What are good carpet options for kids and pets?

Picture this…you just sat down on the couch to check Instagram while you enjoy your cup of coffee. The kids are playing outside along with your dog, Buster. It’s quiet and peaceful, and you’re soaking it up. All of a sudden, your kids come tearing into the house chasing Otis, who has clearly been digging in the garden and is carrying a muddy stick. His paws and legs are filthy with black dirt and he has dirt all over his face. The kids aren’t much cleaner…maybe they were digging too! Their muddy footprints follow Buster’s throughout the house before you can contain the situation. Instead of enjoying your coffee, now you have plenty of dirty footprints to clean up—thankfully your carpet is stain resistant! 

Your lifestyle impacts your flooring choices, and there are plenty of carpet options that are great choices for pets and kids! Pets and kids are both hard on carpet, so it’s good to look for stain resistance, durability and softness (especially if your kids are younger). Spilled food, abrasion, dyed liquids like juice all will likely impact your carpet at some point. Let’s look at some carpet types and some treatments for your home!  

Ideal Carpet Types for Kids and Pets

Nylon is a popular carpet fiber for kids and pets—it’s durable, soft, stain-resistant and holds up to wear over time. 

Polyester/PET is a budget-friendly, eco-friendly carpet option that is good for pets and kids. It’s made from recycled plastic bottles and tends to be less expensive than nylon carpet. One disadvantage is that polyester tends to flatten over time, so it’s not as durable as nylon for high-traffic areas.

Solution dyed fiber is extremely stain resistant so it is great in areas where spills or pets can impact carpet. Solution dyed fibers come in both nylon and polyester carpet. The fiber itself is colored through, rather than dyeing white fiber the desired color.

Another aspect to consider when selecting carpet is the color. With kids and pets in your home, it’s good to not select a carpet that’s too light or too dark. Instead, select a medium shade to hide any pet hair, spills and crumbs. 

Carpet Treatments

Some carpets include factory-applied Scotchgard. Don’t worry, this isn’t the same Scotchgard that’s sprayed on your couch during furniture cleaning. Instead, the manufacturing facility applies Scotchgard surrounds each individual fiber to protect the entire carpet, from fiber tips all the way through to the carpet backing. This provides complete stain and soil protection. Plus, the stain and soil resistance will never wash or wear off!

Contact Graham’s to learn more about the best carpet options for your lifestyle. Our design team would love to answer your questions and find the best flooring choices for your Fort Collins or Loveland home! You can also click here to see our simple 3-step flooring plan.