If you’ve decided to have carpeting in your home, you’ve made a good choice – it’s a gorgeous way to improve your interior design, and it’s practical for all kinds of reasons, too. However, there is one problem (although it’s a good problem to have): there are so many colours and variations on shades that it can be hard to find the perfect one for your home.

It’s a big decision, no matter how much floorspace you’re covering, and the last thing you want to do is get it wrong because you’ll have to look at it for years to come and not be one hundred percent happy. With that in mind, here are some of the things to consider when you’re choosing the right colour carpet for your home.

What Room?

The first thing to do when you’re choosing the right colour carpet is to think about what the room is used for. Different rooms need different looks and they also have different practical things to think about (like how much mess might be made in them), and that can all have a bearing on the colour of carpet you pick in the end.

A living room or a bedroom might need to be warm and inviting, for example, so slightly darker and natural tones are a good idea. A home office, however, might need to be lighter and more calming, so pastel colours might be a better choice. If you’re installing a carpet in a playroom or child’s bedroom, you might decide that bright colours are the order of the day. That’s why the room itself needs to be thought about before you make a final choice.

Lighting Is Important

The lighting you have in a room will also make a big difference to the carpet colour that might work there. Lighting can actually change how a carpet looks, so the colour you choose initially might not look the same when it’s installed. One way you can solve this issue is to speak to expert London carpet suppliers who have plenty of knowledge and experience and who’ll be able to give you an idea of whether or not that will happen and what the shade might become in different lighting.

To get you started on the right track, rooms with a lot of natural sunlight can have lighter colours like grey, cream, or pale pastels, for example, but rooms with less natural light could have darker colours to make it feel cosier.

Think About Maintenance

Carpet colour isn’t just about how the carpet looks and what colours you like (although that does have to come into it); it’s also worth thinking about how you’re going to keep the carpet clean and maintain it, and the colour can make a difference with that.

In high-traffic areas like hallways and stairs, it might be a good practical move to choose darker colours (and the same is true if you have pets who often have dirty feet), whereas in rooms that don’t get much foot traffic, like a bedroom, you can have something lighter. It will show stains more easily, but there’s less chance of those stains happening in the first place.

If you’re looking for a quick but beautiful way to improve your interior, something that can have a fantastic impact (but that you might not have considered immediately) is working on your staircase. After all, it’s something you use every day – guests will as well – and, depending on where it’s situated, it’s also something you’ll see as you move around your home. Why not make it a stunning thing to look at and use at the same time?

One way to really boost the aesthetic appeal of your stairs is to install a stair runner rather than standard carpeting. There are a number of reasons why that could be a good idea, so keep reading to find out what some of them are.

Safety
Safety has to be a big priority in any home, perhaps especially if you have children or older people living there, and your stairs can be a hazard if they’re not properly looked after due to the risk of slips, trips, and falls.

When you have professional London carpet fitters install a stair runner, you’ll add some traction and stability to the area, and it’ll instantly become a lot safer, especially compared to wooden stairs, which can be extremely slippery.

Protection
Your stairs go through a lot of use in their lives, and they’ll naturally acquire wear and tear from the heavy foot traffic they get. In the end, after a few years, your stairs are going to be covered in scuffs, scratches, dents, and even stains.

Adding a stair runner over the top of your stairs gives them an extra layer of protection and really acts as a protective barrier against all those potential accidents and damage. Plus, because you’ll still be able to see the actual stair on either side of the runner, you won’t have to completely do away with the original look you had.

Style
Perhaps one of the most important things to think about when you’re making any changes to your interior at all is how it’s going to look – you’ll want your home to be beautiful and stylish, no matter what you’re updating or upgrading, and your stairs are no exception.

That’s another reason why choosing to have a stair runner installed is a good idea because there are so many patterns, colours, and even materials to choose from that you’re going to be able to find the style that works for you and your home easily, ensuring that your interior design looks stunning.

Sound Absorption
If you’ve got wooden stairs, they’ll look great, but they won’t sound great. Every time anyone goes up or down the stairs, you’ll certainly know about it, and the sound will echo around the house – it’s not a peaceful way to live.

However, when you have a stair runner, you don’t have to worry about that anymore, and instead, you can enjoy the fact that the carpeting absorbs the sound and gives you a lovely, quiet place to live where everyone can be comfortable.

As autumn is in full swing, it’s time to start thinking about carpet care in the winter. While your windows may be firmly shut, there are actually plenty more chances for your carpets to get dirty or damaged during the winter months than during the summer. That’s why it’s so important that you go above and beyond regular carpet maintenance to take care of your carpets.

What Types of Carpets Are the Easiest to Maintain?

