To think carpets are grim?

[flawedflooring]

I never gave much thought to carpets until a couple of years ago. We moved from a house with wooden floors to one with carpets and it grosses me out a bit.

I used to mop our floors once a week and the water would be pretty filthy. Now that we have carpets all that grossness is just sitting there in the carpet. Not to mention that I have been potty training DC too, which brings its own new level of grossness. Obviously I vacuum and could get it professionally cleaned, but in between times it'd still be pretty grim.

Also, with wool carpets there's a good chance you'll have some moths making themselves a nice home within, and now, knowing what we know about micro plastics, synthetic doesn't seem like the best plan either.

I'm just baffled, why do they exist? I know they're nice and warm underfoot, but so are slippers. We lived briefly in a country where carpets were nonexistent and now I understand why. Are we the only country that covers our houses in something that's pretty impossible to clean properly?!

YABU = carpets are the best thing ever
YANBU = carpets are grim

I much prefer hardwood too in the ground floor area. Bedrooms I can do either. Removable to clean carpets can be added for cosiness. Carpeted batrooms are the most grim I have ever seen when it comes to keeoing a house clean. I had never seen this before moving to England.

In fairness, I don’t think carpeted bathrooms are widespread. I’ve seen one in my life, in the home of quite an elderly couple.

There was a documentary a few years ago about this-scientists said hard flooring is better, IF and only if, it is kept absolutely spotless- that means vacuuming at least once a day, followed by wet washing. Otherwise particles sit on the top of the hard floor and make contact far easier with any human respiratory system which happens to pass by.
I have hard floors everywhere but only because it's the norm where I am. Would never have done so otherwise, as even with only 3 people and no pets, the dust you can see is minging. If I miss even one day of vacuuming and washing it's awful.
Carpets take in the particles, so are just as filthy, but they trap them so cause far less irritation. The programme concluded that it's the fibres in the carpets themselves that irritate the respiratory system if anything, not the muck.

Wood downstairs and carpet upstairs .
We don’t allow shoes upstairs and carpets are hoovered every day and cleaned every 6/8 weeks .
They’re only firstly if you don’t look after them properly

Interesting. ...better up my floor cleansing game..
As for carpets in bathrooms.....haven't seen that for years if ever.

Didn't say they were a wide spread thing. Just saw some when looking to move ( we rent). The ones I saw were in old houses, victorian type. It just surprised me, it's not a thing in the country of origin and had never heard of it. Anyways, grim.

It’s not just you that’s mentioned them though. They are grim, no question. I just think they get a lot of air time in these debates despite being very rare indeed.

The pathogen aspect doesn’t bother me, but choosing to have something that harbours hair and dead skin is disgusting to me. To me it isn’t any different to someone scratching their dandruff out while sat next to me and it going on my clothes

Do you sleep on a mattress? With pillows? And a duvet?

Actually I do remember a horrible old rented house with thick soggy carpet and a Thomas crapper loo and sink...

It isn't just how they feel against your feet in terms of having carpet vs using slippers.

It's how they insulate your home. They trap air and keep your home warmer.

That murky water you mop off a wooden floor, its just the dust you Hoover up off a carpet. Of course no soft furnishing is sterile but it's not healthy for us to live in sterile surroundings as many bacteria play useful roles. Sometimes it's the good bacteria that prevent the nasty ones taking over.

@Zaphodsotherhead

The pathogen aspect doesn’t bother me, but choosing to have something that harbours hair and dead skin is disgusting to me. To me it isn’t any different to someone scratching their dandruff out while sat next to me and it going on my clothes

Do you sleep on a mattress? With pillows? And a duvet?

Waterproof protectors stop skin etc getting inside. My bedding is still washed regularly as is the zip off mattress cover.

Waterproof protectors stop skin etc getting inside. My bedding is still washed regularly as is the zip off mattress cover

Interesting. Other carpet haters - do you do this too? Are the rest of us still just sleeping on our normal mattresses and only changing our bedding when we want to?

I'd like to know if there's a fundamental difference in the living habits of those who think 'carpet = filthy/bad and those of us who quite like them.

There’s definitely a difference in the amount we clean! Hoovering upstairs carpets every day is completely ridiculous in my book.

Having lived in houses with no carpets anywhere as a child, in the cold of winter it's grim.
I love my warm floors with carpets. Kitchens, bathrooms and hallways are tile and easily cleaned.
Other than That Dh shampoos the carpets two or three times a year, and vacuums daily.
If we move to a hot country it'll be tiles all the way with daily sweeping and regular mopping.

YANBU! Hate them! Have carpet on stairs busy nowhere else. And as for people who have carpets and wear shoes indoors -ugh!!!!

TBH I have never come across carpet hatred before.

I would also like to know if the carpet haters also only have leather settees and no other soft furninshing in their houses - cushions, padded seating on dining chairs, curtains etc. And do you all have waterproof mattress protectors as well?

I would love a leather sofa....good idea. ...
Mattresses have covers on of course...but just because I hate carpets doesnt mean I have to live in some weird bubble does it? Doesn't oblige me to take it to its logical conclusion ?
Getting a bit worried here....

Destroyed - I think it's those who regard carpets as full of harmful bacteria and germs and dust and other things that might wipe out humanity given half a chance. Not those who just choose not to have carpets for whatever reason.

Oh ok.....where I just have bare floors cos a lazy housekeeper...

"I'd like to know if there's a fundamental difference in the living habits of those who think 'carpet = filthy/bad and those of us who quite like them."

I don't like carpets much and I clean a lot less than the average MNer. Change bed sheets about every 2 weeks, hoover about every 2 or 3 weekends, mop every once in a while.
It's not about being obsessive with cleaning or afraid of any dirt.

I'm fairly neutral either way TBH, but I think I'd lean towards carpet for living room and bedrooms at a minimum.

I'd certainly have tile or wood for the kitchen and bathroom. My very first house as an adult came with carpet in the bathroom, and I could never understand it. Couldn't wait to replace it.

I can see why people go to wood floors for ease of cleaning etc, but I've never made the swap. A friend of mine went carpets to hard floor in the living room and hall last summer, and tbh, I don't like it. It used to feel like a really nice cozy home, and now feels really cold and echoey. They've not even got any rugs down. I can see why they did it, what with a dog and two child who were both sicky babies, who had left the carpet quite stained in places. But I think if it were me I'd have got a professional carpet cleaner in, and seen what that looked like first, before removing them entirely.

We have children with respiratory issues, we were advised by specialists to remove carpets if possible which we promptly did.

My parents were told the same in the 70s and haven’t had carpets in their home since. It’s worse for children because they’re down on the carpet on their hands and knees playing. It’s not about sterilising everything it’s about keeping dust and dust mite levels low.

@LaurieMarlow

My understanding is that allergies are often caused by living in overly fastidious environments, rather than low levels of dust and so on. Certainly not a problem for us.

That's just a theory. You should see where I was brought up. Definitely not a clean environment. Carpet in every room including kitchen and bathroom and they have never been cleaned, only hoovered. I still have allergies now. The point I made was that I can be in a place with a cat if there are no carpets and the owner has cleaned, but I can't be in a place with a cat where there are carpets and the owner has hoovered.

My parents got rid of the carpets but kept the dog. It worked.

Unless you have serious health issues or allergies then the level to which some people go to keep their homes clean is unhealthy IMO.

Totally agree with this. Some people on MN are bordering on obsessive when it comes to cleaning!