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The Benefits of Carpet and Rugs
Carpet - nothing looks like it, feels like it or performs like it.
Carpet is a key decorative and functional element in a home or business.
Carpet - It just feels better.
Carpet provides an added measure of warmth and insulation with its
millions of fibers and places between them to hold warmth or to insulate
against extreme heat or cold. It's warmer to sit on or work on, providing
more stable temperatures for foot and leg comfort near the floor.
In colder climates or seasons, it retains warm air longer, an important
benefit in our energy-conscious world. In warm climates, it also insulates
against invasive heat.
Because carpet is a foundation of decorating, covering a large quantity
of the surface of our living spaces, it is an important consideration
in the overall scheme of color and texture. It can provide simplicity
and casualness for softness and livability; or it can provide pizzazz
with vibrant color and heavier textures for making a decorating "statement."
Carpet can be one of the easiest ways to personalize an environment
- its color can be a neutral foundation "in the background,"
or it can be a vibrant focal point.
Especially for small children, seniors, and generally the entire
family, safety in the home is a primary focus. We seek a stable, non-slick
walking surface that prevents slips and falls and for the time when
someone does trip, a surface that protects from bruises and other
injuries. Carpet is great for cushioning our footsteps, minimizing
slips and minimizing injuries from falls. It's hard to watch a toddler
take his first steps on a cold hard floor. Carpet's softness and cushioning
nature is ideal for family activity - whether it is the first steps
of a toddler, the slow steps of the grandparent, or the fast action
of the mother or teen-ager.
Carpet is as Easy on Your Ears as Your Feet
With the introduction of computers, speaker telephones, big screen
TV's and video games, our homes have become a lot noisier. Fortunately,
the solution to this problem of airborne sounds can be found right
below our feet -- carpet.
Carpet not only serves as a beautiful floor covering, it also provides
sound insulation. Additionally, carpet creates an aesthetic ambiance
conducive to lowered voices and heightened privacy. The sound-reducing
qualities of carpet include:
- Carpet absorbs sound: Recently, homebuilders
have moved towards reshaping the home by combining all of the living
area rooms into one big, open space. This layout promotes the family
togetherness, but also creates a noisy atmosphere. With the addition
of carpet, sound is absorbed rather than bounced off the floor and
back onto the walls and furniture. Results from tests show that
there is a pronounced "hush" in carpeted rooms.
- Carpet and cushion reduces noise better: Carpet
serves as an effective noise-reducer because it absorbs the sound
of foot traffic within the home. These results are even more pronounced
with the addition of carpet cushion. Research shows that properly
specified carpet and cushion combinations produce better noise-reduction
than carpet alone. Carpet cushion also increases comfort and ergonomic
qualities, adds insulation, and extends the life of your carpet
by protecting it against wear and tear.
The CRI "Residential Carpet Installation Standard, CRI 105"
calls for carpet cushion that is both firm and resilient and no
more than 7/16 of an inch thick. Under the thinner carpet styles,
such as some Berbers, use an even thinner cushion - maximum 3/8".
- Carpet and cushion insulate between floors: Carpet
works as a sound barrier between floors by helping to block sound
transmission to rooms below. Carpet and carpet cushion are especially
effective in masking the "hollow" sound from foot traffic
often associated with staircases. Specific noise reduction data
can be obtained from CRI.
Regular, but simple, care on carpet helps counter the abuse your
carpet suffers and help it retain its beauty. What other home furnishing
is walked all over? Vacuum every few days in high traffic areas, and
once a week in less-used areas. Use a well-functioning vacuum cleaner,
with an enclosed, efficient, dust catching bag.
Most carpet today has been treated for stain resistance and soil
retardance, but stain resistant does not necessarily mean, "stain
proof." Address spills quickly and remove them as soon as possible
to afford the easiest spot removal. Act preventively and avoid contact
with difficult spots that are hard to remove - makeup, pesticides,
disinfectants, iodine, mustard, and plant food products. Have carpet
Steam cleaned (or other wise known as Hot-Water-extraction) on a regular
schedule, before it begins to show soil - a schedule of every 12 to
18 months by a professional cleaning company is reasonable for more
used areas of the home.
Well known for its ability to provide warmth and style to a room,
absorb unwanted noise, and provide firm traction, carpet is continuing
to gain a reputation as the floor covering of choice for senior adults
and their families.
- Safety is tops: Safety is a top consideration for
seniors, who seek a stable, non-slick walking surface that protects
them from "slip and fall" accidents. Carpeted surfaces
are significantly more effective at preventing slips and falls than
hard, smooth surfaces.
Maintaining balance, a consideration for individuals who use
braces, a cane or a walker, can be less difficult with low pile
carpet combined with an extra firm cushion. CRI also recommends
securely fastening carpet and rugs to provide firmer footing.
Carpet can also reduce or eliminate reflected glare, minimizing
disorientation, and can reduce leg fatigue associated with walking
or standing on hard surfaces.
- Healing colors: Studies have shown that color has
psychological affects on moods. With this in mind, blues, greens,
teal, mauve, coral, peach and warm neutrals are often chosen for
their soothing effects. Avoid "hot" tones such as red,
which may raise blood pressures for some, and yellow, which may
cause nausea and anxiety to someone that already is not feeling
well.
Color also plays a significant role with Alzheimer's patients.
According to the Alzheimer's Association, patients remember colors
better than numbers; therefore, color in carpet can provide a
memory link and better help to orient a person to a specific room
or area.
- Acoustics - It's quieter: Privacy and unwanted noise
can sometimes challenge senior parents, who appreciate their independence
and may not be used to the noise levels created by visiting family
members.
Carpet's ability to absorb airborne sound, reduce surface noise
("footfall noises"), and block sound transmission from
floor to floor is well known. Carpet with an attached or separate
cushion is the most effective way to control noise and minimize
sound indoors.
- Comfort - Warm your ankles: Seniors, whose
feet and ankles are susceptible to temperature changes, will stay
warmer on carpet due to its natural insulating properties. The surface
temperature of carpet is substantially higher than that of hard
surfaces due to its pile construction that acts as an efficient
thermal insulator.
For the Carpet and Rug Institute please visit: http://www.carpet-rug.com/
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