Carpet

The best carpet for your home depends on a number of factors, such as:

• Which rooms of the home are you carpeting?
• How much foot traffic is likely in those rooms
• Do you have children?
• Do you have pets?
• What interior design style are you creating?
• What is your budget?

Check the quality of the carpet from its independent grading/s. The main body that governs carpet grading in Australia is the Australian Carpet Classification Scheme (ACCS).

Your carpet retailer will usually include installation as part of the sales package. Installation should be discussed with your retailer during the sales negotiation.

Underlay and carpet are designed to work together as a complete flooring system and underlay should always be used. Ask your retailer to match a quality underlay with the quality and proposed used of your carpet.

We recommended using an upright or quality barrel vacuum cleaner, fitted with a power driven rotating brush or combination beater/brush bar that moves around the carpet pile and mechanically loosens soil for removal by the vacuum. This is best suited for low cut pile carpet. To prevent excess fuzzing turn the brush off or change the head when vacuuming loop pile, cut and loop or berber carpet.

For luxuriously thick, soft pile carpet, look for the following attributes when selecting a vacuum:

• Adjustable height – use the highest setting where appropriate
• Adjustable suction – use a suction level which allows the vacuum to move easily while lifting the dirt and other foreign matter
• Large wheels – the vacuum should glide easily across the carpet
• Efficient airflow – avoid vacuums with very concentrated or sealed suction

Thoroughly vacuum your carpet at least weekly, with three vacuum passes for lightly soiled areas and five to seven passes for heavily soiled/high traffic areas.

Carpet should be steam cleaned approximately every 12 to 18 months depending upon the usage and colour. Even though both light and dark colours attract the same dirt and grit, light colours tend to show the soiling earlier.

Stain protection is not required on wool carpets due to the fibre’s natural ability to resist dirt, stains and spills.

Neither is better than the other as both wool and synthetic fibres have great characteristics. Our carpets are made with superior materials and the latest manufacturing technology to produce quality carpets in all fibre categories.

3.66 metres (12 feet) is the standard width for carpet in Australia; however, some carpets are produced as 4 metres wide.

Lighting can change your perception of colour and the lighting environment between a carpet retail store and your home will vary. So when choosing your new carpet you should borrow a sample from your carpet retailer and view it in your home at various times of the day, as colour can appear different under varying lighting sources (e.g. natural daylight versus artificial lighting at night).

There is a misconception that carpet in the home increases exposure to dust mite allergens when in fact there are a range of other triggers in the home that can increase exposure and cause a respiratory reaction.

A major study by the German Allergy and Asthma Society (DAAB) (ALLERGIE konkret 2/2005) found that wall-to-wall carpet reduces dust in the air to half of that found above hard flooring surfaces. A properly maintained carpet traps dust particles, removing them from the breathing zone, until they are vacuumed up.

The Carpet Institute of Australia has provided an information sheet to assist consumers to better understand the issues related to Allergens in the home.

Woven is the traditional method of marking carpet on a loom. Each piece of coloured yarn is individually woven into place, so woven carpets are capable of producing intricate patterns. The carpet pile and backing materials are woven together in a single operation.

Tufted carpets are made on machines where the yarn is stitched through a cloth (primary backing). The tufted cloth then has latex (an adhesive) applied to the primary backing and a secondary backing fabric is then attached to stabilise the carpet and give it the final form.