If you have kids or teenagers, then you probably already know they can be hard on flooring, from tracking in dirt on their shoes to spilling drinks to general rough-and-tumble behavior. You’ve also probably heard some well-intended but misguided advice about avoiding carpet and sticking with something like tile or resilient flooring. Your kids or teens can benefit from your decision to keep existing carpeting or even have new carpeting installed over the existing hard floors, and here’s why.
Carpet is comfortable.
We grown-ups, who look for furniture or beds when we’re ready to sit and relax or lie down, tend to forget that kids and teens look to the floor as a favorite place to randomly plop down and play, do homework, socialize, or nap. Carpet, especially carpet with good padding, is soft and cozy.
Carpet absorbs sound.
Wood floors, tile, or other hard floor coverings have little or no effect on the acoustics of your home, whereas carpet absorbs sound. Whether you are looking to provide a quiet space for homework or reading or a hangout place for music, video games, or TV, carpet flooring is the absolute best choice for noise control.
Carpet helps maintain indoor air quality.
Kids and teens with asthma or allergies can benefit from living in a home with well-maintained carpeting. The operative words there are “well-maintained.” Carpet acts like a giant air filter, collecting pollen, pet dander, allergens, and the like. As long as the carpet is regularly vacuumed and professionally cleaned, carpet is better than hard flooring for maintaining indoor air quality.
Carpet is easier to maintain than you may have heard.
As previously mentioned, regular vacuuming and professional cleaning can help keep your carpets looking great for years to come, even with kids and teens around. Cleaning up spills and spots immediately can keep them from turning into permanent stains. For more information on caring for your carpet, download our free Carpet and Interior Textiles Care Guide, and if you can’t find the answers you need there, please feel free to give us a call.
This is one of a series of articles written and published on behalf of surpHaces Partners.