If you’re in need of a new carpet in your home and have the urge to DIY, there are important steps involved that you must know before getting started. So before you rip up that old carpet and get crazy with the staple gun, use this DIY guide first.

Recycle Old Carpet

If you already have old carpet that needs to be removed, try to keep it intact while removing it so that you can recycle it afterwards. While the City of Ottawa accepts small amounts of carpet in regular curbside garbage pickup as long as it is properly packaged, you should try to find options for recycling. Disposed carpet takes up 4% of landfill space – while this may not sound like a lot, it is second only to disposable diapers among all items in landfills! There are a number of services around the city that will accept used carpet and use it to make new items, including beautiful new carpet.

Hire a Professional

Remember that DIY urge you had? Well, ignore it. When it comes to installing carpet, a lot can go wrong. And without the proper installation, it can drastically affect the lifespan, aesthetics, and proper functionality of the product. If you want to improve the resale value of your home, new carpet is not enough. No matter what you may think, replacing carpet takes more than a sharp
X-Acto knife, a staple gun, and a good eye for measurement. Unless you want to pay for your mistakes later – hire a professional.

Learn How to Properly Maintain Your Carpet

One thing you certainly can do is learn how to properly care and maintain your newly (and professionally) installed carpet. Don’t wear shoes indoors, move furniture around once or twice a year to avoid wear in high traffic zones, and invest in a high-quality vacuum cleaner. Be careful with staining substances like wine, coffee, and soda, and learn how to clean stains quickly. Supplement your efforts with annual carpet cleaning from Ottawa carpet cleaners who use the best equipment and techniques to keep your carpets looking their best for years to come.

Ventilate After Installation

Like stepping into a new car, we all know that new carpet smell can be a bit intense initially. Whether you like it or not, it’s always a good idea to crank open your windows and let your home filter out that smell. With adequate ventilation, your home should be odour free approximately 72 hours after installation.

Replacing your carpet is never a good DYI idea. It requires meticulous measurements, tools, and a professionally trained technique. So if you ever get the urge to do it yourself, do yourself a favour instead and save that urge for something else.