The History Of Carpet

Carpeting has been around for thousands of years, and the word carpet is a derivation of the Italian verb carpire, which means to pluck. It might just seem like a covering for flooring, but carpets and rugs also are considered great works of art requiring the skills of great artisans. Here are a few fun facts about the history of carpet.

Great artisans and weavers from many nations and geographic areas have been creating rugs and carpets for thousands of years, some scientists speculate probably as far back and 8,000 or 9,000 years in the past. There are rich weaving traditions from Afghanistan, India, Armenia, Pakistan, Turkey, Scandinavia and, of course, China where Oriental rugs originated.

While the art of carpet making has been around for thousands of years, the oldest carpet ever discovered, the Pazyryk carpet, is probably about 2,500 years old. A prominent Russian anthropologist discovered the carpet in a Scythian burial tomb in Siberia, and it eventually was placed in a St. Petersburg, Russia museum where it still is on display today. The carpet is not just a rug but a historical record, documenting the history of the Scythian people, who lived in Siberia as well as throughout central Eurasia. Many other ancient carpets also depict historical themes or tell stories of battles, gods and other relevant history.

As the oldest discovered carpet, this Pazyryk carpet is quite important, but there are other carpets and carpet traditions that also are well known. For instance, the art of crafting Azerbaijani rugs has been listed as a Masterpiece of Intangible Heritage by the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, also known as UNESCO. In addition, UNESCO also named the Persian tradition of Shiraz carpet making as a masterpiece as well.

In the United States, the carpet industry is quite a bit younger, yet still dates to the 1790s when the nation's first woven carpet mill opened in Pennsylvania. Over the course of the next century, many carpet mills opened their doors and an industry was born. In the early 1900s, the first manually-operated vacuum cleaners were created, and in the 1940s and 1950s, professional carpet cleaning machines and chemicals were developed.

Today, professional carpet cleaners are an important component in the carpet industry, helping preserve, protect and clean our nation's carpet. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency suggests that Americans have their carpets and rugs cleaned about twice each year. This removes dirt, dust mites, fungi and other undesirable items out of the carpet and prolongs the life of your carpet. In addition, it is recommended that you vacuum at least once or twice each week. To book a professional cleaning and renew the look of your carpet, contact your carpet cleaner in Denham Springs, Prairieville carpet cleaners or Baton Rouge carpet cleaners today.

Carpet Stains 101: How To Remove Tough Stains

Clean, fresh carpeting definitely makes your home look wonderful, but its look is diminished when it becomes stained. The key to stain removal is to act quickly, and while some stains come up easily, others can be very difficult to remove. Here are some helpful tips if you have to remove a particularly pesky carpet stain.

With the vast majority of stains, speed is the most important factor in stain removal. Act quickly and you are more likely to remove the stain. Always be gentle with your carpet as fibers can become damaged if you rub or scrub the carpet. Use a clean white towel or some paper towels to first soak up all of the liquid from the stain. Then, for many stains, a cold water rinse will remove the rest of the stain. After the stain is gone, carefully blot to remove excess moisture.

Many carpet cleaning commercials demonstrate their product by its ability to clean up red wine. This is because red wine is so noticeable, but also because it is something that often gets spilled on carpet. Cleaning this liquid is not as difficult as you might think. Blot up the wine as best you can, working from the outside in. Then rinse the spot with cold water, cold club soda or even chilled white wine, which has been shown to remove the red wine stain.

Wax might seem like an impossible substance to remove from your carpeting, but if a candle drips all over the carpet fibers, all is not lost. First you need to freeze the wax by placing a bag of ice on top of the wax. Be sure that the bag is entirely waterproof as moisture on the carpet will inhibit the freezing of the wax. Once it is frozen, grab your dull butter knife and scrape away at the wax gently. This should remove most of the problem, and for what remains, you'll need an iron and paper bag or paper towels. Place the bag or towels over the wax, turn the iron on to a warm setting and rub. The wax will melt and stick to the bag and presto, the wax is off of your carpet. If a stain remains from a colored candle, treat the stain with water, soapy water or a carpet cleaning solution.

If you have pets, then urine stains can definitely be a big problem. As with all stains, the first step is to blot up as much of the urine as possible using clean paper towels. Some people will apply a poultice to the stain. This involves taking a damp cloth or damp paper towels and placing them on top of the urine stain. You then weight down the poultice with something heavy, such as books. After 10 minutes, remove the weights and the dirty towels. Then rinse with cold water and blot up the liquid and treat the area with a special enzymatic cleaner. This will remove the scent, which is important because dogs tend to urinate in the same spot again and again unless all of the urine and scent is removed.

Professional Baton Rouge carpet cleaners can help keep your carpets looking new for as long as possible. If you have a really tough stain and you are worried about being able to remove it, consider calling your Baton Rouge carpet cleaning service, your Prairieville carpet cleaners or your Denham Springs carpet cleaners. Not only can they help with stain removal, they also can have all of your carpeting looking clean and practically brand new in no time at all.