Shoes off
It seems like such an obvious answer, but make sure that outside remains outside by removing your shoes as soon as you enter the house. You should also provide mats outside of all entry-points to make sure that shoes are rubbed down prior to coming in – this will prevent insects from getting inside. Remind visitors to do that same – don’t be afraid to ask them! Just provide a rack so they know their shoes aren’t going to get trampled.

Keep it dry
Keeping your carpet free from contaminants is really only half the battle – it’s just as important to make sure that you don’t encourage the growth of bacteria by providing an ideal environment in which it can thrive. Any moisture provides an ideal setting for bacteria and mould to grow in, so keeping your carpet clean is crucial if you’re to properly protect your baby.
You’ll obviously need to make sure that all spills are cleaned up immediately – with as much wetness as possible drawn out of the carpet fibres. You can also open the windows after cleaning to ensure than minimal moisture is retained in the room itself.

Pay attention to pets
Pet owners are welcome to try to teach their cat or dog to rub their paws on the mat, but it’s probably not going to work. Cats like to come and go as they please, and dogs are exuberant when entering the house, so it can be tricky to keep them from tracking in contaminants.

The best thing to do is keep them within the entry-way or utility room before letting them back into the house itself. Use a cloth to gently wipe down their paws, then quickly check that there aren’t any insects on their coat.

Making sure your carpet is free of contaminants should be high on every parent’s list of priorities, and we hope these tips will make it easier.

It may seem unlikely, but some of the best floors we’ve ever seen are those that have employed unusual materials rather than your standard wood, tiles, carpet or linoleum. Here’s some of the most outlandish we can think of, and we think you’ll agree that the creativity behind of these ideas is off the scale!

Old Leather Belts
TING is a design company that creates luxury products from salvaged materials. Recently they’ve been sourcing old leather belts, removing the metalwork, hand-cleaning them and then processing them as flooring. What you’re left with is an attractive, subtle and hard-wearing floor, with the colour and pattern balance predetermined before a single one is laid down. Ideal for a clothing store!

Bottle Caps
Take a look at the Bone House in Texas, an artists’ studio with an eye-catching bathroom floor created from thousands of colourful bottle caps. As an example of sustainable architecture this is hard to beat, very low-cost, zero carbon use, and removing waste from the environment. But given the amount of time you’d need to spend finding all the caps, it’s probably only suitable for very small rooms. A similar but more neutral effect could be gleaned by using pennies.

Paper Bags
Tearing old brown paper bags into shapes and laying them down allows for beautiful patterns. You simply arrange them however you want and then put a thin layer of polyurethane over them to seal the floor. Owners of floors such as this reckon they look like a hybrid of cork, hardwood and leather, and we’d imagine they’re pretty pleased with the price-tag as well!

Wine Corks
The perfect flooring solution for a vineyard, or anyone with a passion for the fruits of the vine, wine cork floors look lovely, and feel great beneath your feet too. A floor of this was created for another room at the Bone House, with around 72 corks per square foot needed, so if you’d like to follow suit, better start drinking.

The most significant factor is comfort under foot. The soft surface and cushioning effect of carpet makes it the easiest option for your feet. It also provides excellent warmth and acts as an additional insulator in your home, helping with your energy efficiency.

Carpet is also a lot ‘quieter’ than other forms of flooring. It stifles foot noise, reduces that empty room echo sound and blocks noise from travelling as much between floors. And don’t forget it’s a lot safer. You are not as likely to have a serious accident on your carpet as it is non-slip and provides a cushioned fall. And if you drop any fragile items they are less likely to be damaged.

Nor is carpet an expensive option as typically it costs less than other types of popular flooring. You should be able to buy your carpet and have it professionally fitted for less than hardwood or tile floorings. Some people think that it is harder to keep carpet clean but most made today are highly stain-resistant and very easy to maintain.

Last but not least is decoration. A lot of people now act as their own ‘Interior Designer’ and as you can get carpet in any style, design, colour or pattern it has become an integral part of decorating a room.

So, for all these reasons, carpet is still typically the number one flooring choice, featuring in several rooms of a house. For more information on carpet and other flooring solutions, please take a moment to explore the rest of our informational website.

Although some spills and stains will no doubt have to be corrected by a carpet specialist, there are a number of things you can try and some tips you can follow to clear up most stains by yourself. So don’t panic! See our advice below for more information:

First – The tools:

• It’s helpful to have a clean cloth at hand, to help wipe up any spillages
• Detergent solution can be mixed with water, and will often bring up any remaining marks
• If a simple detergent solution doesn’t do the trick, you can try a dry cleaning solution, detergent vinegar solution or ammonia solution.

Just remember – don’t use anything that is likely to damage or further stain / bleach your carpet. The last thing you want to do is make it any worse!

Helpful Tips:

• Always make sure to avoid over-wetting your carpet. This can cause any remaining liquid or other substance to leak into surrounding material, and can damage underlay and other backing materials if they are made too wet.
• If you are using a solution or detergent that you haven’t used before, make sure you test it on a smaller area of carpet first – ensure that it won’t damage your carpet any further.
• Use any cleaning products at the diluted rate stated on the packaging.
• Blot the stain with the cloth and cleaning liquid you are using. Never rub or scrub, this will only make the problem worse.
• Always work from the outside of the stain, slowly moving in to avoid spreading it into the surrounding carpet.
• Apply your cleaning solution to the material or cloth you are using to clean the spill or stain, not directly to the carpet.
• It always helps to make sure the carpet dries out quickly – you can even use a hairdryer on a low heat.
• Finally, always deal with stains as quickly as you can. The longer you leave them, the harder they will be to remove.

For more tips and advice on carpets, please see the rest of our website.

When considering what type of flooring to have in your home or other property, there are a number of things to consider. For those who like a hard flooring, you might decide upon either wooden or laminate flooring, both of which have a number of advantages.

The most obvious difference between natural hard wood flooring and laminate flooring is the cost. Wooden flooring is typically more expensive than laminate, sometimes by quite a large margin. Therefore, if your budget is tight or you don’t want to spend a large amount of money on your flooring, then laminate flooring could be a suitable option.

On the other hand, real wooden flooring provides a touch of high quality elegance which you won’t find anywhere else. When fitted and treated correctly by professionals, real wooden flooring can last a lifetime and can become a durable investment. It also adds value to any property, when it comes to re-selling. Wooden flooring can also save your money – it is typically warmer than laminate flooring, and so can help reduce your energy usage and bills.

Although laminate flooring might not always look as high quality as hardwood flooring, is has a number of advantages. Firstly, there are a large number of colours and designs available to choose from, so you are sure to find a design to suit the interior of your property. Secondly, marks and scrapes are typically harder to spot on laminate floors. Finally, it is much easier to replace than wooden flooring. If you do end up with bad scratches or marks, it costs less to replace than it would if you had a hardwood floor.

Do always remember that you can also choose from a range of other floor coverings – carpets, tiles, rugs and more. For more information on the types of flooring available, click here.