What is synthetic fiber carpet?

Nylon

Ever wonder how nylon and other synthetic fibers came to be? Here is the story of the nylon and others that followed it that is woven into fibers to make the easy to clean carpet that we now have today.

The DuPont Chemical Company in 1938 was the first to introduce the fiber nylon.   Years later, after technological and scientific development, nylon was the first synthetic fiber to be used in the carpeting industry.

Fiber has come a long way from what it is today. In the past, the first three generations of fiber went through a lot of problems. The worst of all the obstacles they faced were staining.

However, the fourth generation of nylon has been coated to repel stains.

Since then, nylon has been on top of the carpet industry because of its ability to repel water and oil based spills. It can even repel soil. Because of this, nylon became the top selling carpet fibers.

The DuPont company did some research and developed the fifth generation of nylon. Most dye stains can now be repelled by this stain resistant fiber. Because it is an acid dye blocker, this generation of nylon does not allow acid dyes to penetrate and stain the fibers themselves.

What are other types of fiber for your carpet?

Polyester

Polyester was first introduced in the 1950s. In the 1960s it was introduced into the market as a face yarn.

Although it does not have the resiliency of nylon it has the feel and the touch of nylon itself.

The best thing about polyester is that is doesn’t absorb water based spills. Even if you cat pees on it, it will be just ok. However, it will absorb oil based spills. Another good thing is that it is non allergenic, so baby can just crawl and crawl and crawl and not get itch itch and more itch from being in contact with the carpet or its fibers.

Acrylic/modacrylic

The birth of these fibers was in the late 1940s. They then died around 1988 because of the high competition from other fibers. Berber styling introduced it again in the 1990s.

It looks like wool, it feels like wool, but it is more spot resistant and more durable than wool is.

Olefin

This is the latest of synthetic fibers to be used in the carpet industry. It has a lot of uses including primary and secondary backing of tufted carpets, wrap yarns, and other uses as well.

For more information regarding carpets and tips and services on carpet cleaning visit and learn about our website.   We are UltraCleanCarpetClean serving in Montgomery County, MD, Virginia, and District of Columbia.