The years have flown by. Your carpet is ten years old. You know it might be time to replace it, but every time you walk into a room, you see something different:

• The grape juice stain from your child’s birthday party
• The red wine stain from your big celebration
• And let’s not forget the mess that your four-legged friend made when she was a puppy

You know your carpet is reaching the end of life. Your carpet is ten years old. But is it really time to replace it?

What is the average lifespan of carpet?

The best place to gain information is heading online. But if you head to Google and try to figure out how long carpet will last, you’ll get a wide array of answers. Five years, ten years, fifteen years, and more. What’s considered average? How do you know when it’s time to shop for something new?

A good indicator is to ask the companies who make carpet themselves.

Mohawk carpet offers up to a 25-year warranty on abrasive wear and texture retention for one of its carpet lines.

Shaw carpet offers up to a 20-year warranty on the quality of the fibers and the backing material.

Residential carpet goes through a lot in a year, especially when you have an active family. If a carpet manufacturer offers up to twenty-five years of warranty protection, they have faith in the fact that their product can stand the test of time.

Of course, replacing carpet is a personal choice. There isn’t a specific date in time when it’s mandatory to replace it. But carpets will give a few telltale signs that it might be time to start planning.

Signs it might be time to replace your carpet

Where is your first one? The very first stain that appeared on your carpet? That’s the one that made you cringe. That’s the one that had you scrubbing relentlessly, trying to get the original color back again.

Carpet manufacturers promise stain resistance, but there is only so much they can do for protection. Eventually, things will happen, and your carpet will show the effects. You’ll it’s time to think about replacing when:

Too many stains

The first stain you can move the furniture a little to the left to cover it up. The second, you might be able to rearrange the table so it’s not as noticeable. Carpet cleaners have a lot of tools of the trade to try and flush out deep stains. But even their tools can only remove so much. Sometimes stubborn stains just won’t go away. And if you scrub too hard, you risk damaging the fibers. That can be worse. Before you buy a carpet cleaning solution from your favorite big box store, or hire a carpet cleaning service for a deep clean, check with your manufacturer’s guidelines to ensure you keep your warranty intact. They offer specific guidelines to help keep your carpet well maintained while protecting the carpet’s structure.

Wear and tear

You know when your carpet has seen better days. When you put rugs down to cover threadbare spots, or rearrange your furniture to try and reroute traffic, it may be time to replace. Every home has a basic track you move each day. From the kitchen to the living room, or from the hallway to your home office, notice the areas that look worse than others. Those are your problem spots. Those are the spots to pay attention to. Keep in mind that different fibers will wear differently over time. Polyester carpet fibers are known for matting. Nylon carpet is more resilient and handles the pressure of consistent traffic. It stands up to carpet cleaning better over time. While that might not matter in a bedroom, in high traffic areas, it could. Assessing your carpets now can help you make a better decision when it is time to replace.

Smelly carpet

Do you notice a smell every time you walk into a room? Or maybe you notice it when you open the front door, only to find it worse as you come closer to the carpet? That’s a sign of odors so deep into the fibers, there’s no getting them out. Odor penetration can happen in a variety of ways. Pets can do extensive damage. Wearing shoes can grind in dirt and debris. And once odors set in, they can take over fibers, backing, even penetrate deep into the carpet pad, or even into the subfloor material. And once that happens, replacement is the only way to get rid of the odor once and for all.

Carpet padding

Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it might not be the biggest problem. What many homeowners don’t realize is that bad padding puts your carpet at greater risk. Think of a carpet pad as the pillow between the subfloor and the carpet. With a high-quality product, it provides more protection when connecting with the subfloor. But as that weakens, it can cause more friction to the carpet backing. Once the carpet is compromised, the only way to fix it is by replacing it. When given a choice, select a lower level carpet and a higher level pad – you won’t be sorry with your choice. It’ll give you added protection in the daily life of your carpet, which gives it a better chance at a longer life.

Old carpet

Sometimes aesthetics are everything. When you look at old carpet, you know it’s time to replace it. That carpet has been around “forever” and you’re ready for something new. It’s often time to replace a carpet when you’re ready for a change. Flooring is a great way to set the stage for greater things.

After ten years, even well cared for carpet can start to show signs of age. Wear in major walkways, and matted down tufts that just won’t stand up.

If you’re ready for a change, stop by today. We’ll help you find the perfect carpet to suit your needs.