Weird Questions People Ask About Carpets That Will Make You Gasp. The 5 second rule. Waterproof carpet for a toddlers room. The best carpet to have sex on. These are just a few of many weird questions people ask carpet sales reps in-store as part of their buying decision.
Weird Questions People Ask About Carpets
Carpet and flooring expert Vaidas Mockus has heard it all.
“People ask weird and wonderful questions about flooring, probably because it’s going to be in their home for the next 10-20 years, and they want to make sure they get value for money”, says Mr Mockus.
And some of them can be quite… entertaining.
1. “Does the 5-second rule also apply to carpets?”
First of all, the 5-second rule should not apply to any flooring surface. Just because germs aren’t visible, doesn’t mean they’re not there.
Bacteria can thrive on carpet for up to 1 month.
Carpets have been found to contain strains of dangerous bacteria such as Campylobacter, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Salmonella Entiritis.
No thanks to a process called “microbial adhesion”, these types of bacteria can be transferred to food and cause severe vomiting and diarrhoea.
Even if you’re staying in a 5-star hotel, it doesn’t mean that the carpet in your hotel room is clean.
ABC News ran an investigation on how clean these $400(€360)-a-night hotel rooms were.
By illuminating the carpet with black light, the investigators found traces of urine, faecal matter, and other bodily fluids in every room!
2. “Does carpet absorb the smell of cigarettes and marijuana?”
Yes, much in the same way that if you find yourself in a roomful of cigarette smokers or “potheads”, you’ll come home with your shirt smelling of smoke and weed!
Smells and scents that permeate the air and linger in the room will eventually find its way into the fibres of carpets.
If these smells are not removed properly, the room will end up with its own “signature scent”.
The issue could be more serious when it comes to marijuana.
A study published in the Journal of Analytical Toxicology in 2010, showed that traces of THC or Tetrahydrocannibol were found in carpets where marijuana was smoked.
THC is the substance found in marijuana which causes the smoker to get “high”.
The study concluded that the traces of THC were not potent enough to harm children or pets.
The best way to clean and remove cigarette and marijuana residue from carpet is to sprinkle baking soda over all areas and leave it on for at least 8 hours.
Add dried lavender to the baking soda for a fresher scent. After 8 hours, vacuum the carpet thoroughly.
3. “Should I put waterproof (marine) carpet in my baby’s room in case he pees on the carpet or spills something?”
To waterproof carpet in a baby’s room, there are products on the market that will get the job done.
Some products contain ingredients which make carpet repel almost all types of liquids.
It’s simply sprayed on the carpet; wait for a few minutes for the liquid-repelling substances to settle in.
There is carpet that is designed to be more resistant to water and moisture. These types of carpet have moisture-resistant carpet backing and a water-resistant adhesive.
If baby does pee on the carpet, the first thing to do is to blot the wet area with paper towels to get as much liquid as possible.
From there, apply a solution made of dishwasher liquid and water. Rinse with warm water then use a dry towel to blot out excess liquid.
Mix one ounce of white vinegar with a cup of warm water. Apply this solution to the area to remove unwanted scents and any remaining residue.
4. “Is it cheaper to carpet your walls than painting them?”
Painting your walls is cheaper than carpeting them – but not by much and it would depend on the type of carpet fibre!
The cost of painting is around $20 to $30 per square metre (€18- €27) compared to $32 per square metre (€29) – with nylon carpet.
Nylon is the cheapest carpet fibre you can buy. However, it is very durable, easy to clean and maintain, has good abrasion resistance, and if treated, nylon fibre carpet holds its colour well over time.
The bad thing about nylon carpet is that it is prone to generating static electricity.
With wall-to-wall nylon carpeting, friends who come over for drinks may be in the shock of their lives whenever they lean against your wall.
5. “Which carpet is best for having sex on without getting carpet burn?”
After the beach, carpet may be one of the places you end up on for sex.
