Are you thinking of buying new carpet? There is a time to bite the bullet and pull out the old and put in the new. Before you do this, please ask yourself the following:

1. Does it really need to be replaced?

Many times what is considered ‘worn out’ is simply soil that can be removed with a good cleaning. Don’t give up quickly on your carpet. We clean for many who are having the “last cleaning” on the carpet. But the results are so impressive that they decide that there is really no need to replace. That’s a lot of money saved. Even if you really do need new carpets, a good cleaning can give a little more time to prepare.

2. What kind of carpet do you want?

This is a more important question than you might think. The reason is that unfortunately we see a lot of ‘buyers remorse’ in carpet purchases. Often, a homeowner wishes they could go back and just keep the old carpet they threw out! Whose fault is this? Blame is put all over; the carpet manufacturer and carpet salesmen take a lot of the heat. Now, admittedly, sometimes that is fair. But, often, a carpet consumer comes in knowing next to nothing about carpets. This needs to change.

Modern consumers have more information available to them than ever before. But often when buying carpets, a consumer may do next to no research! I have had numerous conversations with people that were only concerned with color and feel; ‘I want a thick blue carpet that will hold up to a lot of traffic and won’t show footprints.’ That is a good starting point, but what is a salesman going to do with that? Imagine going in to a car dealership and asking for a ‘blue car with a leather interior.’ What might you get? Who knows? You don’t really know what you want. The salesman will try his best, but most likely you are not going to be happy with his choice. We have been trained not to buy cars that way and we make better choices because of it. Perhaps you have spent hours, days, or even weeks scouring over websites and magazines before deciding on a car.

Approach carpet buying the same way. Consider the cost: some spend 5-10,000 dollars or more on new carpeting for their home. That’s like a car! But many go in ‘cold’ with no idea what types of carpet are available, the meaning of industry terms and brand names, the types of materials are used and their pros and cons, what cushions are needed, etc. Consider the amount of time and work to replace carpet; many are overwhelmed at how much has to be moved and replaced for installers to do there job. You don’t want to do this more often than you have to. Is it any wonder that ‘buyer’s remorse’ follows these purchases? As carpet cleaners, we benefit from your good choices. TAKE YOUR TIME AND DO YOUR RESEARCH!

P.S. Here is a good site to start with: www.carpet-guru.com