If you’re in the market for new carpets and are hoping to take out some of the maintenance requirements, then you’ll want to choose a low-pile or flat-woven design. These designs offer less space for dirt to fall down and get trapped, making them easier to hoover and keep clean.

You’ll also want to get the best carpet fitters London has to offer to install a nylon option. Nylon is much easier to maintain, especially in comparison to polyester or polypropylene. Even wool carpets, though luxurious and great at helping pull humidity from the air, tend to stain easily.

By having the pros install your already durable carpet, you don’t have to worry about dust and dirt coming up from underneath your floorboards, as your experts will insulate your space first with a paper underfloor and then rubber underlay.

How to Keep Your Carpets Clean Throughout Winter

While carpets that have been professionally fitted and are chosen for their low-maintenance design will, by their very nature, be far easier to take care of, these tips can help everyone maintain clean and beautiful carpets throughout the winter months:

1.     Invest in a Large, Good Quality Doormat

Mud, dirt, dust, leaves – all of that and more gets brought in after a long walk outside. As the days get shorter and wetter, the amount of dirt and debris you’ll carry with you is only going to increase. That’s why it’s so important to stop all that dirt at the door. This even applies if you have hardwood or vinyl flooring in your hallway, as dirt can get kicked up and spread further throughout your home.

In general, you should have a brush mat outside to wipe off mud and debris and then another mat inside to catch the rest. Store your shoes underneath a rubber tray to catch any leftover water, and you’ll immediately minimise your cleaning efforts.

2.     Hoover Your High-Traffic Areas Regularly

Just capturing the dirt at the door isn’t going to be enough, especially if your front door opens out to the street, where a good gust of wind can blow a lot of dirt and particles into your home. That’s why it’s a good idea to hoover your high-traffic areas once or twice per week. Make sure that you go slow to really create a deep suction and get all the dirt out of the crevices.

3.     Consider Rearranging Your Furniture

If you want to avoid wear and tear and reach those inaccessible corners, change the layout of each room (if you can). Swapping things over just a little bit will open up new floor paths to give your high-trafficked areas a bit of a break. It will also open up those areas of your carpet that were previously impossible to reach, so you can evenly clean your floors and not worry about long-lasting dust build-up.

Carpets just make sense in the home. Even if you don’t want carpet throughout your property, you’ll probably still have them upstairs and particularly in bedrooms. Touching cold hardwood on a winter morning is just not nice. Hardwood or lookalike options also collect dust and require much more in terms of maintenance just to continue looking great. While carpets do need a good hoover regularly, they are far more forgiving.

Knowing you want carpet in your home is step one. Going into our carpet fitters London location in Dulwich so you can physically feel the options available is essential step number two. All that’s left is to determine what shade is right for your home.

While it may seem like there’s minimal difference, that minimal shift in colour tone can make a huge impact on how well your home comes together. You can’t just choose the shade you like on the floor, either. You need to consider a lot of key factors, including:

The Paint Colour Scheme

It doesn’t even matter if your home is entirely white. The exact shade of white is going to play a huge part in which shade of carpeting works best for your property. A cool white isn’t going to pair well with a warm beige carpet, especially if your furniture is also leaning toward the greyscale.

Warm Tone Versus Cool Tones

Now, you can absolutely repaint your property to best match your carpets later. The issue, of course, is that we all tend to lean one way or the other in terms of cool/warm tones. Knowing which side you lean on can help you choose a carpet that looks great throughout all of your home updates.

If you tend to lean towards soft whites that are creamy in tone, then you typically prefer warm tones. Your lights will be a warm yellow; you’ll prefer the feel of cosiness in your home. If you prefer bluer lights, greys, and clean modern finishings, then you’ll likely prefer cooler-toned carpets. Knowing what you lean more towards can help you choose that enduring carpet shade that works throughout your home.

The Shade of Your Large Furnishings

If you are carpeting your living room, then you will want to give some thought to how the carpet will look next to your chosen sofa. If you already have a sofa (and spent a lot on it), then the last thing you want is to install a mismatched carpet underneath it. See if the manufacturer has a fabric swatch for your sofa and/or chairs, and bring those to our carpet store to find shades that look good together.

You Can Mix and Match

Your downstairs living room carpet can be different from the carpet in your upstairs. The break between floors means you do have this as an option, which typically expands design possibilities in your home. It also means you can use a hardier carpet downstairs that will see a lot more foot traffic and a softer carpet for the upstairs bedrooms.

It’s hard to keep carpets looking brand-new forever. After all, life happens. It’s normal for carpets to soak up some spills and lose their texture over time. That doesn’t mean you should be resigned to its fate – if you incorporate these five easy habits into your life, you can expand the life of your carpet, keeping it looking fresh for longer!

