Buying a Carpet and Caring for it.

A good quality carpet in
neutral tones is an ideal
background for most
colour schemes.

 

 

When choosing a carpet, consider how much wear it will get – a bedroom has less wear than a hallway - and how long it should last - a few months until someone buys your house? Or years with a growing family, pets and muddy boots? Poor quality carpets will become flattened or discoloured soon after fitting.

If carpets are not fitted properly, joins and gaps not only look ugly but can trap dirt. Improperly laid, un-stretched carpets may have lumps, bumps and wrinkles, causing doors to scrape and catch each time they are opened or closed. Additionally, a loop pile (e.g. Berber) must be cut correctly - if a loose cut is caught in a vacuum cleaner, it will unravel along the whole seam. The same is true of loose threads from hessian carpet backing.

At the time of writing, the carpet industry’s trade body, the Carpet Foundation, suggests that £20 per square metre should buy a good quality carpet. A quality underlay and fitting will cost extra.

Your carpet, however good its quality and however clean your home, will eventually attract and trap dirt - particles in the air from open doors and windows, minute dead skin cells, etc. Dirt and dust should be regularly removed with a vacuum cleaner and deep-cleaned every few months to remove dirt and mites.