There is little more luxurious, warming and welcoming than a beautiful clean carpet. Whether you are entering a corporate office, hospitality establishment or a private home, the appeal of a carpet is undeniable. Even in our modern and more streamlined world where carpets are continually giving way to tiles, wood or laminate flooring, carpeting will appear in the form of rugs and runners.
Floor coverings and carpets have been used for thousands of years
Carpets have been popular floor coverings for thousands of years. Carpets appeared as far back as 2 000 or 3 000 BCE, and the earliest specimen found was the Pazyryk carpet which dates back to the 5th century BCE, and was found in Siberia in a valley from which the name originated. It is thought that carpets were originally used to make it more comfortable when sitting on the ground and started as rugs or mats which were made cheaply from coconut fibre, straw and corn husks, whilst more expensive rugs were made with sheep wool or goat hair. But even before carpets came into being, poorer people would paint their floors as a form of décor. Those with more money either bought or made painted floor cloths which were placed in hallways and parlors, so it can be seen that floor coverings were both useful and decorative.
Sadly, carpets are more difficult to keep clean than tile, wood or laminate flooring
It is clear that carpets have come a long way from their original humble beginnings and have, over time, evolved into beautiful floor coverings which do so much to make our homes warm and welcoming, whilst also adding that extra touch of glamour and luxury. Even if your carpeting is limited to smaller area rugs, they make all the difference to the feel of a room. The main problem with carpeting is keeping it clean. You need to weigh up the pro’s and con’s when choosing your carpeting. Whilst you might have your heart set on a cream coloured carpet in your living area, you need to be mindful of the foot traffic which will pass over it every day. It is not common in this country for people to remove their shoes when entering a carpeted area, so dirt from shoes will be transferred to your carpets very quickly. Area rugs have the advantage over fitted carpeting in this respect, as many of them can be removed for professional cleaning or even soaked in the bath with a suitable cleaning agent (even dishwashing soap or clothes detergent will do at a pinch), whereas calling the professionals to clean fitted carpet is a far more arduous process, including the removal of all furniture from the area and the consequent inconvenience this causes.
Even if you deep clean every other year, carpets will naturally deteriorate over time
Some carpeting is chemically pre-treated to minimize the stain factor, which will keep them looking and smelling clean for a longer period but all carpets need to be properly (preferably professionally) cleaned every couple of years at a minimum to both extend their lifespan and prevent the buildup of pathogens and ingrained dirt from being trodden deep into the carpet fibers. Wool carpet fibers are naturally stain-resistant and don’t need to be chemically treated to prevent staining and can effectively prevent spills from food products such as red wine and mustard, coffee, tea and cola, amongst others, as well as being able to repel stains from oils. Wool carpets are therefore ideal for heavier traffic areas because of their durability and resistance to staining, but they are expensive, which puts them out of the reach of many homeowners. Nonetheless, if you want to make the investment, a good quality carpet should easily last for six to ten years, if proper care and cleaning are part of your regular routine.