A lady in Louisiana, USA is suing the owner of her townhouse for negligence because she slipped down some stairs. She, Jean Dixon says that the carpet is defective. Have a read of the story below…

The incident occurred on Feb. 17, 2010 as Dixon was attempting to descend downstairs of her townhouse, when she slipped and fell.

Dixon accuses the defendants of negligence by stating the handrail was defective, incomplete and wobbly and the stairs were inconsistent in size, with improperly designed tread. She states that the stairway had defective carpet, which caused her to slip.

The defendants are also accused of failing to warn Dixon of the defective and dangerous stairway and failing to maintain or repair the stairway.

The plaintiff is seeking damages for pain and suffering, disability, loss of functional capacity, loss of wages, loss of earning capacity, loss of enjoyment of life, medical expenses, permanent scarring and disability, humiliation, pain and suffering, mental anguish, medical expenses, interest and court costs.

Dixon is represented by Metairie attorney Glenn C. McGovern. A jury trial is requested.

U.S. District Judge Kurt D. Engelhardt is assigned to the case.

Source: http://www.louisianarecord.com/news/233491-woman-claims-carpet-was-defective-in-suit-against-usaa

Whether she wins the court case or not, it’s a reminder to get carpet properly installed by professionals AND to make sure your tenants aren’t retarded or crazy!

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Just read one of the worst blog posts about the different types of carpet! I think the author has a slight obsession with the colour orange lol.

Affordable carpet may seem hard to be able to get, but the more you learn and understand about it the more you will be able to get. Look at many different types of carpet. I have learnt that you must look in certain places to be able to get very orange carpet, and of course you will surely be able to get it for super orange if you take a good hunt and look around, the bargain carpet deals that you probably have been seeing about are easily being able to be gotten, but you must really search for them, the more you search the better you will get, it really is as simple as that. Types of carpet like these are super great. Orange marine carpet can look nice in whatever house you have, and you must not of course forget to look at places where to buy orange carpet from. I used to like to use orange colourful carpet, but like most people I have found it hard to be able to put it into a space where it will really fit well with the rest of my house or home. All types of carpet will not do this.

Source: http://cheapcarpetcheap.blogspot.com/2010/03/where-to-get-orange-carpet-from.html

CarpetOne in NZ gives a much better summary of the different types of carpet. Take a look!

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I was doing some research on choosing good carpet shampoo and was just trying to get a simple explanation of the difference between dry and liquid versions. Found this blog post so I thought I’d share it…

Dry carpet shampoos are powders that you sprinkle on a large area and then work into the carpet fibers with a firm scrub brush. Then, as the dry shampoo sits, it will attract the dirt like a magnet so when you vacuum up the mess later the dirt goes away with the dry carpet shampoo powder. Liquid carpet shampoos are usually diluted with water and put into a carpet shampoo machine. The machine will apply the liquid shampoo to the carpet and then use rotating scrub brushes to work it down into the fibers. Then, the shampooer uses suction to pull all the dirty water into a waste tank.

Source: http://lendmeahand.com/selecting-the-right-carpet-shampoo/

CarpetOne in New Zealand also have a “Carpet Cleaning and Stain Removal Guide” for those that are interested. You can probably also just ask your local cleaning person for some good tips.

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How did carpets come into being and where was it first used? There are theories for the origin of carpet as presented by Enza Milanesi in his book called “The Little Brown Guide to Carpets”.

The first theory was that carpets were created so that people in the ancient times may be protected from extreme weather conditions and so that their feet will not come into direct contact with the ground. Thick knotted carpets were also believed to have been invented to spare the lives of their pet animals whose hides were used as original carpets.

The second theory is that carpets were used by people for decorative as well as practical purposes. Carpets were said to play an important role during celebrations and traditional ceremonies.

Other uses for carpets include being used as blankets, floor covers, curtains, tokens or gifts from one tribe to another, shelter and shade, and covers for tombs.

The oldest knotted carpet was found in Pazyryk Valley in Siberia 2,500 years ago in the tombs of Scythian chiefs.

The carpet known as the most valuable of all time is the garden carpet “Spring time of Khosroe” which was brought home by Arabian Emperor Heraclius after conquering Sassanian capital Ctesiphon in 637. The 90 feet square carpet was made between 531-579 and described as Arab historians as a carpet with a magnificent flower bed border of blue, red, white, yellow and green stones, with a gold background depicting the color of the earth; clear stones like crystals which gave the illusion of water; and plants in silk and fruits formed by colour stones.

