How, exactly, is carpet sin?...
How, exactly, is carpet sin? I have seen many homes I love with carpet .... Neutras, Keonigs, even an Eames/Saarinen. What do you mean? It isn't your typical nasty apartment carpet. It's nice and new and slightly shaggy. I'm looking forward to the comfort.
dust mites
He's talking about dust mites. If you're allergic to them, you might not be so happy with your carpet after awhile.
I say get a Dyson. I bought one a couple of years ago and it's great. I vacuumed our rug with our Nilfisk vacuum, which is not a bad vacuum at all (Swedish or Danish design---same company that makes big industrial vacuums). It looked very clean. Then I went over it with the new Dyson and the rug looked not just clean, but NEW. And the canister had quite a bit of very fine dirt and also a bunch of dog hair that the Nilfisk hadn't gotten. It sucked stuff out that was deep in the fibers.
Dysons have HEPA filters, which will take care of the dust mite problem, too. I love my Dyson.
Funny this would come up...
Funny this would come up -- I was actually wondering the other day why so many people are so keen on carpet. I have been looking for rentals in two different cities, literally hundreds of different places, and 9 times out of 10, upon researching a nice place, I end up thinking Shit! Carpet!!! Either that, or that nasty giant beige Home Cheapo ceramic tile that everyone went ape for starting around the time of the housing boom.
I am confounded why anyone would opt to put carpet down. Area rugs, of course, but, wall to wall carpet? It seems like the least aesthetic option. To me, it's the popcorn ceiling for the floor. It just either looks very suburban to me, or a lazy cover up for a crappy floor.
Maybe I'm looking at it wrong? I have friends who actually prefer it. Confusing! I would love to have someone illuminate for me the finer points of carpet. If convinced, it would be a lot easier for me to find a new domicile.
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I know what you mean, no need to say sorry at all. I have seen some carpeted areas that look good, but only if its very high quality wool, most of it is rubbish.
Rugs on the other hand are great, I think a day outside under UV will kill dust mites, not sure, I'll check.
But Kirby stuff is good, for upholstery too.
My sister used to work at a...
My sister used to work at a carpet retailer and got me some remnants of really really dense wool, like what is in bank foyers etc, there are some lovely colours, moss green and carmine red, it feels about an inch thick.
There is an edging you can get done which is really tight and almost invisible, its a good way of getting a good quality rug, any carpet retailer will have remnants they won't know what to do with.
"Experts agree that when it comes to allergies the best thing to do is avoid your allergen ? the thing that causes your allergic reaction. Dust mite allergens are proteins contained in mites' faeces, secretions and body parts.
If you don't want to sneeze or wheeze then you need to get rid of dust mites and what they leave behind. But that's hard when dust mites live in our mattresses, pillows, bedding, furniture and clothes.
Some people swear sunlight will rid your clothes, carpets and bedding of dust mites. But Dr Euan Tovey, an allergy researcher from Sydney University, says it's not a straightforward solution.
Tovey says leaving your rugs or carpets in the sun to 'bake' for three hours will kill all the dust mites, but it won't get rid of the allergen.
"Killing the mites alone doesn't stop any of the exposure to allergens ? all it does is kill the mites, which will over a period of time just re-establish themselves anyway. So you do need to get rid of the allergen," he says.
"What I do is wash my Persian carpets once or twice a year ? I hose them down, scrub them with soap and water, put them on the trampoline and leave them in the sun for a day."
The best thing for bedding and clothes is regular washing in the machine. Tovey says dust mite allergen is highly soluble, and washing in warm water with normal laundry detergent removes close to 97 per cent of the allergens.
"Most websites advocate hot washing bedding at 73 degrees ? that's very hot water. Most systems don't have water that hot and I don't think it's worth the trouble ? you're better to wash it more frequently," he said.
As for mattresses, Tovey says it's best to use a washable mattress protector and wash it regularly with all your other bedding.
So in short, sunlight can kill dust mites but it won't get rid of the allergens. You need to wash those before you'll stop coughing, sneezing and wheezing"
My last home was carpeted...
My last home was carpeted throughout (except kitchen living room and some hallways) and to be honest it was a HUGE PITA.
If you spill wine or grape juice or anything on hardwood or tile, its no big deal.... on carpet, however, it can be a nightmare. I have two small children and a dog, so this just complicated matters.
I had the carpets professionally steam cleaned (you can also rent a steam cleaner) every 6 months or so.
Another issue was discoloration from sunlight. (This happens more quickly than you think). Areas covered with furniture retained the original color, while exposed areas lightened. This becomes troublesome when you want to re-arrange or change furniture.
The most helpful item I've found was a portable steam cleaner for spot cleaning and too address spills quickly. I had a Bissell similar to the one below
I can't tell you how happy I was when I moved into a house with hardwood floors,
I think the issue is Wall to Wall carpet vs area rugs
Imho,Wall to Wall seems to be in disfavour due to the fact that beautiful hardwood floors are completly obliterated with the stuff.On the other hand,a lovely Rya,Eames/Panton carpet,or Flokati area rug defines and enhances a mid century modern space like no other floor covering.
I'll need to check the Meile...
I'll need to check the Miele as our Dyson has not been the endall, even though I have to say 'the animal' is better than any other we've had. We have a Newfoundland, Hudson, so I collect a poodle weekly with the Dyson.
As for carpet, I prefer wood or laminate too, but we have a wood ceiling, so from an aesthetic standpoint more wood becomes overkill. Berber industrial has been our answer.
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