From Shag to Plush to Frieze

I remember when my parents bought their split-level home in 1975 complete with three-inch shag carpet. The vacuum roller brush would occasionally get ensnared by the long shag fibers. Once you unraveled it, you'd go back over the carpeted floor with something that looked like a garden rake to remove the footprints you left in the shag. It's amazing. You can actually see the ring in this lovely purple shag shown here.

The plush and berber carpets that overtook shag are rapidly giving way to longer-fiber frieze. With all of the attention focused on allergens in the home, some question whether that's a good idea.

There's a study that suggests it is. The Carpet and Rug Institute's study found that carpet has the beneficial effect of trapping allergens at the floor, reducing the level of particulates that can be inhaled. You can see the study findings at www.carpet-rug.org.

The challenge is maintaining that carpet with frequent deep cleaning. Because they're up to five times more powerful than an upright vacuum, consider installing a central vacuum to clean long-fiber carpet.