Whether you have a brand new carpet, one that’s several years old or an expensive rug, it’s important to make sure it’s well looked after. One of the best ways in which you can keep your carpet looking clean and feeling soft is to combine the power of natural and synthetic cleaning agents. Baking powder and salt are almost scentless and they are natural cleaning products. Spreading any salt on a stained area for a minimum of 30 minutes allows the natural cleaning agents to kick in and loosen the stain. You can then go in with your carpet cleaning solution to finish the job. Tough stains can ruin a carpet if they’re not dealt with fast, and you don’t need to waste money on expensive items, you probably have all the tools you need in your kitchen cupboard right now. Make sure you maintain your carpet in the future, you’ll be amazed at how clean you can make it.

You can probably tell by my website name that I love natural carpets, and there are plenty of reasons why it’s my favorite type of flooring. Most natural carpets are made of 100% natural fibres, from totally renewable resources, making them environmentally friendly. They’re extremely soft to stand on and they’re easy to clean nowadays thanks to high quality carpet cleaners. I know some rooms will need to have tiled flooring like kitchens and bathrooms because of moisture, but for hallways, bedrooms and living rooms I don’t think there’s another option better than natural carpet. There’s no end of colours to choose between, and you can decide on different thicknesses depending on the level of comfort you require. Natural carpets are can add a touch of class to your home so really…why would you need to consider anything else?

I always feel guilt when I look at an animal skin rug and think to myself ‘that looks fantastic’. I know full well that some of my friends look at it as though it’s an animal’s corpse. Sheepskin, goatskin and cowhide are all popular animal skin rugs, but you can also buy reindeer, rare breed sheepskin and springbok rugs among others. I’ve never liked the feeling of fake animals skin rugs, but over the last few years I’ve become a little less at ease with the whole concept. No animal should need to be killed for its skin, just so a wealthy, pompous person can rest their sweaty feet on it. I had a change of heart recently, but I can declare right now that I’ll never buy an animal skin rug. I’ve always much preferred polyester runners anyway!

Most towns will have their own carpet stores, but as you enter there will be rolls and rolls of carpets piled high, and the choice can actually be quite overwhelming. If you want to leave with some change in your pocket, you may want to consider these tips:

Never accept the going price – Most stores will price slightly higher, but they’ll soon drop their prices if you show and interest but say the price is putting you off. If they don’t agree to drop the price you should start to walk away, they’ll be sure to give you some kind of offer when you leave, especially if it means they close a worthwhile sale.

If you visit a store and can’t quite find the colour you’re looking for, then they’ll most likely be able to order it in for you, but you will usually need to put down a deposit first.

When you’ve spent a great deal of money on a brand new carpet, it can be a shame to waste any material that’s been leftover. There is some good news though, you don’t have to! We’ve thought of many purposes for odd cuts of carpet, and we’re going to talk you through a couple of options.

Use carpet as a protector for heavy items

When you’ve put a brand new carpet down, it is okay to double up. Let us explain… If you have a heavy filing cabinet which is about to sit on a new carpet, you can cut a leftover piece to sit directly under the filing cabinet and on top of your new carpet. It’s essentially double the protection, and it means your new carpet won’t aquire lines of wear, which are familiar with heavy goods.

Use odd carpet for cupboards

Not many people think to put carpet in their cupboards, but it’s worth it. If you have a built in wardrobe or built-in cupboards, you can use up odd pieces of carpet in the bottom, and it’s a much nicer surface for your belonging to sit on.