Olefin carpet is and probably always will be a popular choice in carpeting. You might also see it advertised as polypropylene. So why is it popular and is it the right choice for your home? Well that depends on what you are looking for. Here are some of the advantages of Olefin. The biggest advantage of Olefin is that it is very affordable. It is one of the lowest cost carpets out there which makes it a great choice if you need to save some money as carpet can get very expensive very quickly. Another advantage of Olefin is that it resists staining. Because it is solution dyed and absorbs almost no moisture it is very resistant to staining making it excellent for homes with kids. The final advantage is that it can not be bleached and will not fade from sunlight. This is because the dye runs all the way through the fiber.

Olefin does however have many disadvantages. For starters it has a strong affinity towards oil. This often results in dark traffic areas that are hard to clean. Another disadvantage is that it is a soft fiber making it crush and mat easily. This results in a carpet that unfortunately can wear out quickly. The final disadvantage is that it has a low melting point. This might not sound like too bad of a thing but Olefin carpet can be melted from friction caused from something as little as sliding a piece of furniture across the carpet.

As you can see, there are many pluses and minuses for Olefin or Polypropylene carpeting. If you just need a basic carpet at a great price for your home or rental property it might be the carpet for you though.