When it comes to carpet your floor, you’re going to have several choices. One such popular choice is olefin carpeting. In this guide, we’ll be going to explore olefin, its pros and cons, staining, durability, and soiling features, and where it’s likely to best work. Read on;
Olefin and Its defining Features
Also known as polypropylene, olefin fiber has a lot of uses both in commercial and domestic applications and one such use is in carpet making. A few things make olefin different from other fibers such as its durability, appearance, and soil and stain resistance. Its texture and visual appearance are somehow similar to wool. Just like matte or polyester, olefin can appear shiny and bright with low reflectivity.
Where Olefin Carpets Work Best In The Home?
Unlike other synthetic fibers, olefin possesses low resilience power. What does it mean? Whenever the olefin fibers are compressed, they will get back to their original condition.
Olefin carpets are more affordable than polyester and nylon because of their lower cost of production. However, it possesses a shorter lifespan than polyester or nylon carpets.
Olefin carpets are ideal for spaces with lower foot traffic such as a nursery or bedroom. You can’t lay these carpets in hallways, stairs, and family rooms.
As olefin is a hydrophobic fiber, it is widely used as a weather-resistant carpet (not waterproof) in outdoor and marine environments. Moreover, olefin fibers are resistant to fading and won’t get damaged or discolored from ultraviolet rays and sunlight.
As olefin fiber dries quickly; it is an ideal choice for basement carpeting. While it’s not waterproof, as we’ve discussed earlier, olefin carpets are suitable for a damp or flood-prone basement.
Why Does Olefin Possess High Stain Resistance And Low Soil Resistance?
The main reason behind the powerful resistance of olefin to staining is its hydrophobic nature. This means olefin fibers don’t like liquids therefore they are solution-dyed. During production, the color is added to the fiber instead of dyeing it later. As solution-dyed fibers possess no open dye sites, stains cant attach to them. This is the reason why olefin fibers are highly resistant to staining.
On the other hand, the resistance of olefin towards soil resistance is very poor because of its oleophilic nature. In fact, the olefin net is often used in the cleaning of oil spills in oceans and lakes.
Unfortunately, olefin’s love for oil means you can’t remove oil-based spills of residue from these carpets. This is why olefin carpets are not ideal for areas that are highly prone to oily spills such as dining rooms and kitchens.
If having olefin carpets in your home, it’s recommended to wear slippers or socks otherwise the carpet can get faded from your skin’s oil. This is unlikely to work for children, guests, or pets, though.
So, this is all about olefin carpets. Now that you know all the features of olefin fibers, you can better understand whether or not it’s ideal for your home.