Keep it clean
When you are hoovering, check your carpets for any stains or marks that may have appeared. As soon as you do spot a stain, make sure to treat it as soon as possible. Ensure that you always have carpet cleaners to hand, and use the right formulation for your carpet, according to what material it is made of. Likewise when spillages happen, act fast to help prevent permanent staining to your carpet. Follow the specific instructions on your carpet cleaner so that you get the full effect.

Avoid marks
Heavy furniture such as sofas and tables can leave dents in your carpet that are hard to get rid of. Try to move furniture regularly, even if only by a few inches, to avoid damage to your carpet. Similarly, sunlight can bleach coloured carpets. As well as causing the colour to fade, UV rays can actually damage the carpet fibres. Minimise this by keeping windows or blinds closed during the sunniest parts of the day, or consider applying a protective window treatments such as ultraviolet blocking film to your windows.

Protect
If you are buying a new carpet, many companies now offer stain-resistant materials. Alternatively, carpets that are already in place can benefit from stain protection treatments. Consider using rugs to protect specific sections of your carpet such as high-traffic areas, or areas more at risk of spillages such as next to the sofa. Make sure the room is well ventilated to help prevent a build-up of moisture, as this can affect carpets. Keep your carpet fresh and free from bacteria by regularly using a carpet cleaner. If you do not have your own carpet cleaner you can easily rent one to use, or hire a professional. Consider it a worthwhile investment as it will prolong the life of your carpet.

You’ll almost certainly need to replace any water damaged carpet padding, but replacing the carpet itself – a much more expensive undertaking – can often be avoided when you know how.

Remove Water Quickly

A wet/dry vacuum can remove water extremely quickly and efficiently. They can be rented from water damage repair companies. Of course, you won’t be able to get one straight away. Until yours arrives, use towels to soak up water, squeeze that water into a bucket, then empty the bucket into the sink.

Utilise Fans to Speed Things Up

Fans can help facilitate the drying process, even after the water seems to have been removed. You can rent a high-power drying fan, but even standard ones can be useful. They will circulate fresh air throughout the room, making it harder for mould to develop, all while reducing the level of residual moisture.

Use a Dehumidifier

As well as a fan, homeowners can take advantage of a dehumidifier. While fans work well, a dehumidifier is often a better choice when water damage has been extreme. They work by removing moisture and making the air feel cooler. Mould won’t stand a chance.

Steam Clean Your Carpet

Once the room has been thoroughly dried out, you’ll still want to take a few steps to ensure that the carpets are completely safe. Most importantly, you should consider having them steam cleaned. You can either do this yourself or hire in a professional.

Water damaged carpets and floors can quickly become a fertile breeding ground for mould. This can trigger certain health problems by irritating the nose, eyes, throat, or lungs, and can also quickly destroy parts of your home. Follow the steps laid out in this guide to make sure that water damage doesn’t make your carpets a magnet for mould.

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.

Consider your requirements. Does the carpet in each room need to provide noise insulation, or add colour? Must it be durable or need only infrequent cleaning? How much money can you afford to spend on it? If you’re doing more than one room then will the colours match if they border?

Padding. The various thicknesses of the padding placed beneath the carpet will not only absorb sound, but provide extra warmth and help to reduce wear-and-tear to different degrees, so it’s worth investigating the options.

Look at your lifestyle. Is the carpet going to be placed in a high-traffic zone, such as over the stairs or in the living-room? Do you have children or pets that are likely to be running around on the carpet with dirty feet? If so you’re better off looking at something like Berber or textured carpeting than plush. Carpet tiles are a good idea if staining is anticipated, as they can be cheaply and easily replaced, and a stock of them stored in a cupboard. Woven wool is useful for stairs, as it is quite heavy-duty.

Styles. Remember that light-coloured carpets will add the illusion of space to a small room just as wallpaper or paint does on the walls. They also make furnishings stand out. Whereas darker colours are better for hiding unsightly stains. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of patterned carpets available so take samples if that’s the option you’re going for to ensure they suit. It’s also possible to get some good quality eco-carpets now that reduce the impact on the environment of their manufacture.

Sourcing carpet. There are many places where you can buy carpets, but in most cases you’re probably better off sticking with a specialist provider that offers a large range and can give good advice. Similarly, when it comes to something that can dramatically affect the look of your home it’s best to have it fitted professionally. Get quotes broken down into materials and fitting so that you can make comparisons easily.

Aftercare. Always check with the supplier that aftercare and maintenance needs of your carpet and adhere to them. There are many types of warranty available so check you’re only paying for one that reflects your needs.

Visiting a carpet website or shop can be an overwhelming experience as there are so many different types of carpet. Unless you have a good idea of the type of carpet you want from the start you may be thrown by the amount of choices. Carpets are classed by either the materials or methods used to make them. And, to add to the confusion, you also get carpets classed by their country of origin, Persian carpets for example.

Firstly let’s consider ‘pile’. This term simply means how the carpet fibres are structured. There are two different piles of carpets: Loop pile and Cut pile. Loop pile is how every carpet starts with rows of looped fabric woven into a carpet backing. If you then snip the loops at the top to create single strands of fibre you achieve the cut look. So your first choice will be to decide between loop or cut pile, or a combination of both. Each type has a distinctive look and feel and is better suited to some rooms more than others:

• Loop pile carpets are similar to natural flooring like sisal. The loops create a high level of bounce and are very hard wearing so ideal for high footfall areas. But they are not that comfortable to walk on without shoes. Also not recommended in rooms that cats and dogs frequent as claws can pull the ‘loops’ and damage the carpet.
• Level loop or Berber carpets have one length of loop throughout which gives the carpet an even feel or look.
• Twisted pile is a cut pile carpet where the strands are twisted together to give them more strength. They therefore have a coarser feel but are more hard wearing and easy to clean.
• Frieze carpets are the most durable form of cut pile carpets. They are highly twisted with short fibres that hide footprints and vacuum marks.
• Saxony carpets are cut pile carpets that have longer strands known as deep pile. They feel comfortable underfoot but can flatten down easily so are mostly recommended for living rooms and bedrooms.
• Velvet or plush carpets are also cut pile but use soft, untwisted fibres to give the most luxurious experience. Highly recommended for bedrooms.

So don’t forget to match your type of carpet to each room. A bathroom or kitchen will need heavy duty, stain and water resistant carpet. A hallway that is trodden on frequently will also require a heavy duty carpet. Whereas in your bedroom you can indulge yourself in the softest and most comfortable foot pleasers!

Explore the rest of our website for more help choosing the right type of carpet.

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.