We love our job at Carpets Direct, we’re the direct link between customers and quality carpets so how could we possibly not enjoy every day we spend in the office? Okay, some days are better than others, this is one of the better ones so we thought we’d have a little fun and share with you our top trivia about carpets, hope you like these quirky facts.

·         What does ‘carpet’ mean? - The word ‘carpet’ stems from the Latin term ‘carpere’ which means ‘to pluck’ and is probably used because early carpets were made from ‘plucked’ fabric, hence the link. That’s our theory anyway! 

·         Vacuum cleaners are unhealthier than carpets – Well according to Philip Tierno in his book The Secret Life of Germs the air blowing from a carpet cleaner is one of the biggest producers of germs. It’s right up there with toilet flushes, kitchen bins and dirty dish clothes too. Scary eh?

·         Viruses live on carpets – Here’s something that might make you want to give your carpet a clean. Nicholas Baklar’s book entitled Where Germs Are states the Norovirus which causes the stomach flu is capable of surviving on the surface on a carpet for anywhere up to a month. Carpet shampoo anyone?

·         Vacuum cleaners used to be powered by coal - Believe it or not early versions of vacuum cleaners were massive, it took three people to operate them and some were that big they were left outside a property and hoses were pushed through windows to clean the carpets inside. You’ll find further information about early vacuum cleaners in the aptly named Vacuum Cleaners book by Elaine Marie Alphin, check it out if you are short of reading material right now.   

It’s fun to read facts about carpets, it’s more enjoyable to choose new flooring for your home. Why pay more when Carpets Direct will come to your home to make life easier for you.