Antimicrobial Fabrics

Antimicrobial fabrics are used across various industries because they inhibit the growth and spread of bacteria, mold, mildew, and other microbes, without this layer of protection, many fabric products would succumb to contamination and have to be discarded. Here are some common areas where antimicrobial fabrics are frequently used:

Healthcare Facilities, Hospitality Industry, Sports Facilities, Educational Facilities, Catering Facilities and Residential Sectors.

An antimicrobial is applied to a fabric to help prevent the growth and spread of bacteria and other microorganisms that could develop on the material’s surface. This means that the antimicrobial is constantly working against microorganisms and prolonging the life of the fabric. For medical facilities, investing in antimicrobial textiles is one way to ensure the material’s longevity and help keep replacement costs down.

Louvolite antimicrobial fabrics meet ASTM G21 standards, and some are treated with Ultra-Fresh*.

*Ultra-Fresh is a registered trademark of Microban Products Company

Ultra-Fresh*

Louvolite offers an additional level of defence with Ultra-Fresh treated fabrics. This antimicrobial treatment offers proven protection from microbial attack by controlling the growth of unwanted microbes. When treated with Ultra-Fresh the fabric provides protection against the growth of odour causing bacteria, fungi, mildew and moulds. It also prevents stains that can be caused by bacteria and fungi resulting in fabric that is fresher and cleaner for longer.

Ultra-Fresh is recommended for use in the healthcare sector, care homes, catering facilities, schools and nurseries.
With a wide range of light filtering and blackout FR fabrics available for the commercial market, it makes sense to choose window blinds treated with Ultra-fresh where antimicrobial protection is of particular importance.

*Ultra-Fresh is a registered trademark of Microban Products Company

Louvolite CoronaSafe™

It is essential to make areas where people gather as safe as possible and protect against the spread of coronavirus. Louvolite offers an additional layer of security with the introduction of Louvolite CoronaSafe™ treated Carnival and Carnival Blackout fabrics. 

The unique formula offers proven protection eliminating 99% of coronavirus from the fabric’s surface within an hour. An hour! A tremendous result when, according to the internationally recognised medical journal, The Lancet, cloth can retain the virus for up to 2 days.

Where extra protection is needed, in hospitality, offices, care homes, healthcare sectors, schools, nurseries and in the home, use Louvolite CoronaSafe™ window blinds in Carnival or Carnival Blackout fabric. Why would you use anything else?

Louvolite CoronaSafe™ is independently tested.

Currently, the strain related to the pandemic poses a significant threat to people handling it outside of high-level research laboratories – it is therefore not available commercially for use in public test laboratories. In this case and like other outbreaks, such as SARS and EBOLA, the testing industry use a suitable surrogate to represent the target strain that would have representative results of a product’s performance.

To test against coronavirus the independent testing laboratory uses feline coronavirus as a surrogate organism, as it poses no risk to staff and shares a strong family design to the outbreak strain with only small differences in RNA. It’s currently used in other EN methodologies and has been tested in ring trials, proving to provide reliable and repeatable results.

This allows the test teams to confirm that any result on feline coronavirus would be representative of the results achieved on the pandemic strain, if it was tested, and that they are repeatable by other laboratories.

Louvolite Coronasafe™, helping protect against coronavirus.

Pollergen™

Did you know that 16 million people in the UK suffer from hayfever? That’s 1 in 4!

Louvolite can provide some relief with our performance coating, Pollergen™. The formula coated on the reverse of the fabric de-natures up to 50% of grass pollen when the two come into contact. A deployed blind can dramatically decrease the amount of active pollen that can enter a room.

All Louvolite Pollergen™ treated fabrics can be washed or wiped down as the active formulation continuously migrates to the surface of the fabric for continued protection.

With approximately 2 million offices in the UK and nearly all of them including someone with a grass pollen allergy, the treated fabrics placed in offices, and that too of hospitals, restaurants and schools, help provide a better environment for concentration and productivity caused by hayfever.

Halogen Free Flame Retardant

Halogen Free Flame Retardants (HFFRs) are chemical compounds used in materials to increase their fire resistance. Unlike traditional flame retardants, HFFRs do not contain halogens such as chlorine or bromine, making them more environmentally friendly and less of a health risk when the fabric is burning.

These special additives react during a fire by absorbing heat and slowing down or suppressing the spread of flames. HFFRs are crucial for manufacturing safe and fire-resistant products in various industries.

Their use enables the meeting of stringent safety standards without impacting the environment. The introduction of halogen free flame retardants is driven by concerns about the environmental and health impacts of halogenated compounds, which are known to produce harmful gases when burned and persist in ecosystems and organisms. The use of halogen free flame retardants represents a sustainable and safer approach to reduce the flammability of materials.

Greenshield – VOC Free Fabrics

VOCs, or Volatile Organic Compounds, are chemicals that can easily evaporate into the air at room temperature. In textiles, VOCs can be found in various forms, such as solvents, dyes, and finishes used in manufacturing. These compounds can be emitted into the air and may contribute to indoor air pollution, adversely affecting human health and the environment.

All Louvolite fabrics are manufactured using VOC-free dyes and finishes.

Moisture Resistant Fabrics

Moisture resistant fabrics can withstand the effects of moisture, ensuring they are unaffected when exposed to humidity or water. Due to their resistance, these Louvolite fabrics are easy to maintain, are antimicrobial and can be wipe cleaned.

SPC®

Louvolite SPC®, Solar Protective Coating, is applied to the reverse side of fabrics which reflects heat and light more effectively than conventional materials.

A benefit of the SPC® coating is it helps conserve energy in both winter and summer. SPC® retains heat in a room by reducing thermal loss through the window in winter and on summer days it reduces the heat build up through reflectance. A result can be reduced energy bills!

An additional benefit of the SPC® coating is its ability to decrease glare – ideal for offices, schools and commercial spaces using computers or projectors. The coated blinds can be raised, lowered or adjusted to reduce the glare while still obtaining a view of the outside.

Use SPC® coated blinds in offices, hotels, healthcare sectors, care homes, educational institutions, nurseries, restaurants, conservatories and orangeries.