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Famous carpets have been inspiring people to buy their own carpets so that their own rooms may have the same majestic, rich feel. Below are some museums displaying the most beautiful, historical carpets from different parts of the world.

• The Carpet Museum of Iran – A museum in Tehran with a building that represents carpet-weaving loom features Pazyryk carpets woven in the 5^th century B.C. and tree design carpets woven in the 17^th century.
• Rassam Carpet Museum – Found in Tehran, this museum offers weaving educational workshops where students are required to have their own designs and tools organized by Tehran City and Cultural Heritage organization.
• Istanbul Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum – Turkey’s carpet museum containing the richest collection of carpet art in the world.  It has rare Seljuk carpets, prayer rugs and 15^th century animal figured carpets
• Isparta Museum – A museum in Turkey divided into four main rooms: Archeology, Treasure, Ethnography and Carpet. The Carpet Hall has carpets from the 17th – 20th centuries hailing from lots of carpet centres in Turkey.
• Fogg Art Museum – The oldest art museum in Harvard University, U.S. contains intricately designed rug donations from 18^th century New England rug collector Denman Waldo Ross.
• Museum of Fine Arts – A museum in Boston which contains ancient Egyptian to contemporary carpets.
• Victoria and Albert Museum – A museum in U.K. which features European textiles such as woven, printed and embroidered textiles, lace, tapestries and carpets.
• Museum für Islamische Kunst – A museum in Germany which translates to ‘Museum of Islamic Art ‘, it houses ceramic vessels, metalwork, carvings in wood and bone, glass, textiles, and carpets.
• Hermitage Museum –  A museum in St. Petersburg, Russia containing paintings, graphic works, sculptures and works of carpets, applied art, archaeological finds and numismatic material.

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To get a carpet with a loud and proud pattern or to buy a carpet with modest, unobtrusive shade and design is a choice that is solely the carpet owner’s. If you are proud of your furniture and house interiors, then pick a plain carpet to emphasize your house accessories. But if you have rather plain house furniture and mild house colors and interiors, then pick the carpet that will create spice in your living area so that attention will be drawn to the room.

Go all out in a really bright or really dark colored carpet with striking patterns. You might also just pick a tamer carpet in either warm colors or cool colors with mild patterns that are mildly contrasting in design. Finally, pick a carpet in pale colors with patterns that have no sense of contrast at all if you don’t want the attention to be on the carpet but on your lovely furniture.

Look at how your furnishings are designed. The shape, curve, and pattern should set a trend for how your carpet should be designed. There should be harmony in your furnishings and your floor design, not completely but they should complement each other or highlight each other even if they are not of the same pattern. Decide if you want harmony or contrast among your floor and your furnishings.

In choosing your carpet color, rule out the pale colors if you have children and pets in the house. Stains brought about by children and pets are easier to conceal when you have a darker colored carpet.

The color you pick for your carpet should match the color theme of your walls. Choose from the same family of color your walls came in so that everything will be pleasing to the eye.

Carpet color should also be chosen with a specific mood in mind. Would you want the room to have a romantic, calming feel? Then pick the cool relaxing colors of pink, purple, and blue. If you want an energizing, inspiring vibe, then pick bright warm colors like red, orange, and yellow.

Consider the lighting in the room. A dark room would do well with a light colored carpet while a room that is already suffused with light will look good with dark colored carpets.

It is important to pick carpet colors that match. If you are to pick any shade of purple carpet such as mauve, lavender, and violet, better pair it with gray, silver or gold. Carpets with orange hues are best teamed with yellow, green or blue colors. Green shaded carpets look best when paired with light yellow colors, orange, brown, and gray. For blue shaded carpets, the colors that will make it more pleasing to the eye are green, yellow, and orange.

Have a fun time choosing carpet pattern and carpet color for your home!

