# Carpet is gross. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 7, 2010, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carpet-is-gross/535229 "2010-04-07T02:35:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carpet-is-gross/535229/41 "2010-04-08T05:38:33Z")
> [@Miss\_Woodhouse](#): > > yeah, it gets dirty. But man it’s great for the acoustics of a room. I have hardwood in the living room. I can’t hardly even stand to be in the room when the kids are all in there and talking at once. It’s awful the way their high voices bounce off every surface. We have carpet in the family room and I’d never put down a hard floor there. Same for my bedroom. > > Wood is pretty but it’s cold and it bounces sound around like crazy. My first thought as well. We’re in the process of pulling up our carpet. I don’t think plush was ever a good idea. But I’m concerned about the noise levels in hardwood floored houses. It’s already pretty bad in that you have to be quiet as a mouse in the living room to not wake up people sleeping in the back bedroom. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carpet-is-gross/535229/42 "2010-04-08T06:42:54Z")
All those carpet germs keep you inoculated plus they hold the dust bunnies in place so the vacuum cleaner can catch and eat them. ---
**Author:** ![Zenja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/47e85d/32.png) [@Zenja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenja)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carpet-is-gross/535229/43 "2010-04-08T06:59:20Z")
I like the feel of carpet but not that of a hard floor. But more importantly, I hate the acoustics of a hard floor. It really cheapens the feel of a house for me due to the acoustics, not to mention that I’m into good sounding audio systems which don’t live happily in a room that echoes a lot. The dirtiness of carpet never seems to have any bad effects on me, so I don’t really care. ---
**Author:** ![SecTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SecTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecTech)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carpet-is-gross/535229/44 "2010-04-08T07:41:56Z")
Currently my employer is providing accomodations, but before residing 5 years in the Middle East and 2 in the Far East, we had a pool home in Florida. Finally got around to removing the carpet–sand about 5 lbs–mold about 40 square feet–and that was just the family room. We have many nice oreintal carpets where we need them, but the floors are easily cleaned. The past 7-8 years with tile, marble and/or laminate have been extremely pleasant and most of my sallergies are long gone. Now we are buying a house in Spain–you got it–no carpet, even though we are buying from a British couple. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carpet-is-gross/535229/45 "2010-04-08T10:13:23Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > I’m not a verminophobe; I’m not a clean freak. But that shit is gross, yo. Life is. You fuss too much ---
**Author:** ![Perciful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Perciful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Perciful)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carpet-is-gross/535229/46 "2010-04-08T12:56:00Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > My first thought as well. We’re in the process of pulling up our carpet. I don’t think plush was ever a good idea. But I’m concerned about the noise levels in hardwood floored houses. It’s already pretty bad in that you have to be quiet as a mouse in the living room to not wake up people sleeping in the back bedroom. How about scatter rugs that are washable? I have small rugs that I wash regularly that help. I also have acoustic tile ceilings in my bedroom and living room. You can sound proof a room but it is not cheap. It is easier to build in sound proofing materials while you are building a home rather then add it later. ---
**Author:** ![LiveOnAPlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@LiveOnAPlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveOnAPlane)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carpet-is-gross/535229/47 "2010-04-08T13:03:14Z")
Hmmm, this requires some thought. Carpet burns vs. bruised elbows and knees. Which to choose, which to choose… ---
**Author:** ![davekhps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@davekhps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davekhps)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carpet-is-gross/535229/48 "2010-04-08T14:58:39Z")
Count me in the anti-carpet crowd. I yanked out most of the carpet in my house last year, it was insane how yucky it was underneath it all (and the carpet wasn’t very old, either). Alas, the hardwood floors underneath weren’t in the best of shape-- I’m eager to get them refinished/replaced. That said, I _do_ like rugs. A nice big area rug is enough to keep the feet warm, but it’s easier to clean, and you can just roll it up every now and again to take care of the floors. But carpet, nailed down to the floor? No thank you. ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carpet-is-gross/535229/49 "2010-04-08T15:02:27Z")
> [@LiveOnAPlane](#): > > Carpet burns vs. bruised elbows and knees. > > Which to choose, which to choose… Yoga mat! ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carpet-is-gross/535229/50 "2010-04-08T18:38:31Z")
I’m going to be a dissenting voice: I prefer carpet. My first apartment that I lived in for 5 years had laminate floors, and they were impossible to keep clean! I don’t wear shoes in the house, and even though I vacuumed and mopped religiously, my feet or socks would still be gray from walking around the house. Also, I have a cat, and there was the “tumblefur” problem: large balls of fur forming and blowing across the floor like a tumbleweed across the desert. Now I’m in an apartment with carpet and I like it much better. Sure, the fur, dust, and dirt is probably all still there, but you can’t SEE it. It’s just an illusion, because all that stuff is sunk to the bottom of the carpet, but the surface seems cleaner. I can walk around barefoot and my feet are still clean at the end of the day. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carpet-is-gross/535229/51 "2010-04-08T18:43:59Z")
> [@Pyper](#): > > Sure, the fur, dust, and dirt is probably all still there, but you can’t SEE it. It’s just an illusion, because all that stuff is sunk to the bottom of the carpet, but the surface seems cleaner. Yes, but on a hardwood/laminate floor _ **you can actually clean it** _. See the difference? ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carpet-is-gross/535229/52 "2010-04-08T18:46:27Z")