If you like to role play, then perhaps you and your partner can re-enact the famous sex scene in “The Spy Who Loved Me” where James Bond, played by the late Sir Roger Moore and Bond Girl Dawn Rodrigues did the horizontal mambo on thick, plush silk carpet.
Of course, if you don’t mind having a few fibres enter a few crevices, sex on silk carpet might end up both a titillating and ticklish affair.
The truth is, any type of lush carpet fibre that has thick padding underneath should do just fine. Perhaps dial back the intensity to avoid carpet burn and save it for the bed or sofa?
If carpet sex is just an adventurous impulse, why not go “all the way” and pay $400 for a room in a 5-star hotel and have sex on their carpet? Have your DNA on the carpet like everyone else!
Seriously though, carpet burn is not the worst thing you’ll get when you have sex on a carpet. Think about all the bacteria and dust mites that will go in you while you and your partner get it on!
6. “Will my hair conditioner make my carpet fibres more lush, thick, and fluffy?”
Well, would you put carpet conditioner on your hair? That would not be a good idea because the ingredients that go into carpet conditioner are designed to eliminate stains.
None of the ingredients would be good for your hair.
Carpet fibres are not the same as human hair – and they don’t grow back on the carpet once they fall out.
Likewise, you only shampoo and condition your carpet once every 3 to 6 months. Dirt, dust, and grime get trapped and become harder to remove. This is why carpet conditioner uses industrial-strength ingredients to get all the trapped substances out.
At the very least, your hair conditioner will make the carpet smell nice.
7. “Should I put our old carpet inside our ceiling for insulation during winter?”
Laying carpet on flooring is hard enough. Laying it inside your ceiling will be 10 times more difficult, even if it’s just thrown on top loosely.
Carpet on your floor can provide a good level of insulation. If you wish, you can do wall-to-wall carpet. It would be best to opt for thicker and denser fibres if you want your carpet to offer better insulation.
In the carpet industry, we use the carpet’s R-value to measure its resistance to heat transfer.
R-value is also referred to as Thermal Resistance value. The higher the R-value, the better is its ability to provide insulation.
For carpets, the ideal R-value is 0.18 which means your carpet material should have a thickness of 1cm.
8. “Do you have free carpet offcuts? I want to carpet my VW Combi.”
Using our carpet offcuts may not be a good idea. The offcuts are from different fibre types and come in various sizes and shapes.
If you use them for your VW Combi, it may look like the vehicle of a serial killer. Good luck getting laid on that carpet.
You could use our carpet offcuts for other purposes though:
• Scratching post for your cat
• Window cleaners
• Beverage coasters
• Headboard for your bed
• “Welcome” doormat
• Insulation for your garden compost
• Furniture movers
• Keep your washing machine from making too much noise
If the said VW owner is intent on using the carpet offcuts for their VW Combi, they may consider using them as floor mats?
Repurposed offcuts as floor mats will keep the Combi looking and smelling good (for a few weeks at least).
9. “If I have synthetic carpet too close to my fireplace, will it melt?”
Polypropylene carpet is a type of synthetic carpet that has a very low resistance to heat. Polypropylene carpet can get damaged under the heat of the sun.
For carpet near a fireplace, opt for wool carpet because the fibre is flame-retardant and has a high-heat melting point.
Carpet that is made of synthetic material such as nylon, polyester, and polypropylene are durable and offer good resistance to stains.
However, when a piece of firewood jumps out of the fireplace and onto your carpet, you could have your hands full.
Weird… Or ‘Buying Signals’?
“Weird” questions may make us gasp or raise a few eyebrows, but these can be great buying cues for savvy carpet salespeople.
A question is a sign of genuine interest. After all, why would you ask if you weren’t at least thinking of the product, right?
It may seem weird for some people, but for the customer, the question may fit a specific purpose for buying carpet.
If the salesperson simply dismisses a customer who asks weird questions as a nuisance, he or she may forego a great opportunity to make a sale.
The carpet salesperson should expect these “weird” questions from customers and be ready to give the best response that leads the customer to purchase.
