10 Little Known Facts About Carpet

How much do you really know about the soft flooring around your home? Chances are, you don't know as much about this fabric as you would have thought. Sure, it has lined just about every room you have ever known, but just how familiar are you with it?

Here are 10 little known facts about carpets.

1. The word "carpet" itself comes from the Latin word "carpere" which means "to pluck". This can be supported by the fact that the earliest forms of carpet were made from unraveled or "plucked" fabrics.
2. While some carpets are made from recycled plastic, others are created with knotted wool. This wool can sometimes be home to beetle grubs, that have chemicals in their stomachs that convert wool in sugars, causing the insect to eat through carpets and rugs like delicious candy (yum!).
3. Several pounds of soil and skin flakes can collect in and under your carpets each year. You can easily remove this with regular vacuuming and professional cleaning. This unique ability of carpet is actually great because it keeps allergens out of the breathing zone.
4. Bacteria can live longer than four weeks in carpets (and other flooring surfaces), and can transfer those germs to any food as soon as it touches - making the "five second rule" a complete myth (much to my dismay)!
5. 1963 was the first recorded time that the phrase "to sweep under the rug" was mentioned. Speaking of which, when was the last time you looked under your rugs? Pro Tip: vacuum the underside of your rugs every once in a while to minimize damage caused to fibers by sandy soil.
6. Rugs and small carpeted areas are healthier than hard surface flooring as they trap allergens instead of sitting on the surface. Plus they look great!
7. All carpet should be professionally cleaned a minimum of every 9-12 months to maintain the warranty, maintain their appearance and improve indoor air quality.
8. Carpet and rug making has been a trade since early BC times, and a skill that many choose to master artfully to this very day, creating masterpieces in Oriental and floral styles.
9. New carpet can give off chemical off gassing. It is a best practce to opt for lower VOC-emitting adhesive when installing, and letting the carpet air out first.
10. It was hard to sell vacuum cleaners when they first became of commercial use because people did not believe there could be so much dirt in their carpets!

This is the perfect time to brush up on your flooring facts, as well as a great reminder to clean the carpet in your own home. Carpets not only are comfy for your feet, but they actually help keep allergens at bay if properly maintained. For more information on the patented Zerorez^® carpet cleaning process, click HERE.