or randomly arranged, and then combined together through friction, hugging, or bonding to form a special fiber network structure. ​

This structure has good porosity and breathability, which may seem unfavorable for fire prevention, but in reality, there are hidden mysteries. When the flame comes into contact with non-woven fabric, these pores and gaps between fibers can act as a buffer, slowing down the rate of heat transfer. Meanwhile, due to the lack of tight interweaving between fibers like traditional fabrics, flames are difficult to spread rapidly between fibers. Like a dense forest, if the distance between trees is large, the fire is not easily spread from one tree to another. ​

In addition, during the molding process of non-woven fabrics, the bonding force between fibers is relatively weak. When subjected to high flame temperatures, some fibers may detach from the main body and take away some heat. This “self sacrifice” method also helps to reduce the temperature of non-woven fabrics and suppress the progress of combustion. Moreover, some non-woven fabrics undergo special treatment during the processing, such as thermal bonding reinforcement technology, to make the fiber structure more compact and further enhance their ability to prevent flame spread. ​

Concrete security guarantees

（1） Delay the fire and strive for “golden time” for escape

The development of a fire often occurs in an instant, and every second is related to life and death. The flame retardant properties of non-woven fabrics are like adding a strong “time lock” to our life safety. In numerous cases of fire accidents, we can clearly see the crucial role played by non-woven fabrics. ​

In a household fire in [specific region], due to the use of flame-retardant non-woven fabric materials inside the sofa, when a cigarette butt accidentally ignited a corner of the sofa, the fire did not spread as quickly as usual. The situation that could have engulfed the entire sofa and caused a bigger fire within a few minutes did not occur. Flame retardant non-woven fabric slowed down the spread of flames, allowing residents inside the house enough time to detect the fire and take timely firefighting measures, ultimately successfully avoiding a potential major fire. ​

From a data perspective, relevant fire experiments have shown that under the same fire conditions, using ordinary materials for soft furniture and bedding can spread the fire to the entire item within 5 minutes, while similar products using flame-retardant non-woven fabrics can extend the fire spread time to 15 minutes or even longer. The extra 10 minutes are the distance between life and death for those trapped, enough for them to find an escape route and escape danger. It has gained valuable ‘golden escape time’ for people, greatly increasing their chances of survival. ​

（2） Reduce toxic gases and lower the risk of injury

In a fire, besides the raging flames, what is even more deadly is the toxic gases produced by the combustion. Traditional soft furniture and bedding release a large amount of harmful substances to the human body when burned. For example, when some sofas containing polyurethane foam burn, they will produce carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide and other highly toxic gases. Once inhaled by the human body, these gases will quickly combine with hemoglobin in the blood, leading to hypoxia in the human body, which may cause coma or even death in a short time. ​

And non-woven fabric performs well in this regard. Due to its special flame retardant formula and fiber structure, the amount of toxic gases produced during combustion is much lower than other traditional materials. Even in high-temperature environments, the harmful gases released by non-woven fabric combustion are relatively small, mainly consisting of relatively harmless substances such as carbon dioxide and a small amount of water vapor. Taking a certain brand’s product that uses flame-retardant non-woven fabric as the mattress core as an example, in professional combustion testing, the content of toxic gases such as carbon monoxide produced is only one-third of the national standard, greatly reducing the risk of poisoning caused by inhaling toxic gases in fires. ​

This feature is of great significance in ensuring life safety. When a fire occurs, trapped individuals often need to search for an escape route in the smoke. If the surrounding materials burn and produce a large amount of toxic gases, it will undoubtedly make the escape route more difficult and dangerous. The characteristic of non-woven fabric in reducing toxic gas emissions is like opening up a relatively safe passage in a smoky environment, reducing the threat of secondary injuries during evacuation and creating more favorable conditions for safe evacuation. ​

Examples of Non woven Fabric Applications in Daily Life

（1） Safe Choice for Hotels and Hospitals

Entering a modern hotel, when you lie on a soft bed, you may not notice that the seemingly ordinary bed sheets and duvet covers are likely made of non-woven fabric material. Fire safety is crucial in hotels, which are densely populated and highly mobile places. The hotel receives guests from all over the world every day, and the soft furniture and bedding in the rooms are used very frequently. Once a fire occurs, the consequences are unimaginable.​

