Synthetic rug to oust wool?

Press, 3 May 1984, Page 9

Synthetic rug to oust wool?

Sheepskin rugs being used as underblankets by the Canterbury Hospital Board may be replaced by synthetic rugs in future. A trial batch of 100 fully synthetic rugs imported from Britain has been in use in hospitals for the last three weeks. The board’s central linen manager, Mr Ray Urquhart, said that the synthetic rugs would replace the woollen ones as they wore out, if the trial batch proved successful. Mr Urquhart said that the synthetic rugs had many

[ advantages over the woollen i ones, such as being cheaper ! and harder wearing. The synthetic rugs cost only half as much as the woollen rugs — or ?28 instead of $56, he said. “The synthetic rugs should last at least 12 months, whereas the ones we have don’t last nearly as long as that,” he said. Natural wool rugs deteriorated because of the hide backing which wore out quickly, said Mr Urquhart, and the board had been using natural wool . rugs with a synthetic backing as a replacement. However, the company which made these in the North Island went out of business recently, so the fully synthetic rugs would now be tried instead. > Mr Urquhart said that the synthetic rugs were used by the National Health Service in Britain. The chairman of the Canterbury Hospital Board, Mr T. C. Grigg, said that the board had to be realistic about deciding which sort of rug it was going to use. “All things being equal, natural wool is better,” he said. “But if it is going to save money and is as good as the wool rug, then that’s what we will have to use.”