Choosing the right fiber--Polypropylene

Area rugs are made in a whole bunch of different fibers including Polypropylene. This word however sounds very technical to me and does not tell me much about the rugs that may be made of it. Unlike other fibers such as Nylon which have been heavily marketed by the yarn manufacturers, Polypropylene is somewhat unknown. Well, not anymore I say. Here are a few pointers about Polypropylene rugs that should help you determine whether or not your selection is the right one.

Polypropylene is a synthetic fiber that is continuous filament. Continuous filament essentially means that the fiber will not pill or fuzz even under heavy traffic. Additionally the way that Polypropylene is dyed means that it cannot be stained with anything other than oil. How can a fiber stand up to red wine and even pet stains only to be brought down by some good old fashioned olive oil?

This is because the molecular structure of Polypropylene holds up very well under most spills but since Polypropylene rugs are petroleum based, oil on them causes the molecular structure of the yarn to change.

Polypropylene rugs are actually so durable that one of our largest suppliers has recently backed all of their Polypropylene rugs for 10 years against any staining. Their assortment of Polypropylene rugs is second to none and with a warranty like that, you really can't go wrong.

Check out some of their patterns with a 10 year warranty here.

To wrap this all up...here are my thoughts about Polypropylene:

The Pros of Polypropylene

1) Highly resistant to stains

2) Well priced

3) Does not pill or fuzz

The Cons of Polypropylene

1) Do not spill anything oil based on it-it is like kryptonite to this otherwise super fiber

2) Texture retention is very good, but not as incredibly good as wool. There is a trade off since wool is not as bulletproof as Polypropylene with respect to staining

An important thing to keep in mind is that fibers are all imperfect. It is a bit of a give and take to balance out what the ideal fiber is for your home. I personally have Polypropylene rugs in the entryway to my home and they have held up incredibly well. Just before I have guests over I may scrub them with a mix of bleach and water to get any stubborn stains out. Since I own an area rug store, I certainly cannot have people seeing a stained rug immediately upon their arrival.

I hope this series on fibers has been helpful. If you have questions or thoughts just add a comment. Thanks.