Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Original poster

Ok so a cream carpet was a bad idea.

21 replies

WickedWitchinthesticks · 27/10/2009 15:19

It was in the dining room so no chance of muddy shoes and the children were 10/12 so no more highchairs. The room is dark and my new cream carpet lightened it up terrifically.
Then my niece spilled limeade all over it.
Even professional cleaning couldn't get it out ( it's the yellow food colouring apparently). So we claimed on the insurance and it was replaced last year.

The new carpet is cream with flecks in.

6 moths ago DS1 was carrying a plate of spag bol to the table when it slid off the plate on to the floor. A very nice carpet cleaning man got it all out for £25.

A few weeks later DS2 was clearing the table and dropped a dish of barbeque sauce.....
I was a bit embarrassed to ring the carpet cleaning man to clean the same bit of carpet again but he did a good job for another £25.

I wouldn't believe this if someone else told me but... last night we made pizzas and DS2 was carrying 2 plates to the table when one slid off the plate , upside down of course and in the same spot.

DH and I are argueing about whose turn it is to ring the carpet man up again.

OP posts:
NorbertDentressangle · 27/10/2009 15:22

Better still, try a carpenter who will fit a lovely wooden floor for you

meep · 27/10/2009 15:38

we have a cream carpet in our dining room

we walk accross said carpet all day to get to and from the kitchen/back door

I have a hige ugly read splash mat where my dd's sit

said cream carpet is ruined

in my defence I was 39 weeks pregnat with dd1 when I amde the decision

I feel your pain!

nappyzonecantrunfortoffee · 27/10/2009 15:42

We too had a lovely thick squidgey cream carpet then a visiting old relative spilt a cup of strong tea on it and the spot is ruined - stil i persisted then after ds arrival i regualaryl forgot stuff on way out then ran through room to kithen forgetting to remove my timberalnds so it got mroe wrecked. Tea never came out. We now have a dark brown one which is even worse as shows up every speck of bit left on it and needs hoovering daily. grrrr

Original poster
WickedWitchinthesticks · 27/10/2009 16:31

Most of these were tomato based red stains so perhaps a red carpet next time....

OP posts:
nightmareteamgirl · 27/10/2009 19:58

I also ffeel your pain.

When I bought brand new house 3 years ago it was wall to wall up and down in cream.
I have replaced entire downstairs with either vinyl or laminate

So of course DS

  1. Ran to bottom of (still carpeted) stairs from lounge and puked (orange stuff)
  2. Took play doh upstairs and squished it into his carpet
  3. Tipped chocolate milk all over landing

I have given up frankly- luckily my next door neigbour is a carpet cleaner and so pops in at weekends and keeps it less revolting for me ...

Everyone laughed when I said I was getting vinyl in my hallway. Actually it looks amazing and just like real wood- I wish I had done lounge in same instead of laminate tbh

bebesequin · 27/10/2009 20:20

Get a carpet shampoo machine?I Have one -has saved my life several times you can leave it pre loaded with shampoo etc so you can immeadiatly tackle stain-think it is a vax cost about £100-

StephHaydock · 27/10/2009 20:23

Cream carpet in the dining room wasn't the brightest idea, was it?

I'd also invest in a carpet shampoo machine...or wooden floors!

Heated · 27/10/2009 20:27

Feel your pain. Coincidentally am MNing amoungst the smell of wet-dog which is what the carpets smell like once they've been Bisselled.

Naetha · 27/10/2009 20:32

Is it worth putting a rug down? Would it work?

shallishanti · 27/10/2009 21:23

what a coincidence.....came on here to ask...has anyone ever removed a dark brown hair dye stain from a cream carpet?

frecklyspeckly · 27/10/2009 21:33

There should be a 'cream carpet induced depression' support thread on MN IMO.

We are nine years in to our own cream carpet hell.

Every so often, gets cleaned by hired carpet cleaner, slight improvement.

we have always held the idea we would be moving on and so have held off spending money on this house in general.

My god, nine years in you can tell we have held off!!

if we are not in a position to move next year we are laminating - although have been told it is very 'dated' now ( and should this bother me, as I was just thinking clean and practical?)

Original poster
WickedWitchinthesticks · 28/10/2009 14:16

I thought I was safe using cream carpet in the dining room as it has no through traffic even though we use it at every meal.
I hate hard floors and have always avoided the wood/laminate route.
The only exception is the bathroom. Soon after having two small boys splashing around I gave up the carpet and put down vinyl. It looks like I'm stuck with it as my 13 year old make more mess than ever while preening in there.
I am def going to look into the carpet washing thingy, although I'd prefer one that comes with a man to push it around.

OP posts:
Squishabelle · 28/10/2009 14:29

Oh God - why do we all get cream carpets like a load of pathetic sheep? Every house in the country must have them and TBH its a ridiculous colour to have. I really dont know what possessed me to follow suit!

Original poster
WickedWitchinthesticks · 28/10/2009 15:57

Could be because if you go into a carpet shop you can choose any colour as long as it's cream.

OP posts:
janmoomoo · 28/10/2009 18:54

I would like to join the 'cream carpet induced depression' support group. I had a lovely natural one in a previous house and there werent even any children living in that one, but it was trashed inside six months by two adults and a dog (and some fake tan!). Very bad idea. There should be some sort of trading standards warning!

In new house had all the swirly 70's patterned carpets replaced with a chocolate brown carpet on stairs and whole of upstairs and it is blumin lovely.

MaureenMLove · 28/10/2009 19:30

I am ridiculously smug about our cream carpet! DH's idea. I told him I was a CM and it was a stoopid idea, but no, he insisted.

It is, of course, totally knackered and I smuggly say, 'told you so!'

It will be replaced by wooden flooring in due course!

WhereYouLeftIt · 28/10/2009 19:42

Definitely look into a carpet cleaner, it was the best thing I ever did. We also got a cream carpet to lighten a dark room and I still love how it looks 5 years on, but there were the occasional accidents. Having your own cleaner means you can get to it immediately and then there's much more chance of getting it all out. Mine is a Bissell Aroma Pro, not much heavier to use than a vacuum cleaner and leaves the carpet pretty dry too.

BlurredBoundaries · 28/10/2009 20:22

My sister's cleaner saysshe uses bleach on her cream carpet to get out any stains. Says it works every time but i guess it depends on the actual cream of your carpet.

shallishanti · 01/11/2009 17:51

in fairness, I have to say that

  1. carpet is on stairs, one place where I think you really need a carpet, we have tried without, too noisy and cold
  2. previous carpet was dark brown, hall and stairs too dark and gloomy.
frecklyspeckly · 01/11/2009 21:38

in fact since I came on this thread I have began to obsess about how bad our carpet is... and the walls look grubby too....

NotPosh · 04/11/2009 12:09

We moved into our house, that has/had lovely cream carpets in the kitchen/diner thing, and in the sunroom. Lovely until 2 years on and DD has literally massacred them with paint, water (it leaves horrible stains even if you try to mop it up?)split drinks. Then of course us adults, spills and god knows what.
Then the cats throwing up, shredding dead birds mice and other local wildlife all over them..........ICK!!

Rent a Rog Doctor every 6 months for a quick spruce up, pretty cheap and dead easy to use. The carpets are'nt coming up as good as they once did, but still, the amount of gunk that comes out is worth it to reduce traffic areas etc.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page