There are mistakes in life that we are destined to repeat. My repetitive mistake is purchasing light colored carpet. I don’t know why I do it. I just love light colored carpet. It started as light colored burbur in Sault Ste. Marie. Next it was off-white pile carpet in the first house we built. This house has light colored short shag. As I vacuum I ask myself “What were we thinking?” while I grumble about how bad it looks. The burbur was bought in the days of sand from sand boxes and red juice in sippy cups. No amount of vacuuming can pick up sand. I don’t care what you say, Mr. Vacuum Cleaner Salesman. And hopefully the pink stains are in places that a plant or chair will conveniently cover. The off-white pile carpet was in a house that had a dirt driveway on a dirt road. You can train the humans to take their shoes off, but the pets just never quite get the concept of wiping their muddy paws on the door mat.
We didn’t live in that house long enough to watch the demise of that beautiful carpet. Our current home has the short crushed shag and we have definitely lived here long enough to see the color change. We recently called in the professionals so we needed to move the furniture. “Put it baaaaack!” I screamed in my mind. After 5 years the carpet had definite light colored marks where the furniture sat. After two tries by the professional we purchased our own carpet scrubber and got moderate success after 3 hours and a variety of cleaners (including bleach). I do think this problem could be avoided though. I really believe that carpet salesmen should only be able to sell light colored carpet when the following questions are answered correctly:
1. Do you have children living at home?
2. Do you have pets?
3. Do you have a cleaning lady that vacuums at least once per week?
4. Do you have “Stanley Steemer” on retainer?
If your answers are no, no, yes, and yes, then you will be allowed to purchase light colored carpet. If you answer yes, yes, no, and no, then you will be guided to the caramel, clay-pot, and coffee colored carpets. For now I will have to live with the error of my ways. I will be destined to a life of shame if I cannot learn from my repetitive mistake. Within the next few years Tom and I are planning to replace the living room carpet. I have my eye on a beautiful taupe colored loop carpet.
