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 only come across carpet haters on mumsnet. Everyone I know - family and friends has carpets in their houses.

It has to be said that none of my friends have small children, and very few have dogs.

Also - there is dirt everywhere. People get very hooked up on 'look at the dirt that came out of my carpet cleaner...'

but nobody I know ever died of carpets. There is dirt, germs, bacteria everywhere. It doesn't mean it's harmful. All those adverts about 'think about the BACTERIA in your CARPET!' are just designed to sell you carpet cleaners. You honestly won't catch things from your carpet and you may not like the idea of the dirt in them, in which case, never go out into the garden...

@Ginfordinner I agree, MN is a weird place sometimes. Seen as disgusting to have carpets and loo brushes, things that literally everyone I know IRL has and uses!

We have carpets in bedrooms, stairs and landing only. Wood block floors downstairs except the kitchen and garden room which are tiled. I have been in houses with tiled living room floors which feel completely wrong in this country!

I agree completely.

We bought a new house two years ago and carpet had just been laid throughout, so it felt wrong to just rip it all up, we decided to live with it for a while and see if we got used to it.

Two years down the line still with our two dogs and a one year old added into the mix, the lounge carpet in particular looked and smelled horrible to me, despite vigorous attempts at hoovering it daily and having it professionally cleaned every 6 months. We ripped it up and replaced with an engineered wood floor and haven't looked back .

The carpet upstairs has survived better but I still feel queasy when I think about the hidden nastiest that might be lurking in it!

Don't be so dramatic. It's not 'only on mumsnet'. In southern Europe they tend to have lots of tiles everywhere, which I'm also not a fan of but it's due to hot summers. In Germany they appreciate wood flooring. I've got an Italian friend who's also repulsed and baffled by the British obsession with fitted carpets and he's not on Mumsnet

Full disclosure, I do use toilet brushes!

I love how they look and we bought a carpet cleaner a few years ago so we can clean them ourselves . I have hard flooring and rugs downstairs ...
we actually jet wash and shampoo the rugs on the drive and dry them in the sunshine on a hot day once a year as the carpet cleaner isn't as effective on them . Works a treat and the water is black despite them looking clean enough.

In southern Europe they tend to have lots of tiles everywhere

But we don't have the same climate. If I lived in Southern Europe I would have tiles. Does your Italian friend live in Italy or the UK? And if in the UK does he live in a damp part of northern England like I do?

I agree @Zaphodsotherhead.

I voted for them but wouldn't say they are the best thing ever. Carpets are nice, especially in bedrooms. Don't mind them at all.

Nope! I have moved into a house where there are no carpets at all except the main bedroom. I hate it and want to get my carpets back asap!

I'm not precious nor a germophobe.

I have dogs and horses but would never have a carpet in a house. I just don't like them - probably a result of being brought up abroad. Firstly in the US in the 70's where shagpile carpets were the rage and gave us massive electric shocks and then in countries where carpets weren't the norm.

@Moomin12345

In southern Europe they tend to have lots of tiles everywhere, which I'm also not a fan of but it's due to hot summers.

Naw, ya think?!

Yeah I’m with you. That said, I absolutely get why people have them on stairs, landings and in bedrooms. When we moved into our current house my DH insisted we carpet the living room. Two years, one dog and one baby later and honestly it is just 🤢

but nobody I know ever died of carpets.

someone suffering from bad asthma and allergies might not automatically die from them, it doesn't give them a very enjoyable quality of life though.

Love carpet in the bedrooms but much prefer wooden flooring downstairs.

*Everyone I know - family and friends has carpets in their houses.
ok, so?
EVERYONE or near everyone I know hasn't. People in flat are spending fortune on specially engineered anti-noise wooden floors (pretty sure there's a technical term somewhere if you are that interested ).

Carpets seems to be VERY fashionable in the TOWIE rentals (and the royal palaces apparently, which would explain why), but not around people I know.

I don't even care, I just don't want carpets in my own home.

What really makes me angry are carpets in classrooms! I have seen schools with them! Why, just why... That is beyond revolting.

there's a good chance you'll have some moths making themselves a nice home within

There really isn't. I mean, sure, there's a slight chance. But it's not common, especially if you don't massively overheat your house in winter and you regularly hoover your carpets thoroughly.

As for the rest, dust and dirt just aren't that big a deal for most people most of the time. And whether you have carpets or hard flooring, a house is a house. The people in it will always, always create dust and bring dirt in all the time. It's normal and fine.

@Homemade my mum has chronic asthma, to the point where attacks can keep her on a nebuliser for days, but her carpets have never been the cause. She has a shoes-off rule and her carpets and very clean.

I'm with the OP, I can't bear carpets. I've hard flooring throughout the house and I love it.

Dh blames his asthma being worse at home due to carpets. Hence the push to replace everything.

carpets in bathrooms makes my skin crawl.I like carpets but only in the bedroom

There is nothing better than padding around on freshly hoovered carpets after a shower. Carpets that have never known the tread of shoes that is, dog-shitted or otherwise.

Dh blames his asthma being worse at home due to carpets. Hence the push to replace everything.

My sis has allergies and carpets don’t help her.

Depends on the particular room - IMO hard floors for sitting room/kitchen and bathrooms and softer flooring for bedrooms.

Having dogs makes a difference. Children can alter opinions as to which flooring better due to noise/dirt/practicality etc.

Lifestyle, some people live alone and find carpets cosy (just have them deep cleaned).

The downside of hard floors is showing up all dog hair/sand etc...