Time for new carpets or new flooring?

Carpets should last between five and fifteen years, but how long a carpet actually lasts depends on the quality of its construction and the level of foot traffic.

The lift span of your carpets vary and depend on brand, weave and your household footfall, lifestyles, ie pets, children. Deciding on new carpets is a big decision and so important, its is not just an investment in your home, it is also part of your happiness and health in your home. Read our quick guide to deciding if it is time for a new carpet.

Also your flooring is one of the first things guests and potential homebuyers notice when walking into a house and can make a huge impression, sometimes for the worst.

Here are the top 8 signs that it’s time to get rid of that old carpet and trade it out for something new. The below are all normal signs of a carpet’s age.

• Water stains
• Bald spots
• Flat areas
• Stubborn Stains
• Retains Odur
• Loses colouration
• Old underlay

If your carpet has visible wear and tear

Carpets bear large amounts of footfall and the weight of heavy furniture every day, so it’s natural that they begin to display signs of wear and tear over time.

Wear and tear on a carpet can be visible in different forms:

• Warning signs – Threads are coming loose. Most carpets are made of thousands of threads woven together. When carpets have been walked over and cleaned frequently, these threads may become weak and eventually unravel.
• Look out for rips and holes. If many threads come unravelled, the carpet will have larger rips and holes.
• Tufts of fluff or fabric. Some carpets are handwoven. When threads in these carpets come undone, they collect together to form knots of fuzzy fabric that grow larger if you pull at them.

Is your carpet causing or making your allergies worse?

Carpets trap dirt and a wide range of common allergens like dust mites, pet fur, and even pollen. If you have constant bouts of allergic attacks when you enter a room with a carpet, the carpet may be to blame.

It’s almost impossible to prevent allergens from sinking into your carpet as there’s such a wide variety of them. However, you can try to remove allergens from the carpet by:

• Vacuuming daily. Vacuuming will gather up dust mites from the surface and depending on vacuum the middle of your carpet.
• Using Disinfectant spray. Spraying carpet friendly disinfectant will kill many of the allergens causing bacteria hiding.
• Steam cleaning regularly. Alternatively, you can use a carpet disinfectant in a steam cleaning machine to steam clean your carpet, lift allergens, and destroy mold if you have it.

If you’ve cleaned your carpet multiple times but are still finding that the carpet is triggering your allergies, then you should get a new carpet. Bradford’s do offer advice on the best carpets, look for hypoallergenic carpets that are made with materials that repel allergens. Or maybe you would like to think about changing form carpets to a Amtico Luxury Flooring or hardwood flooring?

Bradford’s offer a free home visits and measurements , and we can help advise on best type carpets that will suit your home and style best. Arrange a home visit here or pop into our carpet and flooring showroom on Evesham High Street