We all know that if we want hygienically clean and healthy environments, one of the most important ways of achieving that is through regular carpet cleaning – and not the steam or DIY variety, but the dry carpet cleaning variety that leaves your carpets cleaner, instantly dry and ready to use. And while we’ve extensively covered how dirty carpets can harbour bed bugs, parasites and other harmful bacteria, today we focus on the lighter side of carpets and carpet cleaning.
The oldest carpet in the world dates back to the 4th century B.C. making it approximately 2400 years old. Called the Pazyryk Persian, it was discovered during an architectural dig in 1949 in the Pazyryk Valley in the mountains of Siberia.
The words ‘carpet’ and ‘rug’ have infiltrated our language over the centuries appearing in numerous idioms: sweep it under the carpet (to conceal something); pull the rug out from under you (to deprive someone of support); rolling out the red carpet (to indicate someone’s importance); and called on the carpet (to be reprimanded).
Mechanical carpet cleaning first became on option in 1876 when Melville R. Bissell designed a carpet sweeper. Despite being largely superseded by the vacuum cleaner, its lightweight design and quiet functioning still make it a popular option in many parts of the world.
The world’s most expensive carpet is a 17th Century Persian rug which sold at Sotheby’s on auction for a staggering $33.8m. Sotheby’s had forecast a sale price of $9m, but four bidders fought for ten minutes, taking it to the record breaking sale price.
In America it’s estimated that about 5 billion pounds of carpeting goes into landfills every year, and the majority of that will take hundreds of years to degrade. Apart from opting for other recycling solutions or choosing a ‘greener’ carpet, one of the simplest things someone can do to reduce their carbon footprint is to take proper care of their carpet – that means regular vacuuming and professional carpet cleaning – thereby extending its longevity and keeping it out of landfills.
In the Guinness World Records, the world’s largest hand-woven carpet was made in 2007 in Iran. It measures 5,630 m² (more than half a rugby field) and was created for the Abu Dhabi mosque – it was made in 9 parts and then later assembled in situ.
And then, while they might not be the largest, they definitely are one of the best – remember QClean for dry carpet cleaning and a wide range of other hygiene cleaning services on offer to both residential and commercial customers in the greater Cape Town area.
Got a question? WhatsApp us!