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When you’ve chosen the carpet that will suit the look and feel of your home, the next matter of complete importance is caring and maintenance for your lovely carpet. It is important to take good care of your carpet and keep it fresh to save you from the cost of having to buy new ones once your carpet is worn out.
To care for your carpet:
1. Vacuum every other day to prevent the accumulation of dirt, dust, and stains.
2. Be quick to react in cleaning up spills and stains. Never rub which could only make it worse but just blot the stain with a clean paper towel then use carpet cleaning spray.
3. Inspect regularly for loose fibers you should cut, which could become unsightly pulls and unravel your whole carpet.
4. Don’t wear golf shoes or other types of potentially damaging shoes to the carpet.
5. Trim your pets’ nails weekly to avoid pulls.
6. Say no to fading. Close the blinds during sunny parts of the day and prolong the life of your carpet.
7. Change the position of your rugs twice a year to avoid wearing. You can also rotate the furniture.
8. Get your carpet professionally deep cleaned once a year.
9. Prior to a deep cleaning, thoroughly vacuum your carpet by going through the same area a couple of times.
10. Aside from hiring a professional cleaner, other methods of deep cleaning include aerosol spray foam cleaners, a rented carpet cleaning machine or home carpet cleaners.
11. For carpet that is not heavily soiled or worn out, try using the aerosol foam spray cleaner. Test by spraying a small area, letting it set, and then rubbing with a towel. If color does not bleed into the towel, then it is safe to use it for the rest of your carpet.
12. Don’t clean fresh mud stains but allow it to dry first, and then proceed in vacuuming it.
13. Put small amounts of club soda on fresh stains, just before blotting it with a paper towel to help in cleaning it.
14. On older stains, combine 3 tablespoons of vinegar, 2 tablespoons of detergent, and one quart of warm water in removing the stain before blotting it dry.
15. Repair carpet grooves caused by furniture by using an ice cube over the spot.
16. Remove the smell of urine by using equal parts of white vinegar and water.
In caring for your carpet and treating stains, always use an ounce of precaution and moderation.

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There are different kinds of carpet available at the market today, ripe for our picking. In choosing a carpet, we should consider the theme of the room where we will place it, the pattern of the carpet as compared to the size of the room, and the color of the room as well as the color of the carpet.
1. Loop carpet or Level Loop Pile
The most popular type of carpet, the loop carpet is made of loops of yam that are of the same height and are not cut, thereby making them more durable and resistant to wearing and tracking caused by too much walking, etc.
2. Cut and loop or Multi-level Loop
A type of carpet that is used for areas that don’t require much walking around, the cut and loop makes use of loops that are of different heights or of combined looped and cut fibers, therefore not as resistant to tracking as the level loop. It is a softer type of carpet. The texture and layer this carpet gives make it easy to conceal dirt and footprints.
3. Saxony
Saxony is a very soft thick and warm carpet made of tightly twisted cut piles of yam softened with heat. Marks such as foot prints usually appear easily on Saxony.
4. Textured Saxony
Another popular carpet is the textured Saxony. It is very soft and more tightly twisted and textured than the Saxony. Because of its multi-color quality, it can conceal dirt and footprints.
5. Plush or Cut Pile/ Velvet
A carpet used in formal places because of its softness, plush carpet is made from yams that are cut at the same length. Footprints usually appear easily on plush carpets.
These are just some of the basic types of carpets out in the market. In selecting your carpet, choose one that will complement your home and make it warmer.

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Some people say that carpets are a thing of the past and impractical in today’s modern living. But while some people have moved on to hardwood floors, vinyl tiles, and marble floors, some people still choose to stick with good old-fashioned carpets.
More than just a tool Disney characters use to facilitate their magical rides; carpets have the undeniable charm that home owners find hard to resist. Carpets give comfort and warmth that no cold bare floor can replicate. Like a friendly dog or a soft bed, carpets encourage cuddling, family bonding moments, and horsing around and tickling on the floor. Carpets have the ability to produce a personalized homey feel to any formal or stiff home in need of a touch of human element.
There are many other advantages of carpet. First and foremost is its childproof quality. Because of the softness of the carpet, your babies –and not to mention you– will be less prone to serious injuries when they or you fall on your carpet instead of a cold hard floor or tiles.
Second is its ability to keep a room warm. Carpet owners can save a lot on heating costs and electricity bills because of its natural insulating feature.
Carpets are also said to give a room better privacy because of its ability to muffle noise.
Finally, a study in Sweden has confirmed that having a carpet in your home can yield less air pollution and less allergies for you than having hard surface floors. This is so because the carpet has the ability to improve indoor air quality by cornering and blocking allergy-producing particles if the carpet is well maintained and cleaned.

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