How to Choose the Perfect Carpet for Your Home

Have you felt completely overwhelmed and confused while shopping for carpets? Carpets come in hundreds of styles, a vast variety of patterns are made of different types of fibers.

We all have a good idea on how our dream home should look like, but think about carpets, and the picture becomes slightly vague. Do you really want a pulsating bold color in your living room? You may love vibrant and bright hues, but seeing them every day can wear you out. Experienced interior designers vouch for subtle, soothing colors that will not tire your eyes in the long run, and carpets are an expensive investment you want to last for years, so you might as well play it safe.

Whatever the case, carpets are always in style.

Carpets are crafted to meet various needs. A young family with pets and kids will have different carpeting requirements from a bachelor decorating his new condo.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when choosing the right carpet for your home.

What Do You Want Out of Your Residential Carpets?

It is very important that you make a list of your carpet requirements. What are your needs and wants?

Things to consider include foot traffic, lighting, pets, children and the possibility of spills and stains.

High-traffic rooms will need carpets that are stain-resistant, resilient, and durable. If you have kids rolling about on the floor you will need a soft and plush carpet that will also hold up against constant (and playfully boisterous) use.

Lighting in rooms also affect the colors you need to go for. Dimly lit rooms must have lighter colored carpets that make space look bigger. A dark-colored carpet will only make the room appear smaller and darker. A room that enjoys plenty of natural light can have dark-colored carpeting without appearing small and cramped.

Pets and children take a heavy toll on carpets. Spills and accidents can seep deep and spoil padding. There are carpets that are specially designed to stand up to pets and kids. They are highly resistant to stains, repel soil and dirt, and easy to maintain. Pet-friendly technology in carpets makes it easy to remove hair and dander. Pet-friendly carpets will help you have a healthy, beautiful, and safe home for your family.

Consider all of the above and communicate them to your carpet specialist when buying your carpets or even when ordering them online.

Find out the Best Carpet Fiber Suited to Your Needs

The type of fiber used in carpeting has a say in how durable the carpet is and how well it performs under different conditions. During the making of carpets, the fiber is converted into yarn and tufted in different ways. Each type of fiber has its own strengths and drawbacks and you need to know the difference to choose the right type of fiber.

Nylon – the Market Leader in Carpet Fibers

Nylon continues to reign in the residential carpet market. Its man-made fiber is highly durable and easy to maintain. It offers excellent stain resistance qualities and is inherently strong which makes it resistant to dirt buildup and the abrasive action of tiny soil particles. The clincher for nylon is its superb yarn memory or the ability to bounce back and hold twist even under heavy foot traffic. You can use nylon carpets in family rooms and areas where there are hustle and bustle all day long. Nylon carpets look equally chic in fancy homes as well as in budget homes.

If you are looking for a cost-effective option, olefin or polypropylene carpets are recommended, which are about half the cost of nylon. They are great for your kitchen and are cheaper to replace if needed.

Polyester – the Cheaper Option in Carpet Fibers

Polyester fiber is also popular due to its excellent stain resistance properties. Polyester carpets have low resilient properties and do not wear well in high-traffic areas, but they are the best option for lightly used areas in your house.

Another point to note is that polyester can be a good choice if you are working on a tight budget. You get a long-lasting product that is moisture and mildew resistant, hypo-allergenic and attractive, but at a much lesser cost as compared to wool and nylon carpeting.

Polyester carpets are available in a wide variety of textures and colors and it is easy to find one to match your décor. Your guest bedroom is the perfect place to lay a pretty polyester carpet.

Wool – Natural and Lovely in Carpets, But Too Expensive

Woolen carpets have been used by the earliest human civilizations. Lovely Turkish and Oriental carpets dating back several centuries are prized possessions of their owners and continue to amaze with their beauty. Woolen carpets are exceptionally beautiful, natural, and bio-degradable, and they come in deep and rich colors. They wear well and age gracefully unlike any other fiber. Natural woolen fiber hides dust and dirt, and during the carpet cleaning the fiber swells to release the trappings and come out looking as good as new again. Woolen carpets are highly expensive and stain easily. More than anything it is the prohibitive cost that has kept woolen carpets out of most homes.

What’s New in Residential Carpet Fibers?

Triexta is the new-kid-on-the-block and offers excellent stain-resistance properties and resilience. It is also more eco-friendly than nylon and polyester carpets and is softer and smoother to touch. Triexta has garnered enormous popularity but it remains to be seen whether it can stand the test of time.

So based on your budget and functional needs you can opt for any of the above four fibers. There are sisal, seagrass, jute, coir, and cotton carpets also which are specialty products. You can have a look at them if you are interested in novel and off-beat options.

Decide on the Type of Pile Carpet that You Want

Cut pile is very popular because of the density of tufts and highly twisted yarn. These characteristics make cut pile carpets highly resilient and durable. They are the best choice for high-traffic areas and homes with kids and pets. A cut pile carpet is plush and gives a cushiony feel to kids lounging on it and the lack of open loops makes it safe for pets preventing paws from unraveling the carpet.

If you do not have pets you can opt for cut and loop pile which is softer and plusher than a cut pile. Variations in color and pattern ensure that the carpet hides everyday wear and tear and remains in good shape.

Loop pile Berber carpets look good with contemporary as well as cottage furnishings. Multi-level loop pile carpets are durable and casual.

Another point to note is, deeper pile carpets are luxurious and plush whereas shorter pile carpets are easy to care for.

It Doesn’t End with the Purchase of Carpet

Your carpet, if you choose it well, may turn out to be a lifelong asset, a showpiece, and an integral part of your home. The only way to ensure this is the case is to ensure you maintain it regularly and well.

Yes, you can do it yourself, and we have several blog posts to guide you to do it:

However, for the best results, it is best that you engage the professionals. In a blatant (but nevertheless sincere) effort at self-promotion, we present to you our carpet cleaning, maintenance, and supply services:

Conclusion

Choose your carpets carefully as they are a huge investment you are making. Ensure that you make your selections wisely based on your needs and comfort. A well-educated customer like you is less likely to make costly mistakes when shopping for carpets for his various rooms.

Keep your carpets clean and stain-free. Call Big Red now!

Big Red’s commercial and residential cleaning services extend beyond carpet and rug cleaning to upholstery cleaning, marble & parquet polishing, and a lot more!

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