So after doing some shopping for futon covers, you will probably see the expected ingredients: the old faithfuls cotton and polyester above all, and perhaps a dash of rayon (silky), nylon (also silky) or acrylic (woolly). You also may have seen the ubiquitous polyurethane make an appearance or two to give the cover that extra measure of springiness.

But if you’re in the market for a more elegant, sophisticated, exotic, or multi-textured cover, you may come across some strange materials you may have never seen before. Here are a couple rarely-used materials yours truly found when flipping through our gargantuan selection of covers:

Olefin another word for polypropylene (which is itself abbreviated as aœpolyprop) this is a synthetic compound which accounts for 16% of all manufactured fibers. If you’re an organic purist that cringes at the notion of synthetic chemicals touching your body, worry not! Olefin is often used to treat hernias and is very rarely rejected by the human body.

Back to our main concern: futon covers. The Wikipedia entry describes the practical properties of olefin quite well:

Olefin fibers have great bulk and cover while having low specific gravity. This means warmth without the weight. The fibers have low moisture absorption, but they can wick moisture and dry quickly. Olefin is abrasion, stain, sunlight, and chemical resistant. It does not dye well, but has the advantage of being colorfast. Since Olefin has a low melting point, textiles can be thermally bonded. The fibers have the lowest static of all manufactured fibers and a medium luster. One of the most important properties of olefin is its strength. It keeps its strength in wet or dry conditions and is very resilient. The fiber can be produced for strength of different properties.

Viscose Chenille is best explained when broken down into two components. Chenille is essentially the manner in which the viscose material is spun. Chenille entails wrapping short lengths of fabric around a tightly wound core of yarn. The edges of these short lengths stand at perpendicular angles from this core, which gives it characteristic appearance and softness.

Viscose is a viscous organic fluid used to made rayon and cellophane. It has been around for some time as early as 1904, its manufacture was already a big business, and by the thirties, it had completely replaced cotton and wool as a staple for women’s stockings and underwear. Viscose fabric is a soft material, used mostly in coats and jackets.

Combine a soft fabric (viscose) with a soft stitching (chenille) and you’re sure to get something that at least one of your senses agrees with.

I’m sure to encounter some more of these fantastically foreign compounds, so stay tuned!