To think UK should have moved on from carpeting by this stage

[Finlesswonder]

It's gross, it's ugly, it's high maintenance, and in a world of global warming, it increasingly feels like a dust and burning sun heat trap.
Why are people in this country still obsessed with carpeting?

🤣 this post made me laugh. can't wait for next week's lesson 🤣

We’re in the same type of home and did wood floor everywhere downstairs except the living room and carpet upstairs. Tiles in the bathrooms. I would need a big rug in the living room if it had wood floor as just wouldn’t feel cosy and warm. Kitchen/dining room easy to keep clean and mop down. Never had a problem with stains with kids-they know to eat and drink downstairs.

Noise.
Our homes typically have been hard floors downstairs.
But upstairs and on the stairs, always and forever carpet cos I cannot bear the noise

I like carpet in my bedroom. I don't have any in the living room.

I like carpets!

In a climate like England, which, for the bulk of the year is either wet, grey or cold, a carpet creates a nice homely, warm atmosphere.

A very close friend of mine recently took up all her downstairs carpets and replaced with fake wood. It's not my taste AT ALL. now the whole downstairs echoes whenever their dog barks.
Another friend put white tile in their whole downstairs. It looks much nicer than Friend A's house, but it's like sitting in a dentists surgery.

@RampantIvy with the amount of cat hair ingrained in the carpet, yes it did. Hoovering the stairs was a nightmare too. But thanks for insinuating I live in a filthy home.

It's not about conversion though, it's about keeping my house warm!

Wood flooring downstairs
carpet upstairs
i wouldn’t say I’m obsessed with carpets though?

All types of flooring are unhygienic. The sooner we all learn to hover the better in my opinion.

All these clean freaks. Honestly, I can't remember the last time I licked my carpet, so frankly I won't worry about it being a bit dusty.

It's another world. Amazing (and not in a good way)

That's a wonderful response.

@KnittedCardi - we as a family lick our carpets regularly. All the microscopic gritters that live in there are a good source of protein. Would be a shame to waste, especially now that meat is soo expensive!

Don't they mostly have underfloor heating though?

I agree.
The loo seat hoverers, the zoflora worshippers, the competitive cleaning posters.

It is such an unhealthy attitude and way of life.

My house is clean. DH has just finished vacuuming, I have cleaned the bathrooms and I will wash the kitchen floor later. We live cleanly - shower regularly, don't wear outdoor shoes in the house, don't have pets or small children, don't sweat on carpets and furniture and don't spill food and drink on carpets.

The housework gets done once a week on average because we just don't create that much dirt and mess.

@OwlRightThen - no. Only modern places, same as uk.
Our house was built 1950. Wooden floors or tile everywhere. Was oil or wood heated until last year. It’s -20 here often all winter, house is never cold. It’s currently +32 outside and cool inside also. No aircon ( also only in modern fancy places). The walls are very thick and insulated.
Neighbour houses are flats, also built same era, no carpets. Walls and floors solid as you can’t hear a thing between floors.

This response covers it beautifully.

Licking your arms is also a good source of protein. Lots of micro-organisms.

It's even weirder given that MN is obsessed with class and class signifiers and traditionally, excessive hygiene/overwashing is seen as a working class trait (if you're the kind of person who gives a shit about that sort of thing).

I can't relate to a woman who waves her bum over toilet seats in terror, can't enter a carpeted house without internally obsessing over how disgusting it is or wear a new dress straight off the rack because she's so paralysed by the idea that someone else touched it. How can anyone let their life be ruled by such ridiculous fears? How does someone this irrationally uptight ever achieve orgasm?

Yes, you definitely won't convert us to being the type of person who stays at someone's home and then bitches about it. We're not as rude as you.

@Caspianberg but isn’t that precisely because of the snow they have all winter? Much easier to clean the puddles from snowy boots and clothes from hard flooring. We don’t have that mostly so we can choose the comfort and insulation of carpet if we want.

Some of it is just what is traditionally popular in a country, there’s not always a hugely convincing reason for it. I don’t think there’s much evidence that Brits are all dying of carpet related diseases though so OP maybe have a carpet if you want and don’t if you don’t and everyone else can make their own choice 🤷‍♀️

My personal opinion is that with climate change the priority long term is going to be keeping houses cool, not keeping them warm. Particularly in the mid 30 degree summers that are going to become the norm over the next few years.

What if the Gulf Stream collapses? Wouldn’t we have a climate more like Canada, possibly with snow lying for months in the winter?

@taybert - I doubt it. I don’t know anyone who wears their shoes beyond hallway. Guest slippers are a thing. And nobody in their right might would wear snowy boots upstairs in a bedroom surely?

I mean I’m sure carpet exists here, but I don’t know any house’s personally with it in ( that’s I have seen), and houses all vary from 200-brand new. Never seen a carpet shop.

I don't know anyone who uses or offers "guest slippers"

I do. Guests can choose whether or not to use them.

It's OK, I've already been told I'm filthy dirty and lying about washing them between guests, since apparently I couldn't possibly keep up with the arduous task of chucking them in the linen basket after people have gone home. I wash the sheets and cutlery between uses rather than buying all new every time, too. I like to live dangerously.