When you take a look around any room of a home, one of the first things that you are drawn to is the carpet, therefore meaning that it is one of the most vital components to think about when decorating a house. There are a huge number of different options out there, but natural carpets are one type that are really becoming more and more popular among people all over the country. There are a number of different types to choose from – such as Sisal, Seagrass and Coir – therefore meaning that there is something to suit everyone’s needs.

One thing that often worries people about natural carpets though is how they should take care of them, as most people purchasing them have only ever had regular carpet or floor covering. The fact is though that they are not hugely difficult to maintain and, although there are some things to know, there is no need to be overly concerned about damaging them as soon as they have been laid!

Perhaps the main thing that all buyers of natural carpet should know is that they tend to hold moisture a lot better than standard carpets – which has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that it makes them a lot less prone to fire, however the disadvantage is that they do stain more easily. This problem of stains can be avoided though with the right action when something is spilled on them. The first step would be to take a number of absorbent towels and to place them over the spillage and apply pressure, therefore sucking the worst of the liquid out. After this you should use a stain remover that does not contain any bleaches or dyes to remove the rest of the stain.

Most carpets usually undergo a thorough clean once a year and this should be the same with natural carpets. The difference is though that regular carpets can be easily cleaned using a “wet” method, whereby the carpet is covered in liquid and left to dry. The problem with this method is that natural carpets are prone to shrinking when they are wet for a prolonged period of time. There are two solutions to this: the first is to use a wet method but to ensure that there is a way to dry the carpet quickly, such as heaters in the room, and the second is to use one of the many dry methods for cleaning carpets that companies offer. The latter usually costs about the same as the former and will provide results that are equally as good.

The upkeep of natural carpets is not something that anyone should be scared of and it certainly shouldn’t put people off buying them. Just taking a look at the way that they can enhance a room will prove that they are more than worth the investment! As already stated, there are a number of different natural carpet options for you to choose from (e.g. Sisal, Seagrass, Coir) therefore meaning that you can be guaranteed that you’ll find the perfect choice for you!

Natural carpets are very much en vogue in homes throughout the United Kingdom, spread over floors in homes from Scotland all the way down to the South Coast. Whether they are Sisal, Seagrass or Coir designs, they are valued by homeowners for a huge amount of reasons, many of which will be explained in the article below…

The biggest factor that delights those buying natural carpets the most is the fact that they simply look stunning. They come in a huge manner of different designs and colours, plus they are able to integrate perfectly with virtually any surrounding, regardless of how modern or rustic the house already is. Granted, you won’t often be able to get some of the more extreme colours that regular carpets often come with, but let’s be honest – how many people really want lime green or bright orange floors in the home that they are so proud of anyway? A natural carpet will simply provide that understated charm and elegance that most people are looking for…

Another massive reason why people choose natural carpets is already hinted at in the name – they are natural! There is something satisfying in knowing that you are using what nature has given to us instead of the manmade carpets that others use, and the feel of natural carpet under your feet certainly underlines this. Just remember – natural carpets mean just that; they have had absolutely nothing added to them in the production process and are made entirely out of products found within the natural world. This also means that they are incredibly environmentally friendly as well, with no chemicals or other damaging substances added to them throughout the production process.

Another reason that people are opting for natural carpets in increasing numbers nowadays is due to the fact that they are now much easier to clean. It used to be the case that having natural carpet in your home was an invitation for long cleaning processes and stains within months of them being laid, but the cleaning technology available now means that keeping a natural carpet clean is an incredibly easy job – as easy as cleaning a regular carpet. There really is no need to be concerned about having to put in any extra effort when it comes to natural carpets!

The final reason for natural carpets becoming increasingly popular is the same reason attached to many things that increase in popularity – the price! This is because the cost of natural carpets has been steadily falling for a number of years now, meaning that they are becoming much more affordable for the average homeowner. It would be a lie to say that they are the same price as a regular piece of carpet, but at the same time you get so much more style and luxury with natural carpet that the extra cost is more than worth it!

As can be seen, there are a huge amount of reasons for natural carpet being so popular throughout the country, whether it be Sisal, Seagrass or Coir carpets. Perhaps it could be the next addition to your home…?

Many people spend hours, and sometimes days, thinking about what type of carpets (wool, nylon, polyester,…) to choose for their homes. After all, there’s a multitude of different patterns, colours and thicknesses to choose from, and getting it right is an important consideration. Whatever carpet you eventually choose, you’ll be using it every day for a number of years. So why then, is the same consideration not given to the type of underlay?

Choosing the correct underlay is just as important as choosing the carpet itself. Okay, admittedly you will never see it once the carpet has been laid, but you will definitely feel its presence every time you walk on your carpet, especially if you have a wool carpet. There are also different types of underlay which perform in different ways, so you need to choose the correct underlay for whatever purpose the carpet will be used for. For example, you may want a tough hardwearing underlay for a hallway which receives heavy traffic, whereas in a lounge you may prefer a heavier more luxurious underlay which will feel softer underfoot.

Let’s face it; it can be quite confusing when trying to choose an underlay. To the untrained eye they all look fairly similar, and they all feel soft and springy when tried out in the showroom. You may also have spent a while choosing your carpet, and by the time you’ve got around to thinking about underlay you’re ready to call it a day.

Underlay is generally classified in weight. Common weights are 60lb, 80lb, 100lb, 130lb and 150lb, and usually come in three different types; Sponge rubber, PU Foam and Crumb Rubber. You should choose the weight of your underlay depending on how soft and thick you want your carpet to feel underfoot. Generally speaking, the heavier the underlay, the thicker and more luxurious your carpet will feel. The exception to this rule is the 150lb underlay, which may feel harder and stiffer. The underlay with the most luxurious feel is usually 130lb.

