It’s rare for your home to fit your needs completely and most homeowners know this from experience. In fact, 9 out of 10 homeowners plan to renovate at least something at their home.

Though some of those home renovations are extensive and completely change the way the house looks, you don’t always have to go to that extreme. Sometimes, the most effective improvements are the ones most guests and visitors won’t notice.

We’re talking about your flooring. Installing carpet at your house can be a wonderful way to make your home comfortable at all times. Here are a few of the surprising benefits you can expect from switching flooring materials.

1. Makes Your Home Quieter

Have you ever walked down a tiled hallway in shoes? Then you know just how loud and echoey the space can get. This is because sound waves bounce off of hard floors and head out into the room.

TVs will seem louder, footsteps heavier, and you’ll likely hear a slight echo anytime your dog barks.

Carpet, on the other hand, absorbs sound. Instead of an echo chamber, you’ll have a room that’s comfortable and quiet.

2. Helps Lower Energy Bills

Cold floors aren’t just uncomfortable to walk on. They’re also a major source of strain on your home’s heating and cooling system. During the winter months, hard floors can absorb the cold temperatures and keep your rooms several degrees colder than they should be.

This makes your HVAC system work harder throughout the day just to keep your home warm. Over time, you’ll likely see higher-than-normal energy bills and may even have to pay for maintenance and repairs when you least expect them.

Installing carpet in at least one room in your house can help save you money. It insulates your home and helps keep the weather outside from wreaking havoc with your thermostat.

3. It’s Affordable

Believe it or not, hardwood flooring can cost anywhere from $11 to $22.10 per square foot to install. Vinyl and tile floors can cost just as much, if not more, depending on the designs and features you want to add.

If you’re just reflooring a single room, you may be able to justify the price, but the larger the room is, the more you’ll have to pay. Before you know it, you’ll be well past your budget.

Carpet is incredibly affordable, costing just a fraction of what other materials do. Even better, you’ll be able to re-floor more of your home for the same price and may be able to get a discount from your installation expert if you do.

4. Carpet Is Better for Your Joints

Carpet consists of more than just the plush fibers you stand on. There’s also padding that sits beneath the carpet itself. That padding helps cushion your every step.

Over time, this can help keep your joints in better shape, making it more comfortable and more pleasant to walk around your home barefoot.

Keep in mind that cushioning comes almost as many styles as the carpet itself. If you don’t want a super-plush carpet, you can choose a firmer pad without issue.

5. Safer Than Hardwood or Tile

Falls happen. When those falls occur on hard floors, you’re more likely to get injured in the process. There’s nothing to cushion your body as it hits the ground.

Carpet acts as a buffer and can help absorb some of the impact. This makes it an ideal flooring choice for older homeowners and those with small children who are prone to spills and tumbles.

6. Easy to Maintain and Clean

Carpet has an undeserved reputation for being hard to clean. This may be the case with older carpets, but newer materials are much more stain-resistant. Even better, they’re easy to clean and maintain throughout the year.

As long as you spot-clean stains as soon as you find them and vacuum at least once a week, the carpets should look fantastic for years to come. When you want to make them look like new, schedule a professional cleaning.

This will remove any deep-seated grime and dirt while also refreshing the fibers. In most cases, cleaning the heavily-used rooms twice a year and the rest of your carpets once a year should be enough to keep it in great shape. However, you may need to schedule more frequent cleanings depending on the way you use your rooms.

7. Comes in Many Colors and Textures

Carpet is one of the most versatile flooring materials on the market. Not only does it come in any color you can imagine, but it also comes in different textures.

This gives you the ability to completely customize the way your home looks. You’ll be able to match or creatively complement the rest of your home’s décor with ease.

8. Improves Indoor Air Quality

Surprisingly, indoor air quality is often dirtier than the air outside, especially in the cooler months. Since you don’t get to air things out, contaminants and allergens just collect on the surfaces of your home, including your floor. With hard floors, you stir up those contaminants anytime you move around the room.

According to the experts at Safe-Dry Carpet Cleaning, the right carpet can actually improve indoor air quality in your house. Allergens and contaminants get trapped in the fibers rather than floating around the room. This keeps the air you breathe cleaner and can reduce your symptoms over time.

Keep in mind that you’ll still need to vacuum your carpets regularly and will want to schedule professional cleanings at least twice a year. The cleaner the carpets are, the better your indoor air quality will stay.

Ready to Add Carpet to Your Home?

If you don’t currently have at least one carpeted room in your house, you may want to look into adding this comfortable and sustainable flooring option. The right carpet can add comfort and value to your property without breaking the bank.

If you’re not sure that carpet is the right choice for you, consider these benefits and think about how your current floors match up.

Looking for more helpful tips on keeping your home in great condition year-round? Check out our latest posts.