1: Vacuum Regularly

The first – and most obvious – habit to have to keep your carpet clean all year around is vacuuming regularly. When you invest in a stylish carpet from Balham flooring specialists, you want to be sure your carpet will last and last. Twice a week is best here, as it ensures any dust and dirt that gets accumulated stands no chance of becoming embedded into the carpet. You should also consider using a good carpet cleaner when necessary, as this will do an even better job of getting the carpet clean and fresh.

2: Use More Rugs

If you want your carpet to stand the test of time, the best way to do so is to protect it – ideally, with rugs and runners. For example, placing a runner down an entrance hallway will help keep the carpet free of dirt from people’s shoes. If your lounge has a lot of foot traffic, a rug will help prevent the carpet from getting worn down over time.

3: Clean Stains Immediately

Spilling a little wine or coffee on the carpet is normal – it happens. However, don’t leave the stain too long. Otherwise, it will sink in and become harder to get out. Instead, clear up any stains as soon as they happen. You can usually just use household items around the house, such as white vinegar and water. Let it sink in for a while, then scrub until the carpet looks as good as new.

4: Train Your Pets Well

One of the biggest offenders of carpet ruining is pets. An untrained pet may scratch the carpet, pulling it up at the sides. Some untrained pets even have accidents on the carpet, which is never fun to clean up and will inevitably leave the carpet looking less than perfect, even if you clean it up straight away. So, whether you have a feline friend or a puppy, be sure to train them properly in the early days to keep your carpet looking fresh.

5: Take Your Shoes Off

Walking around a carpeted home in shoes will only decrease the lifespan of the carpet. It will quickly get full of dirt from your shoes and may even wear down thanks to the material on the sole of your shoes. So, to keep your carpet looking new all year round, make a habit of taking your shoes off every time you enter the house. Make sure everyone else who lives there follows suit!

Fortunately, with these five habits, you can ensure your carpet looks just as amazing in five years as it did when you first got it placed.

It’s an age-old question. When renovating a commercial or residential property, many get stuck on whether they should choose carpet or wooden flooring. Both have advantages; carpet is cheaper, softer, and warmer, whereas hardwood generally offers higher value.

Carpet vs Hardwood: What’s the Difference?

Before determining which is best, knowing how they differ is important. Carpet is typically made of synthetic fibres (although you can find natural fibre carpets) and feels soft to the touch. On the other hand, hardwood flooring is made of solid wood, such as oak, and gets sanded and finished appropriately to use as functional flooring.

A lot of people have strong opinions about whether carpet or hardwood is better. Who is right, though? To determine which one might be best for your planned renovations, here are some of the key differences.

Style

Carpet and hardwood look entirely different and will bring a different feel to the room. Hardwood is a hard flooring and comes in the colour of the woo, including any natural patternation – two planks are unlikely to be the same. While generally considered an attractive type of flooring, often suiting a variety of home styles, wooden flooring doesn’t offer many variations.

In terms of variety, carpet wins here. You can find carpets in many different styles, with variations in colour, pattern, texture, and more. You can see just how much from our Dulwich flooring specialists, who can expertly fit a wide range of carpets to suit your tastes.  

Cost

Budget plays a crucial role in decision-making when renovating a room or just redoing a floor. If you want to keep things on the cheaper end, carpet is typically the less expensive option, with hardwood flooring often racking up a higher price tag.

Comfort

When it comes to comfortable flooring, there is a big difference between hardwood and carpet. Carpet feels much softer and warmer on the feet, which many people find an advantage, particularly in colder weather. On the other hand, hardwood feels solid and hard without much warmth – it can feel nice underfoot, but you will need to be wary of drafts.

Ease of Cleaning

It’s not just about how it looks and feels – when laying down new flooring, you need to know that you can handle the cleaning! Carpets require regular vacuuming, preferably twice a week. It’s also important to clean stains as soon as they occur and use carpet cleaner when necessary.

Cleaning hardwood is simpler. Most of the time, hardwood only needs a quick sweep to get up any dirt and dust. When hardwood needs deeper cleaning, you just need to get out the mop.

Lifestyle

It’s hard to determine whether hardwood or carpet is better overall, as it depends on your tastes and preferences. Most of all, it depends on your lifestyle. For example, if you have animals, hardwood flooring would probably make more sense, as animal hair is much easier to get up off hardwood flooring than it is carpet, but animal claws can mark some wood. However, if you live in a shared building, carpet might make more sense, as carpet is quieter and can help block out noise from above and below.

The Consensus

When it comes to whether hardwood flooring or carpet is better, it really is a personal choice – there is no outright winner here. In fact, many people choose to have both in different areas of their homes. You might find a warm, comfortable, stylish carpet in the living room works beautifully, but hardwood flooring would look more sophisticated in your dining room.

