In an article on the subject, Northjersey.com noted that while other flooring types do not contribute towards insulating the home, wall-to-wall carpet does.

The news provider revealed that recent tests by the Johns Manville Technical Centre Thermal Labs found that the thermal resistance level of carpets is up to 17 times higher than other flooring types, meaning more heat is retained in the home.

Such a quality may suggest that those installing carpets will be able to see their heating bills fall as a result.

Saving energy through better insulation is also something that may benefit the environment by burning less fossil fuels.

Another way carpet owners can be green is by having carpets made of wool and not containing chemicals or glue that could make the household air unhealthy, the Ecologist magazine recently stated.

Click here for wool carpet

Channel Surfing Collection

I love Flor products! They are organic carpet tiles that are recyclable, easy to clean, and offer an assortment of designs.

Flor can be placed in almost any part of the home from your foyer, living room, bathroom, bedroom to your nursery.

Winnie the Pooh Collection

Home Team Collection

Modern Mix Collection

I like to think myself as an early adopter when it comes to FLOR carpet tiles. Several years ago, I remember receiving one of their first mailers, which was morein anearthy looking newspaper format. Since I am not a big fan of carpet it just always seems dirty I was taken with the concept. I ordered up a few squares for our small family room, which takes an inordinate amount of abuse. As promised, the squares were attractive, hard wearing and pretty easily to clean. I then ordered additional FLOR tiles for our living room, dining room (pictured) and entry.

That was over five years ago and the tiles are still going strong. How often can you say that?

Stain Removal Rule Number One

The most important point is to prevent spills from becoming stains. In fact, until they are more permanent, carpet cleaners refer to them as spots, which are generally easily removed, rather than stains, which require some special procedures. Rule number one then, is: Act Fast. The longer you wait after something spills on or marks your carpet, the more permanent or difficult to remove it becomes.

Also, dont believe that there are stain-proof carpets. Such a thing has not yet been invented. Many modern carpets are very stain-resistant, but this is not the same a stain-proof. Generally, this just means that the stain will take longer to set, so you have more time to get the spill or mark cleaned up.

To Get Out Carpet Stains

Dont rub stains or spills into a carpet. Youll only make it worse. You want to blot it up. This means using white paper towels or a clean white cotton cloth and pushing it straight down on the spot to soak it up. This is the way you get out liquid carpet stains or spills.

With semi-solids, such as peanut butter or jelly, you should first scoop up any excess carefully with a spoon. What if you find the spill hours (or days) later, and it has dried and hardened? Break it up and vacuum first. At this point, whether you have blotted, scooped or vacuumed, it is time to clean up the remaining spot.

Usually, this involves using a liquid solvent (cleaning solution) of some sort to loosen the carpet stain and allow more blotting of it. Try water first, before you move on to other solvents. Water is the universal solvent, the safest to use on almost any stain. If water doesnt work, then youll want to get out that stain removal guide and choose a solvent according to what kind of stain it is.

Whatever solvent you use, here is the basic routine:

Apply the solvent to a clean white cotton cloth and work it into the stain. Start from the outside of the spot and work your way in, to prevent spreading the stain to the surrounding carpet. Extract the solvent by blotting it up, then rinse with a little water and blot that up.

Repeat the process until the spot is either clean or no more stain is being extracted. You can test this by pressing a clean part of the cloth into the stain to see if there still is some transfer. If so, keep cleaning.

Always extract solvents completely. Some solvents, especially the stronger carpet-cleaning solutions, can damage the carpet and even remove the color from the fibers if not completely removed. Blot it up, rinse it and blot up the rinse water, and rinse again.

If you have a shop-vac, use it to get out carpet stains. It can extract the solvent and water quickly, allowing you to more quickly repeat the process. This not only makes it more likely that youll fully complete the process, but it also is potentially less damaging to the carpet than a cloth might be.

Finally, when you have gotten out as much of the carpet stain as is possible, dry the area as quickly as you can. You can put some plain white paper towels over the spot with some weight on them to get the last of the moisture out, or you can place a fan where it will blow on the spot for a couple hours. Fast drying prevents any remain stain that is deep down in the fibers from wicking up to the surface where it could become visible again.

Your home is an extension of you and its important for it to make a statement. Whether you are looking for a relaxed atmosphere, a formal atmosphere, or just want to jazz it up a little youve got plenty of affordable options. Why not spruce up your home decor with braided rugs.

Depending on size and style you can find braided rugs from as low as $30.00. Now thats a pretty cheap facelift for your room! You can purchase round, square, octagon, or oval braided rugs. And of course they are available in a wide range of colors and patterns. There are many well known carpet manufacturers that also provide a great selection of braided rugs.

Here are the 5 most popular braided rug lines.

Thimbleberries

Lynette Jensens Thimbleberries fabrics have been used to create a fabulous line of country style braided rugs. They are made of a 50% cotton and 50% polyester blend so they are built to withstand heavy traffic. You can choose from the Four Seasons oval or rectangle, or the comfort cottage oval or rectangle.

Brook Farm

Provides country style oval braided rugs that are warm and inviting. Made from 100% nylon they are a great addition to a kitchen or den. Choose from blackberry, colonial blue, winter green, and burgundy, as well as a host of other colors.

