Polypropylene Rug Benefits and Characteristics

This material has actually improved in quality in recent years, making them a serious contender in the rug market.

These rugs are great for

Family rooms
Play rooms
Rumpus rooms
Pool changing rooms
Computer rooms
Outdoor use

 

These rugs are not so great for

High traffic areas

 

 

 

 

Resisting moisture, bacteria and bleach as well, this durable material is one of the few suitable for outdoor use.
One of the most colourfast fibers, it's able to hold colour exceedingly well over time - even with outdoor use due to it's weather resistant properties.

Water resistance is a key benefit in Polypropylene rugs. This fiber resists moisture and moves any wetness to the top of the strand allowing for easy and fast evaporation. You can even use this rug close to swimming areas or damp basements!

 

BCF (Bulk Continuous Filament) and Heatset

Polypropylene is one of the easier to produce fibres for rugs. With wool, it's much harder to produce in house.
With polypropylene able to be produced in house (not sourced from elsewhere) much more easily, you're going to have many more variations in quality between different polypropylene rugs, depending on which company has made them.

There's two main types of Polypropylene. BCF and Heatset.
BCF is cheaper to produce and rougher to touch. It does the job and is more cost effective, but if you're looking for a softer machine-made rug that will be longer lasting and of better quality - look in to Heatset Polypropylene.
If a company is using cheaper materials to create a rug, it stands to reason that their construction methods will be cheaper too. So what you're looking at here is not just the durability and feel of the fibre - but how long the rug will last too.

Despite the fact that BCF is cheaper, you may find that it's more expensive in the long run if you need to replace it due to cheaper construction methods!

At Catwalk Rugs, we only use Heat-Set Polypropylene. Even our synthetic rugs are the highest quality you can get for that particular price point, and follows our continuous theme and image of quality rugs.

 

The good and the bad

One downside is that this fiber attracts dirt so should be cleaned regularly.
Luckily, cleaning this type of rug is pretty easy due to the above mentioned properties. You can get it wet, hose it off, and use cleaning products on it.
This rug is resistant to water based stains, but doesn't do too well against oil based stains.

This fiber may develop traffic patterns and flattening over time.

A very good choice for rooms with kids or places that are likely to have spills or pets around. Great for family rooms, play rooms, rumpus rooms, pool changing rooms, and computer rooms as this fiber does not create static charge.
Also a popular choice in retirement homes as wheelchairs will roll over low pile Polypropylene rugs with ease.