A few months ago we bough an "indoor/outdoor" rug from Walmart (so I'm sure a lesser quality one than from World Market). Ours was made of Polypropylene, which is what most of these type of rugs are made of. The rug had an odd odor for about a day or so, but then no smell whatsoever. More importantly, this rug is INVINCIBLE. We've gotten pen ink out of it (when my puppy was teething), wet paint (when I was too lazy to remove the rug when changing paint colors), and even survived when my dog was simultaneous being housebroken and getting over worms (which, as a dog owner, you understand the stains that come out both ends). I wouldn't trade this rug for anything. And to counter the editor's comment's: DO NOT GET A COTTON RUG. My dog destroyed my cotton rug and the stains just wouldn't come out. Just my advice.

Just in case, this is the one we bought: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10710901

I'd have to agree that $500 is a bit steep for this kind of rug. We got a massive rug (8.9x12 ft) for around $100 and it is actually the softest rug we have in the house. My boyfriend wanted me to throw away my $500 wool rug and replace it with this because he thought it was so much softer. I politely told him no.

What you could do, is buy the cheap rug from walmart, and paint it in the pattern you like. It's similar to painting sisal, just make sure you get a plastic-adhesion paint. http://www.ehow.com/how_2105566_stencil-sisal-rug.html

http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/makeover-your-rugs-with-paint-10000001058023/

I also have a polypropylene rug. I got it when my daughter was an infant and it was soft enough for her to crawl on, and as divellent says, it's very easy to clean. But, I only spent $40 on it; it was a 5x7 from Ikea. I think $500 for this type of rug is way too much, personally. I'd rather spend that on a wool rug.

i also have a polypropylene rug, which, from what i understand, is similar to polyacrylic. I love my rug. As stated above, its virtually indestructible. Check overstock.com. they have a wide variety of great looking rugs for much much cheaper than 500 bucks! plus shipping is less than $3!! can't beat that...

I also just bought a polypropylene rug... I put it down over the weekend. I was totally worried that it would look "plasticy"or smell funky, but I am more than pleased. The smell is almost gone (and was never very strong to begin with), and the rug looks great. I got an 11'x7' from Overstock.com for $170. They've got some really beautiful rugs at great prices. This is the one I got:
http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/St.-Barts-Indoor-Outdoor-Rug-710-x-11/3898882/product.html

Oh, and I got it in about 5 days... and shipping is just $1.

I would shop around for another vendor selling a similar rug for much less--they're out there. $500 is way overpriced, even though these are good rugs, don't smell and last a long time. Ballard is good, as is Grandin Road, and they're offering good deals now. Most places are much cheaper and faster and you'll still be getting a good rug.

Zoee is completely right: the rug above is polyacrylic and totally different than what the other commenters are talking about. I actually have this exact rug (I bought it from Ballard Designs at around the same price) and I strongly recommend NOT getting it. It doesn't smell strange and it feels like a regular rug, but it gets insanely dirty.

I bought this rug especially for the "cleanable" factor (I have a dog and it gets high traffic), and it's basically so dingy after 6 months that I'm looking to replace it. The white of the chains, specifically, gets very dirty.

Given the comment above, I recommend a polypropylene rug instead of the polyacrylic rug. We have a dog and two cats and our polypro rugs from Pottery Barn and Ballard Designs still look great after several years. Friends' kids have spilled dark juice on the rugs, and adults have spilled red wine, and it all comes out easily. The polypro rugs also tend to cost quite a bit less than polyacrylic, as others have mentioned.

HomeDecorators.com or HomeDecoratorsOutlet.com have an ENORMOUS selection... if you're still interested.

My solution to this is floor cloths. They are made out of heavy artist's canvas, have unique, one of a kind designs, which are at the choice of the owner, and then covered with a water-based polyurethane. They wear well and to clean them you only need mild soap and water. I know someone who makes them and have numerous floorcloths through my home. They are great in high traffic areas. He charges about $150 for a 4ftX6ft, but can also make much larger ones up to 12ft X whatever.

If your baby is spending time on this rug or any rug that is not of a natural fiber or is treated with chemicals, as many are, you may want to investigate what those chemicals are and if they are harmful.

I'm in the same boat: puppy and 8 month old baby. I want a long runner for our kitchen, which has hardwood floors. The dog thought our previous cotton ikea rugs were his personal toys (really, he thinks everything is his personal toy) but I want to give these a try. It will definitely sit outside for awhile to offgas as much as possible.