Carpet Recommendations? - Chicago,IL

We have a corn-based carpet in our family room. I swear, there's not a thing that has been on it that I haven't been able to get out with just water!
I wanted the most stain-resistant carpet available, and this was so worth the extra money. We just went to a flooring place and talked at length with the salesmen.
We have a berber carpet in our basement (with very thick padding over the concrete floor so it's not cold) and I would never get that anywhere in my house again. Anything the kids run over it, wheels, cars, trains, baby strollers,action figures, dolls can pull out just one of the loops. That's not terrible in itself, but if I'm not careful with the vacuum cleaner, the brush will hook the loop and pull up the entire row of threads at once. Now, I have to vacuum that carpet without the brush which requires a ton more man-power to push the vacuum cleaner, and I don't think it gets the carpet as clean. Something I never knew before I got the carpet!

I recommend you give Joe Flores, www.strictlycarpet.com, a call for advice and an estimate. Because he doesn't have a store front, his prices tend to be lower and the carpet is the same as what you'd find in the stores. He can be reached on ###-###-####. Tell him S. sent you.

http://discount-carpet-warehouse.com/how_to_choose_carpet...

Here is a web site that describes things to look for in choosing a carpet. If you google how to choose a carpet you'll find many more sites.

Berbers are good for wear (kids and pets).

Things you may want to consider would include vacuuming. How thick the carpet is will make vacuuming more difficult.

Get a carpet with a nice, thick pile. Also, in order to make it last longer and be more comfortable to walk on, get 8 lbs. pad. I think it's top of the line.

I "second" the advice to NOT get berber for high traffic areas. It's beautiful to look at, but it grabs and holds all the dirt. (although I have a light berber...so perhaps a darker color would work better) You have to vacuum daily with berber, which I never seem to have time to do.

Spend the money on a thicker pad, you won't regret it. It will last longer (it doesn't break down as quickly) and feel better.

Also, consider having your carpet dry cleaned once it needs it. ChemDry does a nice job of that. Advantages: it dries in about 3 hours, your pad doesn't get soaked and break down faster, and therefore cuts down on mold growth. Cost is not much different than soap/water cleaning.