Buying a carpet for your children’s room is more time-consuming than most people think.
Kids sit on their carpets, run around the room, spill paint, and occasionally wipe their greasy hands on the rug.
So, what kind of material would take that treatment, and still look presentable? You must also think about balancing durability, stain resistance, appearance, and texture with cost.
To make the selection process less painful, here are 5 types of carpets for homes with kids, and how to choose the right one for your needs.
1. Polyester Carpets
Polyester carpets are stain-resistant, and their price tag doesn’t stretch the household budget. Their resilience in the face of daily spills makes them fantastic area rugs in children’s bedrooms.
Carpets made from polyester are soft and comfortable, qualities that are indispensable for kids’ spaces. The big secret to their high resistance to spots and stains is that their fibres are treated with stain-resistant finishes.
Regularly vacuuming and mopping stains as soon as they occur is the key to keeping your polyester carpet in perfect condition. Remember to rub the carpet carefully as this material isn’t too strong and is sometimes prone to matting.
You can schedule professional cleaning every one or two years, depending on how heavily the rugs are used.
A rule of thumb is that if your kid is an artist, or if your pet is always snuggling on the carpet, then go with annual cleaning.
2. Nylon Carpets
Nylon carpets are durable, stain-resistant, and soft. They sometimes shed a little bit initially and they cost more than polyester, but they’re a popular choice for children’s rooms.
Nylon is incredible for the well-trodden parts of the house, like living rooms, play areas, and stairs.
If you have a bunch of kids around the house, they’re bound to run around, sit on the carpet, and generally wear it off with all their cute little activities.
Nylon is a great option in playrooms, as its strong resilient fibres take the heavy usage in stride.
Regular vacuuming and spot cleaning are enough to keep a nylon carpet looking good. Yearly professional deep cleaning would be necessary to keep off deep-seated dirt, allergens, or mould.
3. Wool Carpets
Wool is a natural material that’s soft and luxurious. It feels amazing to walk on a nicely woven vintage carpet made from prime-quality wool.
It’s true, wool carpets are costly, but they can easily outlive all their synthetic peers. Wool carpets keep their good looks and sharp appearance for decades, which is truly remarkable.
A wool carpet also helps in regulating temperature and humidity all year round. This is a good reason to use it as a carpet for children’s bedrooms, but there’s more.
Wool carpets are natural flame retardants, which is perfect for enhancing the kids’ room safety. What’s more, this natural weave effectively traps pollutants and allergens. This is a simple action that goes a long way in improving indoor air quality.
Maintaining a wool carpet is a bit more complicated than dealing with synthetic ones. Spot cleaning is critical. Remove any stains right away, and use mild detergents to avoid damaging the carpet.
Getting a professional clean-up twice a year would be great, but if that’s not possible, yearly maintenance should be good.
4. Triexta Carpets
Triexta is the new kid on the block. It’s a new material that’s gaining popularity among many families.
It’s plushy, soft, and quite resistant to all kinds of stains. This makes it a great kid’s room rug.
The Triexta weave is moisture-resistant, which makes any mould or mildew growth pretty difficult. Cover the floor with a Triexta carpet if your kids’ playroom is in the basement. It’s generally more humid there, so use a material that could counter its harmful effects.
The softness of this material is its best feature. It’s so comfortable underfoot that the kids would be happy playing on it all day.
It is also as durable as nylon or polyester, at least in the short term. It’s relatively new in the market, so its long-term durability profile is still obscure.
Maintaining a Triexta carpet is a breeze. Most cleaning detergents wouldn’t affect it, so no special treatment is needed. A visit to a carpet cleaning specialist every one or two years should keep it looking sharp.
5. Jute Carpets
Eco-conscious families prefer jute for its natural origin and durability. It isn’t as soft as synthetic or wool carpets, but its textured appearance has its charm and visual appeal.
Jute is a resilient fibre that’s inherently stain-resistant. Keeping it neat is a breeze. Regular vacuuming is all that you need. If the carpet is thick, just be a tad careful with its pile. Harsh vacuuming could crush the jute fibres, so go nice and easy.
Yearly deep cleaning would keep your carpet looking its best, especially with energetic kids using it all day, every day. With less traffic, every other year would do.
Additional Considerations for Kid-Friendly Carpets
In addition to the previous points, consider the following aspects before buying a new carpet for your kid’s room.
The Underlay
Many smart shoppers focus on the carpet’s properties, with less attention on the rug’s underside. This part is as important as the carpet’s material and texture.
If the underlay is made from a subpar material, it could emit unpleasant odours. It would also degrade quickly, shortening the carpet’s life.
Carpet Pile
High-pile carpets look more plushy and comfortable, but cleaning them is a bit challenging. Conversely, low-pile carpets are far easier to maintain and typically live longer.
Green Label Plus Certification
It’s wise to check whether or not your carpets have the CRI Green Label Plus certification.
It indicates that the carpet has low VOC emissions, ensuring better air quality. Children with allergies or respiratory problems benefit a lot from this feature.
Carpet Tiles
A soiled carpet isn’t the only issue that you could face. There’s a bigger one, which is damaged carpets. Changing a whole carpet because a part of it is pitted, torn, or worn is a frustrating matter.
A much better solution for high-traffic areas, and heavy-usage rooms, is installing carpet tiles. If one of them is damaged beyond repair, you can easily replace it. Also, if there’s a stubborn spot, you can take out that specific tile and have it cleaned.
Warranty
Some manufacturers offer generous warranty policies covering staining, as well as various types of wear and tear.
This is often done to promote new products or sell more expensive carpets. Either way, it’s a nice proposition that you’d be wise to consider.
When to Call Professional Carpet Cleaning Services
You can maintain your carpet as regularly and efficiently as you want, but accidents still happen. Some of them defy your best efforts and the most capable cleaning detergents.
That’s one of the reasons to call a professional carpet cleaning.
Furthermore, the pros have equipment not necessarily available at your house. They can remove deep-set dirt, debris, pathogens, and allergens.
They also know how to remove the bad odours associated with these obnoxious substances. When you get your carpet back from the cleaners, expect the rug to smell amazing.
This helps in extending the life of your carpet and maintaining a healthy home environment.
Conclusion About Carpets for Homes with Kids
You can choose any of these carpet types for your kids’ room, and you won’t go amiss.
There are some differences between the options here, like price, durability, cost, and whether or not it’s made from a natural material. That’s a good thing, and you can select the one that optimally fits your needs.
After making the purchase, go the extra mile, and solicit professional services seasonally. This would keep your carpet clean, and your house healthy, for many years to come.