Carpet and Pad Underfoot
Our guest post today comes from Indianapolis interior designer James Kuster.
The alarm goes off and you hop out of bed. As you walk through across the bedroom, how often do you pay attention to what’s underfoot? Your morning trek to the bathroom can feel cushy and luxurious with the right pad.
A good pad is everything. While many might be tempted to skimp on the cost of the carpet pad, if given a choice between spending 50 cents more on your pad or the same on your carpet, spend it on the pad. A good pad can make even a cheap carpet feel amazing when you walk on it. Pair a good pad with a really good carpet and you’ll think you died and went to heaven. A client of mine recently held an open house to show off their new master suite remodel and every guest that came through could not stop talking about how amazing the carpet felt underfoot.
Having invested in new carpet and padding, you’ll want to keep it clean and looking good for years to come. The first thing is to avoid walking on it in your bare feet as much as possible. The oils from your skin will cause your carpet to look dirty faster than anything else, even your shoes. Keep a pair of slippers handy in the bedroom or wear your socks as much as possible when wandering about and your carpet will stay cleaner longer.
When it does come time to clean your carpet, use only a dry chemical cleaner. Other types of cleaning agents leave a film residue that attracts dirt and will cause your carpet to get dirty faster.
Lastly, you’ll want to make sure your carpet does not contribute to an unhealthy environment in your house. Look for the Greenguard® label when shopping for carpet. This label indicates that your carpet choice will not contribute to poor indoor air quality by off-gassing harmful fumes from the dyes and adhesives used in its manufacturing.
Armed with these tips you should be able to pick a carpet that will feel wonderful when you walk on it and remain looking good for years to come.
About James Kuster
Founding küster in 2002, James specializes in providing a full range of interior design and client experience consulting for commercial offices and select residential clients with a strong emphasis on interior branding, green design, and solid ergonomic design. By seeking to understand and shape emotions, James works closely with his clients to create interior spaces that drive customers to his clients’ businesses and keep them coming back. As a LEED® Green Associate, James brings a solid understanding of how to apply design principles that will reduce his clients’ energy costs and carbon footprint without incurring increased construction and remodeling costs.
