7 tips to ensure a long-lasting carpet

Ahh, the luxurious feel of carpet underfoot. Follow the advice you'll find here, and your carpet will last for many years.

There are two types of carpet pile — cut and loop. Cut pile is plusher, but you'll get more years of service from loop carpet, especially in high-traffic areas. Another key to long carpet life is to choose the right material for the situation. Here are your choices and their characteristics:

• More than two-thirds of the carpet used in North America is made of nylon. It's no wonder, since nylon is wear-resistant, resilient and withstands the weight and movement of furniture while providing brilliant colour. Nylon resists soils and stains and can stand up to heavy-traffic areas. Solution-dyed nylon is colourfast because colour is added in the fibre production.

• Olefin (polypropylene) is the stuff indoor/outdoor carpeting is made of because it resists wear and permanent stains and it is easy to clean. It is colourfast because the colour is added when the fibres are made.

• Polyester carpet has a luxurious soft feel when used in thick cut-pile textures. It has excellent colour clarity and retention. It's easily cleaned and is resistant to water-soluble stains.

• Acrylic offers the appearance and feel of wool at a lower cost. It has a low static level and is resistant to moisture and mildew. It's commonly used in velvet and level-loop carpets and in bath and scatter rugs.

• Wool is very durable and luxuriously soft and thick. It's available in many colours, but it's much more expensive than synthetic carpets.

• A wool-nylon blend combines the excellent look and comfort of wool with the durability of nylon. Other common carpet blends that combine good characteristics include acrylic-olefin and nylon-olefin.

• Sure, it feels great to pad around barefoot on carpet.
• Trouble is, oil from your bare feet rubs off onto the fibres.
• Dirt sticks to the oil, shortening the life of your carpet.
• So while it is kind to your floors to take your shoes off when you enter the house, leave your socks on to protect the carpet.

• Changing the traffic pattern on the carpet will distribute the wear, making the carpet last longer.
• If it is a movable rug, rotate its position in the room.
• For wall-to-wall carpeting, move your furniture to change the traffic pattern.

To keep carpet from fading, protect it from direct sunlight by closing drapes or blinds during peak sunlight hours.

Besides making carpet feel more luxurious, top-quality padding will make your carpet last longer.

• Are you left with furniture footprints in your carpet after rearranging the room? Use a steam iron to bring the crushed fibres back to their original shape.
• Just set the iron on steam, and hold it about half of a centimetre (a quarter of an inch) above the carpet. Use a screwdriver to help flush out the fibres.

• Be sure to pick up the furniture the next time you rearrange a carpeted room.
• Dragging furniture over carpet causes unnecessary wear. Moreover, if the carpet is nylon, the friction caused by dragging can actually melt the fibres.