How to Make Your Carpet Last Just a LITTLE Bit Longer
We’ve talked before about how to make sure your brand new carpet lasts as long as possible, but what if your carpet is already into its sunset years? Obviously, we recommend that you start shopping for new carpet, but if you’re in a rental property, shopping for a new house, or simply don’t have the budget for all-new carpet right now, there are some steps you can take.
Keep Dirt Out
Really, this is a step you should have been taking from day one, but it’s never too late to start! As with any type of carpeting or wood flooring, wearing shoes causes more wear. Consider leaving your shoes at the door — ideally on a mat — and ask your guests to do the same. If you have issues with sore feet, invest in a sturdy pair of house shoes or slippers, but make sure that those never go outside — not even to fetch the newspaper.
Tracking dirt, salt, and other grit into your home will shorten the life of your carpet drastically by grinding the fibers and weakening them, leading to faster wear and tear. The best way to keep carpets fresh is to keep them clean from the get-go.
Use Rugs Strategically
If there are areas with serious damage — holes, burns, or stains that nothing can get rid of — there’s no shame in putting a rug down over the damaged area. We actually recommend rugs in high traffic areas in the first place. The areas near doorways, right in front of the dresser, and in front of the couch see a lot of concentrated foot traffic, so a rug can be a useful way to protect those areas.
Rearrange Your Furniture
Your furniture tends to guide you through a room in a certain way, creating obvious paths where people walk and wear down the carpet. Sometimes, you can rearrange a room so that those paths are moved, exposing fresh carpet and covering up the more worn areas.
In the living room, consider moving your couch forward a few inches to cover the worn area in front of it — it’ll look much better and you probably won’t notice the change in distance. In bedrooms, consider placing your bed against a different wall. This strategy doesn’t work in every room, but it might help!
Shop at Sloane’s
If you simply can’t coax any more life out of your carpet and have to buy new flooring altogether, Sloane’s is here to help! We source brand-name, top-tier irregulars directly from the mills, using connections we’ve built over 40 years in business.
That means you can get the best, newest, and most stylish brands of carpet for your home, at 50 to 70 percent off of normal retail prices. Our expert staff will help you find the perfect carpet for your taste, your home, and your lifestyle!