Carpet is gross. That’s why I don’t drag my face across it or lick it to clean my tongue. I usually _walk_ on it, and the bottoms of my shoes seem to offer some pretty good protection against any potential nasties it is harboring. No acid or nastiness has seeped through the soles, so I seem to be doing fine. Maybe we should stop begging the question and do some swab tests for nasty things and maybe some of those blacklight scans. Then we’ll know and quantify the claim that carpet is gross. ---
**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carpet-is-gross/535229/53 "2010-04-08T18:48:07Z")
The gross factor doesn’t really bother me, I’m not going to eat off of it. Even so, I prefer a hardwood or tile floor. I think it looks much better and I like the way it feels under my feet better than carpet. It also helps limit how fast my cats zoom around the house, they don’t build up as much speed if they know they can’t turn on a dime. ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carpet-is-gross/535229/54 "2010-04-08T19:05:53Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Yes, but on a hardwood/laminate floor _ **you can actually clean it** _. See the difference? But it never stays clean! Now I know most people probably wear shoes in their houses, but I don’t, and it was very bothersome to have dirty, black feet even after I had just mopped. Also, having carpet in the main areas of the house helps keep the tiled areas cleaner. In my old apartment, a cloth wiped along the floor in any part of the house would come up visibly dirty. In my current carpeted apartment, a cloth wiped on the floor in the bathroom or the kitchen comes up clean. I think what is happening is that any dirt that comes in through the front door is trapped by the carpet in that small area. In my old place, dirt would come in through the front and then migrate across the smooth surface to the rest of the apartment. Since I don’t wear shoes in my current place, the whole apartment stays clean. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carpet-is-gross/535229/55 "2010-04-08T21:43:52Z")
> [@Pyper](#): > > But it never stays clean! Now I know most people probably wear shoes in their houses,\ Ahem - most _US Americans._ 😃 You know, I don’t notice our house with no carpets (just area rugs) being echo-y or loud. ---
**Author:** ![Perciful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Perciful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Perciful)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carpet-is-gross/535229/56 "2010-04-09T02:33:46Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Ahem - most _US Americans._ 😃 > > You know, I don’t notice our house with no carpets (just area rugs) being echo-y or loud. I take off my shoes unless I’m in a hurry but the dirt still comes in via the dog. I have a cheap Hoover carpet cleaner and I use resolve carpet cleaner and a cap of bleach when I clean my rugs. It is the size of an upright. It always amazes me how much dirt comes out of my rugs! I do them twice a year but I have a Berber rug which hides the dirt well. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carpet-is-gross/535229/57 "2010-04-09T17:13:32Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I pulled up our old carpet in our last house, too, and gross is the right word. It’s astonishing how much better your house smells as soon as the carpet is out. Our whole house has laminate upstairs and painted concrete downstairs now, and I love it. I wear house shoes in the house all the time, and we have area rugs; I don’t feel a lack here. I’m not here to debate carpet vs no carpet, but “painted concrete” really caught my eye. Would you mind linking to a picture, either of your painted concrete or of other painted concrete? It sounds fascinating, and I’ve never heard of it. I just graduated and I rent, but my parents and siblings still live at home (obviously) and have carpeting in the bedrooms and hallways. The dog isn’t allowed in the bedrooms, but is in the tv room/lounge area and the rec room. Are people’s pets really that gross on carpet? Granted, he’s almost a nonshedding dog, never had an accident, chews his bone on a specific carpet segment (that gets tossed often), and gets his paws wiped down when he comes into the house, but is it just the hair that’s gross on most pets? ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carpet-is-gross/535229/58 "2010-04-09T17:26:31Z")
For me, it was when my dogs got older and couldn’t hold it as well. I’m not one to put an animal down because it may be slightly incontinent, but it did smell. We had three dogs and waited for the last to pass away before ripping it all up, simply because I thought it would be cruel to expect an elderly dog to learn to walk on a wood floor when it is used to carpet. The carpet shampooer made it bearable, but there were still stains and odors. Fur is no problem unless a dog or cat is really dirty or you never vacuum. I have also found that hairballs and dry vomit is no biggie; as it is easily cleaned and doesn’t contribute significantly to any lingering odors. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carpet-is-gross/535229/59 "2010-04-09T17:34:19Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > I’m not here to debate carpet vs no carpet, but “painted concrete” really caught my eye. Would you mind linking to a picture, either of your painted concrete or of other painted concrete? It sounds fascinating, and I’ve never heard of it.\ It’s just a regular concrete basement floor with a coat of (ugly, scratched) brown paint on it. We’re planning to put something on it at some point, but right now it’s just your basic basement floor. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carpet-is-gross/535229/60 "2010-04-09T17:41:23Z")
Vacuuming makes the carpeting ‘appear’ clean. But anybody who’s ripped up a carpet knows, it’s an illusion. You may think any dirt or pet dander, that sinks into the carpet, and isn’t removed by vacuuming, is not a problem. But your doctor knows different, that’s why, if you develop any sort of respiratory issue, the first order is to remove the carpeting. Because it is negatively affecting the air quality in your home. I’ll take dirty socks over breathing dirty air, any old day. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carpet-is-gross/535229.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carpet-is-gross/535229.md?page=4)