Are you worried about keeping your carpets clean over the summer?

A time of year when most people relax in their gardens, stroll around the local park and take advantage of the warmer weather, dirty shoes are a common occurrence.

Fortunately, if you have already started to notice a few grubby stains appearing on your carpets, you can take steps to keep them clean and looking their best.

From upping your cleaning routine to investing in rugs and runners, read on to discover 5 top tips to keep your carpets clean all summer long.

1. No shoes allowed

Simple but effective, one of the easiest ways to avoid stains on your carpet is to ensure that people remove their shoes before entering your home.

Although this may be challenging if you have young children, believe us when we say it will be worth the effort.

If you get fed up with constantly asking people to take off their shoes, why not make a sign to display on your front door or on your porch? Just remember to ask politely!

2. Get vacuuming  

Regular vacuuming is essential for keeping your carpets in optimal condition for longer. Typically, it is recommended that you vacuum your carpets once a week. However, if you have a lot of people visiting your home during the summer, it can be beneficial to increase this to twice a week or more.

It is a good idea to sprinkle some baking soda over your carpets before you vacuum to absorb any bad odours.

3. Protect high-footfall areas

For high-footfall areas of your home, such as the stairs and the hallway, you might want to consider investing in a rug or a runner to protect your carpets. Not only can this help to prevent dirt from becoming entrenched in your carpet, but it can also help to stop general wear and tear.

You can find rugs and runners at our Balham carpets shop, with options to suit all budgets and tastes.

4. Don’t delay, clean up spills today!

If there is a spillage on your carpet or someone walks over it with muddy shoes, it is imperative that you take action straight away before the stain sets in.

You may be able to clean it with a basic solution of warm water and liquid detergent, or you may require a chemical cleaner, depending on the type of stain.

There are lots of handy tips online on how to remove carpet stains.

5. Call in the professionals

If your carpets are looking a little on the grubby side by the end of the summer, why not hire a professional cleaning company to come and give them a good wash?

While you can rent carpet cleaners and steam cleaners, this can sometimes damage the delicate fibres of a carpet, especially if you don’t know how to use them properly. However, with a professional carpet cleaner, you are guaranteed a premium service and a great end result.

You might think you can’t have carpet in your home if you have allergies. The good news is that you don’t have to fear carpets as an allergy sufferer.

While other types of flooring, such as real wood and laminate, can seem like the better option for people with allergies, you can enjoy the luxuriousness and comfort of carpet even if you are sensitive to allergens.

Keep reading to learn all about carpets and allergies. This post will detail the main symptoms of carpet allergies and what the best choices are for allergy sufferers.

What are the main signs of a carpet allergy?

If you suspect you have this type of allergy, there are some key signs to look out for. These include the following common symptoms:

• Watery or red eyes
• An irritated/itchy throat
• Excessive sneezing
• A runny nose
• Itchy, red, and/or irritated skin
• Coughing
• Trouble breathing
• Feelings of pressure in the chest

It is worth noting that the above symptoms are also common in people who are sensitive to everyday allergens such as pet dander, pollen, dust mites, and mould, which are likely to exist in your home.

Can I have carpet in my home if I have allergies?

As mentioned briefly above, even if you have a carpet allergy, this does not mean that you can’t have carpet in your home. It does mean, however, that you must be selective in your choice of carpet for your home.

Ideally, you should look for a hypoallergenic carpet made with materials that are less likely to shred and irritate you. This type of carpet is also less likely to trap other allergens, such as pet dander and pollen.

Alternatively, a carpet that is made from synthetic fibres such as nylon, polyester, or triexta is a good choice as these actively repel allergens.

You can find high-quality carpets in Dulwich that are made from fabrics that are suitable for people with allergies.

You should avoid choosing a carpet made of wool and other natural fibres as these provide the perfect environment for allergens to thrive and are likely to worsen your symptoms.

In terms of pile height, the shorter, the better, as this provides allergens with less space.

How to minimise allergens in your home

If you have carpet already in place and you have allergy sufferers in your household, then there are precautions you can take to reduce the number of allergens in your home.

Having a good cleaning schedule in place is the first course of action. This will help you to remove any allergens that settle on your floors. Make sure you ask people to take their shoes off at the door to prevent allergens from coming into your home and vacuum your carpets at least once a week.

Shampooing or steam cleaning your carpet once or twice a year can significantly reduce the number of allergens. If you are a pet owner, you may need to do this more often.

Unwashed carpets can be home to a whole host of nasties such as mildew and mould, all of which can create problems for people with allergies and respiratory problems, so make sure you stay on top of your cleaning regime!