Another consideration is what type of subfloor you have. Concrete floors are generally colder than floorboards, so you should choose an underlay with a high tog value, as this will give better insulation. If you have under floor heating, you should choose a low tog underlay, as you don’t want heat from your system to be reflected back under the carpet.

If comfort is not critical, such as in commercial carpets and contract carpets, then you could consider using an underlay made of crumb rubber. This is made from recycled car tyres, so you will be helping to save the environment as well as covering your floor. The recycled tyres are crumbed and then bonded together to produce a very hardwearing and long lasting underlay.

In the home, you would probably be better to go for a sponge rubber underlay. These are particularly good for wool carpets and anywhere where the best comfort is needed. Sponge rubber underlay also absorb more sound than other underlay, helping the acoustics of your room.

For many years, I thought carpet was just carpet. It goes on the floor; it keeps your feet warm and feels nice. That’s about it, isn’t it?  Well, no, not really. You see, there are many different types of carpets (wool, nylon, polyester,…) all of which have been developed over time, some going way back to six thousand years BC. I’ll spare you the history lesson, only to say we’ve known about the benefits of laying carpets on our floors for many thousands of years.

These days, we can choose from a multitude of materials, and a whole rainbow of colours and patterns. Computers, robots and graphics designers can weave intricate patterns in minutes using CAD, and you can even have your own designed weaved into carpet if you wish. That’s technology for you.

So what are all these new fancy carpets made of? Well, a variety of materials as it happens, some more expensive and better than others, but all of them make good comfortable carpets for residential use, or for commercial carpets or contract carpets.

The most popular is probably nylon. It is fairly inexpensive, has excellent wear characteristics, and can be coloured and printed on easily. Nylon carpets are probably the most common on the market today, but a disadvantage is they tend to stain easily because they possess dye sites on the fibres. The cost of nylon tends to fluctuate with the price of oil, as it is a petroleum-based product.

Another type of carpet is polyester, or otherwise known as polyethylene terephthalate. Polyester unlike nylon does not have dye sites, so it is more stain-resistant. However, it is not as soft and luxurious as most other types of carpet, and is typically used for commercial carpets or mid to low prices carpets.

An inexpensive material is polypropylene. This is mostly used because it is inexpensive. On the down side it is difficult to dye and does not wear as well as nylon. Makers of polypropylene carpets compensate by making carpets with smaller loops, and this makes them wear very well, making them suitable for areas with heavy traffic. You can also make outdoor grass carpets with polypropylene.

Acrylic carpets came onto the market in the 1940’s and have come a long way since their first introduction. Rather than using strands that degraded easily, they have been developed to be harder wearing and stronger. Acrylic is usually colour-fast, and they have the feeling of wool, making it an ideal material for making rugs.

Finally, wool carpets are best known for their luxurious feel, and are used almost entirely on the domestic market. Wool is extremely durable, and luckily there is no shortage of sheep willing to give up their fleeces, so it’s quite abundant. Even so, it is fairly expensive compared to the other types of carpet, especially when combined with synthetic fibres to make it stronger and more durable. Most wool carpets today are a mixture of 80% wool and 20% synthetic fibre.

You’ve just spilt a glass of fine Burgundy on your best wool carpet, what do you do? Well, apart from running around the house, trying to find the nearest thing to mop it up with… firstly don’t panic. It’s important to get most of it up as quickly as possible, but you’ll do a much better job with more haste and less speed.

Firstly, rubbing white wine onto red wine won’t work. That is just an old wives tale. It may appear to work at first, but all you’re really doing is diluting the red wine to make it look better. Secondly, don’t rub the stain vigorously, as this will only grind the red wine further into the carpet pile.

Get yourself some high absorbent paper, kitchen paper will do, and an ample supply of clean water. Mop up as much of the wine as possible using a dabbing motion with the towels. Keep doing this until you can’t get anymore out of the carpet. You won’t be able to get it all out at first, so don’t worry. Pour some of your clean water onto the stain to dilute the wine and start dabbing again. You should be able to get more of the wine up, and you’ll see this on the absorbent paper. It’s important to keep dabbing until most of the water has been removed. Repeat the process of pouring water onto the stain and dabbing until you can’t see any more wine on the paper.

Hopefully by now you should have got most of the stain out. The more dabbing you did the better the stain will be.

Use the towels to soak up as much water as you can, because the next step requires the area to be damp, but not sopping wet. Get yourself a soft damp sponge and put a very small amount of washing up liquid onto it. Apply this to the stain and this time rub the stain vigorously. Don’t use too much detergent; because you don’t want lots of bubbles, you just want the detergent agent of the liquid to lift the remnants of the wine from your wool carpet pile. Continue to rub the carpet for a good couple of minutes, and you should see the froth around the stain turn pink and red as the soapsuds lift out the wine.

Now it’s time to start the dabbing and diluting process again. Each time you repeat this method, the better the stain will be, until hopefully you won’t be able to see it at all.

This method works on most types of carpet, including wool, commercial carpets and contract carpets. You may find these easier to clean however as the piles are usually a lot closer together and don’t absorb the wine quite as much.

If the stain still shows, you may have to consider using a stronger detergent. There are many solutions on the market including special dry-cleaning chemicals. However care should be taken when using these, and you may need to call in the professionals.