New 'stainfree' carpet advice, please?

mildred1978

I'm wanting to replace our living room carpet (wool, cream, around 9 years old and looking dreadful now).

Have a toddler who is into everything so thinking a 'stainfree' carpet might be a good idea. I saw some Regency Carefree carpets last night that could be the answer, but I've no experience of them and can't find any reviews online.

Anyone got any views, good or bad, on these or other stainfree carpets? Room is 23' x 12' so need to get it right!

Hintza

mildred1978 wrote: »

Have a toddler who is into everything so thinking a 'stainfree' carpet might be a good idea.

Live with it for a couple more years until the child can be trained to be careful. I sspect with a toddler you cold be lookng to change it again.

Next time get a carpet colour that helps hide all the sins. Cream for the vast majority of people can never be a good idea (unless a child, pet, red wine free room/house)

mildred1978

Hintza wrote: »

Live with it for a couple more years until the child can be trained to be careful. I sspect with a toddler you cold be lookng to change it again.

Next time get a carpet colour that helps hide all the sins. Cream for the vast majority of people can never be a good idea (unless a child, pet, red wine free room/house)

I might hire one of those carpet cleaners and see if I can get it to look a bit better, but it really is knackered.

Surely the point of a stain free carpet is that it's toddler-proof?

Hintza

mildred1978 wrote: »

Surely the point of a stain free carpet is that it's toddler-proof?

Is anything toddler proof :eek:

If you feel you can't wait then check their T+Cs for any guarantees etc I would be sceptical that they will offer enough cover or might have weasly get out clauses.

ed110220

I would avoid any light-coloured carpets. In my flat I have cream/beige carpets and although I haven't spilt anything on them, I usually take shoes off before coming in (definitely if dirty, muddy etc) they have got absolutely filthy in a few years. Dark colours are much more practical. In South Africa a type of dark brown carpet with a speckling of a lighter brown was incredibly popular at one time (haven't really seen it here) and probably the most practical colour there is, though not to everyone's taste!

mildred1978

There is absolutely no way I'll be having a dark carpet.

That's why I'm asking about these STAINFREE carpets - they're designed to be more practical than normal carpet!

tru

Any carpet made from polypropylene can be bleached so is great when there's messy children around

You can use it in any room, but it doesn't last as long as wool carpet. Not that it wears out really quickly, it's just that wool lasts forever (well it seems too, lol). But it's all swings and roundabouts really - it's much cheaper than wool.

MRSTITTLEMOUSE

I've got very pale cream stainfree in the bedrooms.
I had cream wool but was so fed up with the slightest thing staining them that I changed over to the stainfree.
To be honest after five years they are still immaculate but they have been cleaned every three months and there is only two of us,no pets even and we never wear shoes in the house.
I got the type of carpet that will withstand even bleach (it does as I tried it) but somehow I don't think a cream stainfree would withstand constant abuse in a living area especially with children around.
We bought a heavy domestic grade carpet but I doubt it could take little ones throwing their best at it,it would be ruined in days.
Why not consider a good quality wood floor with a large cream rug that can be lifted and changed when necessary.
We have this in our living area and its saved us a fortune on keep changing carpets and it still looks good six years later.
Rugs cost a lot less and are a lot easier to change afterall.

mildred1978

Thank you Mrs Tittlemouse - that's just the kind of info I was after. Do you know what brand your carpets are?

We are putting oak flooring through the rest of the downstairs - everywhere but the kitchen (which is tiled) - so I don't want that in the living room as well. I feel it would be too much.

I might move the furniture out of the (wooden floored) dining room into the living room so that it can be a playroom, but that would then mean that meals are eaten in the living room (which is why the dining room carpet is wrecked).

I was thinking of having a slightly darker carpet in the living room - sort of like a pale taupe or milky coffee colour. We have bold coloured sofas so I need to keep the carpet neutral. I wouldn't go near cream!!

Ems112

Mildred1978 - We have had light coloured carpets in our current home for around 5 years now and they have faired pretty well (we are in the process of moving home and I am very keen to use the same carpet in our next home!). They are 100% Polypropylene and the make is Associated Weavers Stainaway. The colour we opted for was 'country beige' (sounds particularly dull but it isn't!). It is a good colour as not so light that it shows every speck of dirt but is neutral enough to still look cream/taupe colour. Our living room carpet has taken a fair amount of abuse - red wine, cola mud, nail varnish(!) etc etc and I have managed to get them all out and they haven't left any stains or marks. From memory they do several different neutral shades in the stainaway range and they are pretty reasonable - about £12-16per m2. Hope this is helpful!

MRSTITTLEMOUSE

mildred1978 wrote: »

Thank you Mrs Tittlemouse - that's just the kind of info I was after. Do you know what brand your carpets are.

They're Kosset,not sure about the actual range though.

What ever carpet you get I'd keep a stain remover handy,just incase.
One thing I find useful for getting stains out of carpet is keeping a pack of those Big Wipes handy,they come in a big yellow tub and you can get them from B&Q,Plumbcentre etc. at around a fiver a tub they may seem pricey but they do last ages and they lift any stains even wiping away wet gloss paint and silicone with no need for anything else.
They'll deal with any stains a toddler can throw at you.
They got a realy deep lipstick off my carpet when nothing else would.
Safe to use with children and pets too.
Hope you find what your'e looking for,personally I hate shopping for carpets.
Such an expense and your'e never sure you've got it right till you actually see it on the floor (and by then its too late )