In order to provide guests with a safe accommodation environment, many hotels choose non-woven bedding. These non-woven fabric products not only have the advantages of softness, comfort, antibacterial and moisture-proof properties, but more importantly, their flame retardant performance provides a “safety” for the hotel’s fire safety. For example, a well-known chain hotel group has uniformly used flame-retardant non-woven fabric to make bed sheets, duvet covers, and pillowcases in thousands of stores nationwide. In a hotel fire drill, the scenario of cigarette butts igniting bedding was simulated. The bed made of non-woven fabric products only showed slight carbonization at the contact area of the cigarette butts, without causing large-scale combustion, successfully avoiding the spread of “fire” and ensuring the safety of “guests”. ​

Similarly, non-woven fabrics are widely used in hospitals. Many of the bed curtains, mattress covers, patient gowns, etc. in the ward are made of non-woven fabric. There are numerous equipment and complex electrical circuits in hospitals, and patients have limited mobility, which poses a fire hazard that cannot be ignored. The flame retardant and antibacterial properties of non-woven fabrics play an important role here. Taking hospital bed curtains as an example, curtains made of flame-retardant non-woven fabric not only provide patients with privacy space, but also effectively prevent the spread of fire and smoke in the event of a fire, buying valuable time for medical staff to transfer patients and carry out rescue operations. ​

（2） Fire prevention guards in the home

In family life, non-woven fabric is also a “little guard” that safeguards our safety. The sofa in your home is likely to be wrapped in non-woven fabric. It can not only wrap around the sponge and other fillers inside the sofa to prevent them from being exposed, but more importantly, when encountering an unexpected fire source, the non-woven fabric can delay the burning speed of the sofa with its flame retardant properties. For example, accidentally dropping an unextinguished cigarette butt on the sofa, if the sofa is wrapped in ordinary fabric, it may quickly ignite and cause the entire sofa to burn; But if it is a flame-retardant non-woven fabric inner wrap, it will form a carbonized layer under the high temperature of the cigarette butt, preventing the flame from continuing to spread and giving you enough time to detect and deal with the danger.​

Looking at mattresses again, many high-quality mattresses are covered with a layer of non-woven fabric cover on the surface. This cover not only protects the internal structure of the mattress, preventing dust and stains from entering, but also has a certain flame retardant effect. Imagine on a cold winter night, using an electric blanket to keep warm. If the blanket malfunctions and sparks, igniting the mattress, the consequences would be unimaginable. With the non-woven mattress cover, it can block flames at critical moments and protect your home safety. ​

In some households, non-woven fabric storage bags are also used to store clothing, bedding, and other items. These storage bags are not only environmentally friendly and durable, but also have flame retardant properties. Even in the event of a fire around them, they can to some extent protect the items stored inside from being quickly ignited, reducing property damage. ​

Choose a life with ‘fire protection’

The fire safety advantages demonstrated by non-woven fabrics in soft furniture and bedding undoubtedly add a solid guarantee to our lives. It can not only slow down the spread of fire when it occurs, buying us valuable escape time, but also reduce the production of toxic gases and minimize the harm of fire to human health. Whether in densely populated hotels, hospitals, or cozy homes, non-woven fabrics silently guard our safety. ​
Next time you choose soft furniture and bedding, you may want to pay more attention to whether the products use non-woven materials. This small action may become the key to protecting your and your family’s life and property safety at critical moments. Let’s pay attention to home fire safety together and choose a life with “fire protection”! ​

#Do you use non-woven fabric in your soft furniture and bedding? Come and share your opinions in the comment section!

Dongguan Liansheng Non woven Technology Co., Ltd. was established in May 2020. It is a large-scale non-woven fabric production enterprise integrating research and development, production, and sales. It can produce various colors of PP spunbond non-woven fabrics with a width of less than 3.2 meters from 9 grams to 300 grams.