The Easiest Carpet to Clean: Tested and Approved

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Easy-Clean Carpet

It’s no fun trying to clean a dirty carpet. Even with frequent vacuuming, it’s hard to remove dirt deeply embedded into the matted fibers. Recently I came across Mohawk Air.o hypoallergenic carpet, flooring that claims to release more dust and dirt with each vacuuming, thanks to its unique design with better airflow. This sounded like a great concept to test. So I bought a two-yard sample of the Air.o ($2.51 per sq. ft.) and a comparable standard carpet ($1.69 per sq. ft.) and dirtied them up.

The homeLAB Test:

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I cut samples of both carpets, then fastened a foam pad to the standard carpet (the Air.o has an integrated felt pad). I weighed each sample on a food scale, poured seven oz. of sandy dirt on them, massaged it deep into the fibers, then vacuumed. I repeated this process three times before a final weighing. By subtracting the first weight reading from the final weight, I could see how much dirt the samples retained.

The Result: Mohawk Air.o Gets Clean Easily

The Mohawk Air.o carpet sample retained just a little dirt (three-tenths of an oz.). In contrast, the standard sample held on to almost twice as much dirt. Air.o carpet costs more but doesn’t require a separate pad, which typically costs $2 to $8 per yard.

Mohawk Air.o Carpet:

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The built-in felt pad is engineered for airflow, allowing dirt to be suctioned away. It also stays flat with fewer wrinkles than a foam pad.

Standard Carpet & Pad:

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Carpet with a woven backing requires a separate pad.

Now that you’ve got this aspect of carpet cleaning figured out, getting out the vacuum may seem like a quick solution for any spill. But some things just aren’t meant to go in this machine. These 13 things you should never, ever vacuum.