What is Acrylic Carpet?
Acrylic is a manmade substance, similar in appearance and feel to wool. A plastic fiber made from acrylonitrile, acrylic became a substitute for wool in a number of carpets after the 1950s. The acrylic carpet had some advantages. It was less expensive than wool, resistant to mold and mildew, easy to dye in bright colors, fast drying, and fairly stain resistant. Companies that first developed acrylic, like DuPont, quickly made profits on acrylic carpet. However certain characteristics of the carpet meant it didn’t stay popular for long as a first choice fiber. The biggest complaint about acrylic carpet is that it tends to wear out quickly. So though it may be a less expensive fiber to use, it isn’t the best when compared to some of the other manmade fibers used for carpets today. The main manufacturer of acrylic, DuPont, did cease manufacturing the fiber in 1991. While you can find some acrylic carpet types on the market, sinking popularity tends to be due to one factor. The carpet simp
