Carpets are a beautiful and easy addition to any room. Whether you’re looking at wall-to-wall carpeting, an accent piece to brighten up a room, or a muted number to highlight an art piece, carpets can bring a pop of personality to an otherwise drab atmosphere.
Coming in a wide range of material and styles, from wool, to nylon, polyester, abaca, rattan, silk, cotton, or even acrylic, designers truly are spoilt for choice when it comes to picking what best suits their personal styles.
An important consideration for some when it comes to picking carpet material is its ease of cleaning. Some may have young children in the household, have pets indoors, or entertain guests frequently. All these contribute to the likelihood of carpets getting dirtied, stained, spilled on, or dirt tracked on it.
For some instances, some may choose to use carpets as portraiture, framed and hung on walls, as some designs truly are masterpieces. This definitely reduces the need to clean them as no air circulates within the frame, and keeps the piece in its original state for a longer period of time.
Some remove them every once in a while to “rest”, while still others employ a strict no shoes indoors policy to prevent shoes dirtying the inside of the house. While these measures may reduce the amount of dirt tracked on to the carpet, it unfortunately does not reduce the need to clean it often, as they are a breeding ground for microorganisms coming from spills and other organic matter. Apart from collecting germs that are hard to remove, they are also asthma and allergy triggers.
For small rugs, regular laundering, at least every two days is ideal, in order to avoid any untoward asthma attacks. While for those with wall-to-wall carpeting, daily vacuuming is a must.
Great care must be taken when vacuuming, preferably using a machine with a HEPA filter in order to ensure that the dust remains inside the filter (a common problem with traditional/non-HEPA vacuums). This proactive practice also extend the life of the carpet by reducing the friction between the particles that get wedged in the fibers, compromising its strength.
Vacuuming should be done slowly, as this ensures that more dust is picked up. As carpets fibers are bunched together tightly, it is easy for dirt to wedge in its deepest crevices, so regular washing in order to agitate its release is ideal; while for wall-to-wall carpeting, high powered vacuums is the way to go. If it’s within you your budget, author recommends subjecting carpets to deep-cleaning with a high powered carpet cleaner at least once a year, if the material is agreeable to it.
One should take note that when it comes to authentic Persian carpets, these are not allowed to come into contact with any form of moisture as this compromises the quality of the textile used. Often these are woven from pure silk or cotton, or a blend of either. Given that they are works of art in themselves, it may be reconsidered if one would choose to place them in high traffic areas in the first place. However, they are definitely worth enjoying for their luxuriously fur-like texture, on top of their artful and intricate weaving.
Many contemporary carpet manufacturers keep many of these concerns in mind, and have come up with material that make choosing a carpet for your home or office much easier, by coming up with nylon blends, that are strong, durable, and equally beautiful to display. Some even go so far as to personalize your desired blend, and adjust to your restrictions, such as providing options for carpets that do not contain formaldehyde. Thus, care needed for carpet maintenance should not be a deterrent to the use of one.
It’s a breeze to retain carpets in the home, as well as supremely aesthetically pleasing, as long as there are the right practices in place for its cleanliness, safety, and longevity: no wearing of shoes indoors, regular washing for textiles that allow it, and daily deep vacuuming for those that may not be washed.