Botanical Isle

Provides a full line of braided rugs that are homey and inviting. Perfect for a cozy room or kitchen. Choose from banana, kiwi, punch, oasis blue, or a host of other colors.

Jefferson

Jefferson provides a full line of oval and round rugs in solid colors or mixed colors. Available in copper, moss green, blue ribbon, evergreen, red streak, and dessert beige.

Spring Meadow

Provides a wonderful mix of rich solid colored braided rugs that are perfect for a bathroom or bedroom. Choose from dandelion, sprout green, petal blue, silken rose, as well as others.

There are many ways to use braided rugs to accent your room. A popular method is to place them in the center of a room, but they can be used off to the side to accent a piece of furniture, at an entrance, in a hall, or where ever else you want to make a statement.

Braided rugs are also a great way to hide a stain or wear on your carpet from heavy traffic. They also add a soft and inviting accent to hardwood floors.

Available in a variety of sizes from small to very large you can find the right size for your room with little problem. You can also combine one or more rugs together to make a unique statement.

Braided rugs work great in a home, cabin, or even in a recreational vehicle. Just think smaller. They are available in solid colors or mixed colors and they can be found made from synthetic materials such as nylon or from wool. Youll probably get tired of your rug long before it wears out. The great thing is they are so affordable you can change them every year if you like.

So if you think its time your room had a makeover why not check out braided rugs. You can find them at department stores, carpet dealers, and even online for a great price. Get ready for a whole new room decor!

John Murray makes it easy to go through the carpet buying process and provides tips to keep your carpet lasting long. To learn more and receive your free mini-course visit the carpet rugs website.

[tags]Braided Rugs, carpet,carpet cleaners,carpet cleaning,carpet tiles,carpets,floor mats,floor matting,f[/tags]

Wood Floor

Advantages; easily cleaned, timeless beauty; works with nearly every design style, great investment (due to its popularity), promote healthy indoor air quality.

Disadvantages; easily stained, easy to scratch, can warp or shift and even rot by water (if ignored), relatively expensive to install (pricing of material varies)

Laminate Floor

Advantages; durable, easily maintained, stain and fade resistant, variety of styles, mimic designs (look like wood, stone, or ceramic tiles), inexpensive.

Disadvantages; can be noisy to walk on, cold and noisy to some, when parts wear out, you can’t replace sections but need to replace the whole floor.

Ceramic Floor

Advantages; looks very luxurious; adds value to home, easy to maintain, very durable, low cost maintenance, individual tiles can be replaced if damaged.

Disadvantages; grout lines can stain easily, can be expensive for quality tiles; installation is expensive, cold underfoot; hard surface to stand on for long periods, can be slippery on glazed surfaces.

Natural Stone Floor

Natural stone floor tiles are made up of a somewhat porous natural stone like marble, granite, limestone, travertine, or slate.

Advantages; gorgeous natural look; elegant, very durable, perfect for radiant heat application, adds excellent value for the home.

Disadvantages; expensive, not great for long periods of standing (except for marble and granite), Porous surface needs to be constantly treated to prevent stains, can be very slippery.

Concrete Floor

Concrete is, of course, that mixture of sand, water, and cement, but it can be tinted and textured into whatever style you want. It can be made to be smooth and seamless or have the look of a tiled floor at much less cost than tiles or natural stone.

Advantages; inexpensive; cost effective replacement for natural stone, can be styled to look like aged brick, ceramic tiling, or even marble floors at a fraction of the cost, extremely durable; easy to fix problems or damage.

Disadvantages; surface is porous and needs to be sealed on a regular basis, can be hard and cold underfoot, hard to stand on for long periods, noisy.

Vinyl Floor

Advantages; easy to stand on for long periods, least expensive, easily installed, readily available in a variety of styles

Disadvantages; can peel off if not installed properly, easily stained if not treated and monitored, low life expectancy for lower end vinyl, not quite as visually appealing; lower end tiles can look cheap.

Linoleum Floor

Linoleum is a natural material, made with felt or canvas covered in linseed oil, resin, and cork; which makes it more environmentally friendly than vinyl.

Advantages; anti-static material; surface doesn’t hold on to bacteria or allergens, environmentally friendly, cost effective, doesn’t mark as easily as vinyl.

Disadvantages; needs to be waxed and polished on a regular basis, can smell for long periods of time after installation, hard to remove once it’s installed, not as many design or color options as vinyl.

Carpet

Advantages; great insulating capabilities; energy savings, sound proofing, selection of colors, textures, styles, designs, and very comfortable to walk on.

Disadvantages; can hold onto odors, allergens, stains, and bacteria, highly maintenance, not as durable as other flooring materials.

Epoxy

Another flooring material available in market, especially for industrial use and hard wearing area (in your case maybe can be applied for your garage or workshop flooring).

Advantages; inexpensive, hard wearing, easy to clean up and grease resistant.

Disadvantages; peel off easily (if applied incorrectly), limited color selection.

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Summarized by Early Yana

(based on articles by Timothy K. Clark & George C. Parker)