February Newsletter – Carpet is Number One

Have you ever looked at your carpet after a spill or pet accident and said, “I want to get rid of this carpet!” After all, a vinyl, tile, or wood floor is so much easier to clean. Simply get a towel and sop up the offending spot, right? So why is carpet the flooring of choice in most homes?

In addition to affordability and its function of trapping contaminants to keep your air cleaner, carpet many outstanding benefits that are worth considering when contemplating flooring for your home.

Carpet is BEAUTIFUL. There’s an almost limitless combination of colors, styles, patterns, textures, fibers and price ranges to choose from. You can find just the right carpet to match any style and budget.

While decor is important, carpet is also popular for more practical reasons. 

Carpet is soft, comfortable and SAFE. Walking on carpet is much easier on the back, joints and feet because of its cushioning effect. This soft characteristic of carpet makes it safer, especially for young children and the elderly. Slip and fall accidents are much more common and associated injuries tend to be more severe on hard floors. A small amount of liquid on a hard floor can create a major hazard. Not so with carpet.

Carpet is also more forgiving when cellphones, glassware and other fragile items are dropped, resulting in less chance of breakage. Besides, where would you want your baby to try to take her precious first steps? On carpet or hard oak?

Carpet offers WARMTH. Carpets help keep warmth in heated buildings in winter and heat out of air-conditioned buildings in summer. Installing carpet and pad in a properly insulated space can result in more than a 20% improvement in heat retention.

Carpeted rooms also feel warmer than rooms with a resilient floor due to the effect of heat loss from the body by radiation and contact. There is approximately an 80-90% reduction in heat loss through the feet when standing on carpet instead of a hard floor.

Studies show that in order to achieve the same level of comfort, the temperature in a non-carpeted area must be increased by 6O- 8OºF. This can mean an increase in fuel costs of 10-15%. Besides, nothing feels nicer on a chilly morning than warm, fluffy carpet.

Carpet is QUIET. Homes are getting noisier. Computers, stereos, televisions, cell phones, video games and speaker phones all contribute to a noisier environment. Carpet creates a quieter environment in 3 ways:

• Carpet absorbs sound. This is important because in recent years, homes tend to have larger combined living areas. These larger areas create greater amounts of ambient noise. Carpet absorbs much of the noise, rather than bouncing it back into the living area.

• Carpet with cushion reduces much of the sound of traffic within the home. Imagine kids playing with toy cars, the hollow sound of footsteps on stairs or in a hallway, or a big, friendly Labrador Retriever running around on a wood floor and you get the picture.

• Carpet insulates noise between floors, reducing vibrations and transmitted sound between levels. This includes voices, stereos, TV’s and other noise.

Carpet is available at a LOW COST! Typically, carpet costs significantly less than other types of flooring like tile, marble or hardwood. Even with professional installation, carpet tends to cost much less than other types of flooring options.

For more information, questions or to schedule your next cleaning service, call Gerlach Cleaning Systems. We are always happy to help!