Having kids (and pets) is a lot of fun, but when it comes to choosing carpet for your home, kids and pets can complicate things. It’s important that you choose the right kind of carpet and the right color because chances are you are going to have some dirt, spills, and stains over the years from your little bundles of joy.
Choose Synthetic
Carpet comes in two types of fiber: synthetic and natural. Natural carpet fibers (most often wool) are soft and look nice, but they are also far more susceptible to spills and stains because the natural materials absorb liquids. When you choose synthetic fiber carpeting, you still get plenty of options for a variety of colors, styles, and price ranges. Whether you select nylon (the most common synthetic carpet material, which has been around since the 1950s), polyester (or PET, which is very affordable and eco-friendly), or triextca (the newcomer in the carpet market, a hydrophobic material that is made with fewer volatile organic compounds or VOCs), you’ll get durable and long-lasting carpet for your home.
Select the Right Color
It might seem very obvious that you wouldn’t want to select a very light or white color for your carpet when you have children, but you may be surprised to learn that dark colors like brown or gray can be hard to keep clean too, since everything from pet hair to crumbs will show up on these colors. A single-color carpet means stains and spots will be more visible.
Instead, choose a medium shade that combines light and dark fibers in a more neutral tone. Having a blended carpet design will make it harder to see some of the small crumbs and dirt, and the neutral shades will camouflage minor stains a little better.
Carpet Pads
The pad you choose under the carpet offers two benefits: thick pads will make your flooring more comfortable to walk and sit on, and you can get a variety of carpet pads that have their own protective coating so spills don’t go beyond the surface, where they are harder to clean and could even cause mold or mildew growth.
Protect Your Carpet
No matter what style or color you choose, if you have children or pets, be sure to find out what kinds of protection are available in the carpet you selected. You can get protective coatings such as Scotchgard or Teflon on your new carpet, offering an added layer of protection to prevent dirt and stains from being absorbed into your carpet if they do get spilled or tracked through your home.
