Interesting Facts about Carpets

The humble carpet has a very interesting past that could even date back as far as 2000b.c. The earliest versions of carpets were portable and used to cover the cold floors of the household. They were considered to be a decorative items, often hung on walls but were very plain in style. Because of the time it took to make, it was regarded as a luxury, but now it is readily available and is a common floor covering in most homes and has a range of styles, materials and colours to choose from.

Here are 10 interesting facts about carpet:

  1. The oldest surviving carpet is believed to be over 2,000 years old. The Pazyryk carpet was gathered from the grave of a Scythian prince by Archaeologists in 1949. It only survived for so long because it was buried under metres of ice in the Siberian Mountains.
  2. $4,450,000 was the price paid for the most expensive carpet sold at auction in 2008. It was an antique silk rug from Central Persia from the 17th century.
  3. The earliest recorded use of the phrase ‘to sweep under the carpet’, meaning to overlook an issue or problem, was in 1963.
  4. The longest carpet in the world is an Iranian piece named the Qasr al-Alam carpet. It measures an incredible 5,625 square feet and was designed by Iranian artist Ali Khaliqi. It took 1,200 women over 16 months to weave.
  5. A red carpet was originally used to mark the route of politicians or heads of state. The privilege has now been extended to celebrities and VIPs at formal events in recent times. The earliest use of a red carpet can be seen in the play Agamemnon dating from 458b.c.
  6. The longest red carpet on record was laid out in Haarlem, the Netherlands at an annual shopping event in 2011. It measured a huge 5149 metres long.
  7. The first successful vacuum cleaner was created in 1907 by James Spangler, a janitor. We know them today as ‘Hoovers’ because of the president of Spangler’s company – William Hoover.
  8. Every year we unknowingly tread large amounts of soil and dirt into our carpets!
  9. It is believed that the stomach bug ‘Norovirus’ can live in dirty carpets for up to a month!
  10. If carpets are correctly cleaned and maintained, they can improve the quality of the air around them by trapping allergens and dust. However, allergies can be triggered if the appropriate care isn’t given to the carpet.

 

The last 3 facts show the importance of why your carpet should be cleaned regularly and professionally. By hiring us to take care of your carpet you can ensure all dirt and allergens will be removed from deep down in the fibres of your carpet!

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