Did you know that the very first carpets were invented as early as 1791? Ever since then, the carpet industry has been booming and today, thousands upon thousands of houses and other buildings have carpets in them. This is not to mention that there are many different types of carpets to choose from.
But what is the average carpet lifespan? After all, if you buy an expensive carpet, the last thing you want is for that carpet to start falling apart after a few years. Instead, you would want a carpet that lasts for several long years without showing any signs of wear and tear.
But how long do carpets last, and what factors affect a carpet's lifespan? Keep reading and learn more about the details below.
What Is the Average Carpet Lifespan?
The lifespan of your carpet will mainly depend on the types of carpet you have. There are many carpet options to choose from; some are much more durable than others. There are also carpets with many different appearances, weaves, and prices, among other things.The lifespan of your carpet will also depend on its quality. Of course, if you buy a cheap and low-quality carpet, it certainly isn't going to last quite a long time. As the old saying goes, you get what you pay for.
On the other hand, if you buy a more expensive, high-quality carpet, it should last a lot longer. But how long does carpet last? On average, most carpets last between 5 and 15 years.
This may not sound like a very long time. You may even have a carpet that is much older than this or know of carpets that have lasted longer than this time period. If so, then those carpets likely were worn out and in need of replacement even if they looked find at first glance.
The Details
Carpets that are made of dark fibers especially tend to look good even if they are old and worn out as the dark fibers make the damage less noticeable. Dark fibers also tend to hide stains, dust, and other debris that may visibly age a carpet.Whatever the case, after a few years, a carpet will eventually start to break down even if you can't see the damage right away. In particular, an old carpet will start to pick up a layer of dust, not to mention bacteria, fungus, mold, and more. The fibers of any carpet will also become quite flat and dull after many decades of people walking over them.
Even if the fibers of your carpet are very tightly woven, that home carpet will eventually start to show signs of fading and dust accumulation, among other problems. Some old carpets may start to flake or may develop tears and patches. An especially unpleasant problem is when your carpet starts to develop an unpleasant odor due to excessive bacterial growth.
The odor problem is especially common in homes that have pets such as dogs or cats. At a certain point, it will be necessary to start over and get a new carpet. But what other factors can affect the lifespan of your carpet?
What Factors Affect Your Carpets Lifespan?
One of the main factors that will affect the lifespan of your carpet is how much traffic your carpet gets regularly. For example, suppose you have a strip of carpet in a hallway in your house that gets plenty of traffic throughout the day, every day. All this foot traffic, of course, will wear down the carpet quite quickly, even if you have a high-quality carpet.This is especially true if you tend to wear shoes around the house. This would then track in all sorts of debris, such as mud and bacteria from the outside. Whatever the case, areas that receive a lot of daily traffic will wear down faster than areas that don't get a lot of traffic.
As a result, you may need to replace the carpet more frequently if it is in a highly trafficked area. On the other hand, if you have carpet in an area that doesn't get much foot traffic, such as a closet, that carpet will likely last for more than 10 or 15 years without showing any signs of wear and tear. The main problem, however, that will affect a carpet that doesn't get much traffic is dust.
What You Need to Know
Dust will still accumulate in the carpet fibers and may cause problems if you happen to have allergies or any sensitivities to dust. But as long as you clean your carpet regularly, this shouldn't be too much of a problem. Another thing that may affect your carpet's lifespan is how often your carpet gets dirty.For example, if you have a dog or cat that often brings in mud or happens to urinate on the floor, this will destroy your carpet at a rapid rate. Even if you clean the carpet, it will still suffer from wear and tear and will need to be replaced more frequently as a result. Fortunately, as long as you have professional installers do the job for you, it shouldn't be a problem.
All About Your Carpet Lifespan
The average carpet lifespan is between 5 and 15 years, but if you keep your carpet in good shape, it may last much longer than that. If you find that your carpet is in bad shape, you might want to consider getting it professionally replaced.To learn more, browse your carpet options here.
