Fun Facts About Carpets

Written by Sara Bedient on July 26, 2012. Posted in Uncategorized

1. The Norovirus, the virus commonly called “stomach flu”, can survive on an uncleaned carpet for a month or more.
2. In the middle ages, floors were covered with rushes, that acted as a disposable carpet.  When it got dirty, it was thrown away.
3. Vacuum Cleaners in the early 20th century were large and coal powered, and required three people to operate! Other early vacuums were parked outside and had long hoses that had to be fed in through windows.
4. Red carpets traditionally marked the routes of leaders and politicians as early as 458 B.C.
5. The American floor covering industry argues that the difference between a “rug” (related to the words “rag” and rough”) and a “carpet” is strictly a matter of size. Any piece smaller than 40 square feet is considered a rug while anything larger is a carpet. According to the American carpet industry, then, the “flying carpet” or “magic carpet” is technically a rug.
6. When properly cleaned and maintained, carpeting may improve the quality of  air in a home by trapping allergens and dust.  When a carpet is not cleaned and maintained, allergy symptoms can be exacerbated.
7. Carcinogens in cigarettes may accumulate in household carpet. Because dogs and cats, not to mention children and infants, spend a great deal of time on the floor, they may be at risk for developing lung cancer in households with cigarette smokers
8. The phrase “to sweep under the carpet” in its figurative sense was first recorded in 1963
9. The term “carpet” derives from the Latin carpere, “to pluck,” probably because carpets were made from unraveled “plucked” fabric. “Carpet” has the same Latin root as carpe diem, literally “pluck/seize the day.
10. Stachybotrys chartarum is a hos mold that grows on wet carpeting.  It produces toxins which cause immunosuppression, nasal irritation and dermatitis.  This makes having a carpet completely extracted and dried after flooding very important.