Lockdown increases demand for artificial grass

According to Google Trends, online searches for the keywords “artificial grass” increased by 185% in May 2020 compared to May 2019. This suggests that people in lockdown have been focusing on their gardens and how they can be improved with artificial grass.

With mostly fine weather during the lockdown, people have been spending more time in their gardens. They appreciate having a lawn but are concerned about maintaining it. Higher than normal temperatures on some days have caused patchy grass, and homeowners are conscious that a grass lawn needs regularly watering and mowing in summer.

As people return to work after the lockdown, they will have less time to spend gardening, but still want to enjoy a good looking garden. Artificial grass is the solution for a low-maintenance lawn, since it can be used in all weathers and does not become muddy in wet conditions.

Additionally, the coronavirus outbreak has caused families, especially those with pets and children, to be more concerned about hygiene. Artificial grass is hygienic, non-toxic and easy to keep clean. Installed correctly, any rainwater is drained away from the artificial grass so that it never becomes waterlogged or muddy.

Households that do not want to spend time cutting grass and tending to their lawn are increasingly turning to artificial grass to enjoy a low-maintenance garden that looks and feels like the real thing. Artificial grass in North Wales homes will stay green and will last for many years, even under heavy use by adults, children and pets.

The growing carpet trend of animal prints

Animal-themed rooms are becoming increasingly popular, with animal print carpets very much a part of this trend.

Many fashion designers have featured animal print fabrics, so it is not surprising that this trend has reached the home. Manufactures of bedding, cushions, crockery and lampshades have added animal images to their products.

Carpets with animal prints add impact to a room, and while they may not be to the taste of the traditionalist, they certainly appeal to those who want to add a sense of adventure to their rooms. Included in the animal print ranges are zebra patterns and leopard prints. The patterns are bold, but the colours used are more muted, with grey patterns on natural tone beige backgrounds. They are for people who love animal prints but in a stylishly understated way.

Animal prints add vibrancy to a room, but they are best used with plain walls and furniture to prevent a room looking too busy and cluttered.

Animal print carpets made from polypropylene are functional as well as stylish. They are easy to keep clean and resist spills and stains. Households staying at home during the coronavirus pandemic are advised to clean their carpets at least once a week to help protect themselves from infection. It is also a good idea to remove outdoor shoes when entering the home. Animal print carpets are soft for walking on without shoes.

Not everyone choosing carpets for their Chester home will go for animal prints, but for homeowners who like a more bold decor style for their living rooms or bedrooms, why not?

Why carpets should be deep cleaned at the end of a tenancy

At the end of a tenancy, a surface clean of carpets is not sufficient, especially during the coronavirus pandemic.

Carpets should be cleaned by a professional cleaning company who has an Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC). This makes sure that the deep cleaning of carpets removes all traces of the COVID-19 virus.

Professional cleaners use steam cleaners that remove all bugs, mites, viruses and dirt that gets trapped in the carpet pile.

Tenants often pay large deposits when moving in. If the home is not immaculately clean when they leave, the landlords may retain a portion of the deposit. Some professional carpet cleaners also offer a full home cleaning service.

There are many homes with carpets in the Chester, Wrexham and North Wales areas. During the lockdown, it is not safe to call in professional carpets cleaners. Regular vacuuming is recommended to keep the carpets clean, and after the pandemic is over, it is a good idea to have carpets professionally deep cleaned.

The coronavirus can be distributed via coughing, sneezing and physical contact with others. If a virus lands on a porous surface like carpets, it will not live long. The virus will tend to survive better in cold rooms compared to warm and humid ones.

To be safe, it is better not to touch carpets and wear socks, shoes or slippers when walking on them. A vacuum with a HEPA filter is recommended to trap small particles, preventing them from being circulated in the air.

Flooring visualisers help you choose your next carpet

During the coronavirus lockdown, carpet shops may be closed, but online visualiser tools let you see how different carpets will look in your home.

Flooring visualiser technology means that you do not have to leave your home to choose a new carpet in North Wales, or anywhere else. You take a room picture with your phone or camera and upload it to the visualiser system. You then choose a style, pattern and colour of the carpet and you will see a modified room image of how it will look with the selected carpet.

Many people decorate their rooms before laying a new carpet. Some visualisers will let you change the colour of the walls so that you can see how carpets go with various colour schemes.

Other visualizers let you change the floor material to wood, laminate or vinyl, as well as carpets. Whether you want a luxury pile wool carpet or a natural hardwood floor, visualiser technology shows you how each type of flooring and floor design looks in your room. You can even rotate the floor pattern to see how orientating a floor covering in different ways affects the look of the room.

You can print the images of how your rooms will look with new carpets. Some suppliers will send you swatches of carpets delivered to your home so that you can look at them in your room.

Being confined to your home is not ideal, but a good way to use the time is to plan room renovations for when restrictions are lifted.

Dramatic advert highlights dirt hidden in nation’s carpets

Cleaning brand Vanish has a new television advertising campaign designed to shock people into being aware of how dirty their carpets really are.

The 30-second ad depicts a carpet being vacuumed to reveal an apparently clean carpet. Then, several builders pushing a cement-filled wheelbarrow chase a dog over the carpet. They are followed by commuters on their way to work, a crowd of noisy football supporters, a group of cyclists and finally a flock of pigeons.

Vanish is used to remove all the dirt trampled into the room from this onslaught. The dramatic message of the advert is that vacuuming alone does not remove all the dirt in a carpet.

Rose May Bird Smith of Havas, the creative agency that made the TV advert, said:

“If people knew how dirty their carpet really was, and all the filthy fibres it was harbouring, they might be persuaded to do something about it. It’s great to bring a burst of energy, humour and irreverence to what is typically quite a hardworking, functional category.”

Of course, Vanish is not the only cleaning product that can clean carpets, and there are many rival brands of carpet cleaning solutions.

Households in lockdown with carpets in the Chester, Wrexham and North Wales regions are advised to vacuum them each day, and regularly clean them with a carpet cleaning product.

After the lockdown has been lifted, it will be a good time to have carpets professionally cleaned, or hire a carpet cleaning machine.