Friday, August 31, 2007

Worst advice ever

I read something in Thursday's Telegraph that just made me scream.
In a syndicated article about sprucing up your home prior to putting it on the market, the author recommended replacing the carpet with a taupe berber.
In my experience, that's hands-down the worst advice ever.
Because when I moved into my house it had brand-new, creamy-colored carpet. Guess what color it is now?
After only a year and a half, and after two steam-cleanings, that carpet is - in spots - gray, brown, blue-speckled (don't ask, I don't know) and Georgia red clay. Because we LIVE in our house, we don't just look at it. My next big project is to tear up that carpet and refinish the gorgeous hardwood floors beneath. Oh, I'll probably leave the carpet in the bedrooms, but only because beds tend to scratch the heck out of hardwood.
And I'm not the only one. When my mom moved into her house 20 years ago, guess what she had on the floors? Brand-new, creamy white, wall-to-wall carpet. I'm here to tell you she fought that carpet for years. Twice-annual steam cleanings, religious spot cleanings, the endless search for a stain remover that actually worked. Finally, she tore it all up and put down a pretty silver grey that hides day-to-day dirt SO MUCH BETTER. Best of all, it worked with the light silver paint and colonial blue moldings. She still steam-cleans, but she also has babies in the house pretty regularly and hey, they spend a lot of time on the floor.
So please, please, whoever is in charge of giving interior designers and Realtors advice, ditch the white carpet line. It's just bad advice. New homeowners everywhere will thank you.
--Misty

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Misty, please calm down. Taupe berber is much different from cream colored carpet. Taupe is a darker color than cream or off-white, and is great for hiding dirt. Also, berber carpet has flecks and spots in it that help to hide dirt and stains. It's always a good idea to know what you're talking about before spouting off.

misty said...

no, really. I know what taupe is and I know what Berber is and it's not gonna hide anything for long. Worse, flecks just make the carpet start out looking dirty.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Misty. Taupe may be darker than cream or off-white, but it still isn't going to hide Georgia red clay!