7 Things You Don’t Know About Carpet
March 2011 Issue of Holmes: The Magazine To Make It Right
There are very few home related shows that I watch on TV these days because most of them are just far too fake and staged for my liking. However, there are a couple exceptions and one of them is Holmes on Homes where Mike Holmes exposes shoddy construction by un-trained contractors and then shows us all how to do it right. So when the folks from his new magazine, Holmes: The Magazine To Make It Right, asked if I’d share some tips about Carpet I said but of course! So read on to learn a few things you probably had no idea about.
Know Your Carpet!
The groundhog has spoken and spring will soon begin to break bringing the season of renewal and transformations. As you begin to form your renovation game plans and blue prints, Holmes: The Magazine To Make It Right knows the key to a cleaner home this spring is summed up with one word: Carpet.
The March 2011 Issue of Holmes: The Magazine To Make It Right , the shelter publication recently launched by Mike Holmes’, star of Holmes on Homes and Holmes Inspection as seen on HGTV, is equipped with some great tips on what to look for when shopping for new carpeting, allergen reducing techniques, the best vacuums, even how to incorporate green trends into your home this spring.
7 Things You Don’t Know About Carpet
- Try a synthetic fiber: Manmade fibers like nylon and polypropylene wear well and are easier to clean than many other fibers.
- Go the natural route: If you, or your company, find yourselves sneezing, organic options derived from cotton, grass and even coconut husks could be a wonderful solution to your allergies.
- Select a shorter pile: Shorter fiber carpets are filled with less debris. At about ½ inch, it also takes less time and energy to clean then a shag.
- Try carpet tiles: When the kids, guests, or even yourself have that clumsy moment and spill on your carpet, this will allow you to simply pull up the one or more squares and replace them if a deep cleaning fails to get rid of the stain.
- Air it out: When purchasing a new carpet make sure to have the installer unfurl it either in the warehouse or your garage, this way the quantity of carcinogens is greatly reduced.
- Vacuum weekly: Weekly vacuuming, especially with a HEPA filtered, rotating brush attachment, and beater bar vacuum, keeps pollutants from sinking into your carpet.
- Avoid antiques: Most antique carpets were made when dyes and chemicals were less scrutinized. For added assurance, look for the Green Carpet label on your next showroom trip.
I’m no big fan of carpet. I like hard surfaces and rugs. There’s just really no way to get carpet really clean. When you look closely at it, it’s always going to be filled with junk. Rugs you can have thoroughly cleaned and are easier and less expensive to replace. Plus hardwoods+rugs are a great look.
Nonetheless, good advice for carpet-lovers out there :-)