Do you ever think about the carpet you walk on every day in your home? For decades, houses had hard surfaces with well-positioned area rugs for comfort. Prior to the days of electric vacuums, cleaning those rugs was no easy chore. Imagine hauling out those heavy rugs and beating them clean. Some of you may even have done this.
I grew up in homes with carpet. If you are a regular reader of this column, you know my mother’s choice of carpet was red — and shag.
The first “home” for Jolene and I was an apartment on Grand Avenue in Des Moines. She had lived in the area prior, but I was used to a well-furnished West Des Moines apartment. Microwave. Dishwasher. Electric garbage disposal. Shower. Central air conditioning. And, yes, wall-to-wall carpet. Our cozy abode had none of those things, but it did have hard wood floors that Jolene loved. I had to wipe the grit off my feet each night before going to bed. I wasn’t a fan.
It’s not exactly clear who invented carpet, but I owe this person or persons my gratitude. Some say the first carpets came about in the Middle East and were made of sheep wool or goat hair. By the 1500s, carpet production became popular in Europe. When those European settlers came to America, they brought the idea of carpeting, too. Thank goodness.
I remember my childhood neighbors having green wool carpet that wore like iron in their home. It wasn’t the most comfortable to touch, but you couldn’t damage that stuff if you wanted to. Prior to the 1950s, wool carpets like this were common, but they were also significantly expensive. American homeowners clearly wanted carpeting, but only the wealthy could afford it. Synthetic fibers changed the carpet industry, providing a quicker way to manufacture and a more affordable option for consumers. By the early 1950s, carpeting became the most popular flooring option for homeowners.
What’s beneath the carpet? That’s another story.
While in college, my roommate and I made a delicious punch in a large garbage can, complete with large chunks of fresh fruit and some other stuff. It seemed like a good idea until a knucklehead neighbor knocked about 20 gallons over in our dorm room. Even after multiple carpet cleanings (which said knucklehead paid for), we were still jabbing our bare feet on watermelon seeds for months.
I wonder if the carpet-inventing Middle Easterners had those problems in the 1500s?
Have a thoughtful Thursday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
