What's in YOUR Carpet?

No, I'm not talking about the soils today! Instead, lets talk about what your carpet is made out of. Chances are, your carpet is a man-made fiber rather than a natural one like wool.

There are quite a variety of these fibers on the market today--nylon, olefin, polyester, acrylic--and your carpet may have one, or more likely, a blend of them. Why is that? Well, different fibers have different advantages and disadvantages depending on the location and use of the carpet.

Most homes will have a nylon or nylon blend of carpet. This is because nylon is the most wear-resistant of the common fibers, shows its color nicely and has some inherent soil and stain resistance. It is the most expensive to make though, which can be a prohibitive factor for large installations or tight budgets.

On the flipside, many commercial and public carpets are olefin or an olefin blend. This is because olefin is the cheapest to manufacture, which allows a lower price--a nice advantage when you need to carpet large areas! But olefin is not as wear-resistant, and though it also has a nice visual appeal, it can soil quickly and easily--even more so over time, as its quicker abrasion makes resoiling even quicker and easier.

Additionally, olefin (and polypropylene, essentially the same material) are petroleum-based products, as you might have guessed by the name. This means they are "oleophilic," or oil-loving. In plain terms, it means that this fiber attracts and bonds to oil-based soils VERY easily and DO NOT like to let them go, making it difficult to clean them. As you might recall from an earlier blog here, oil-based soils are a large part of the soiling process, making olefin a short-lived product that will wear quickly and soil easily.
If you have an olefin, vacuum it OFTEN and WELL! Keep it as free of soils as you can to reduce wear. Also keep it on a regular maintenance clean.

Polyester and acrylic both have low wear-resistance, which makes them less appealing for high-use areas, which results in a low frequency of use.

Now for the dirty secret. Many carpets being sold today are a blend. Most commonly you'll find a nylon/olefin blend. Knowing what you know now about olefin, you might wonder "Why? Olefins wear quickly and soil easily, and love to hold onto oily soils, making them difficult to clean, so why blend them?"

Recall that olefin is the cheapest fiber, while nylon is the most expensive. Selling a blend means that the production cost is lower for the mill and that the carpet will wear faster, requiring more cleaning and more frequent replacement. A very common ratio you'll find is 70% nylon and 30% olefin. Not too bad, right? Maybe so, but that 30% is enough to visually reduce the appearance over time and with soiling.
Remember that in school, 70% was a C-. Not so appealing, eh?

Nylons are great in the home, but certain rooms, like the bathroom, might be better served with an olefin, as it is hydrophobic, which means the moisture in that room will affect it less. It will wear quicker, but if properly maintained, can look good in the meantime.
In the kitchen though, olefin would probably be a terrible idea!

So be aware and check the labels when you are buying carpet! Knowing what you are putting in your home is one huge step towards maintaining that investment for a long time. The right stuff in the right spot with the proper cleaning measures can keep any carpet looking good for years to come!