 symbol now being associated with Nazis, carpets have been sporting the swastika logo for thousands of years. Ancient Indian, Chinese and Western civilizations adopted the pattern and for them swastikas were associated with good luck.
4. Carpets have been named as one of the dirtiest and most contaminated objects in a home. That’s why frequent vacuuming and regular professional carpet cleaning are recommended.
That’s a plug for Horsham Carpet Cleaners
5. In 1963, the phrase 'to sweep under the carpet' was coined-meaning to deliberately take attention off something.
6. Carpets in bedrooms and living rooms could harbour bedbugs and parasites. In addition, they’re a hiding place for harmful bacteria which can survive for up to a month inside the fibres.
Another reason we recommend regular professional carpet cleaning!
7. Persia is considered the bedrock of carpet-making since the reign of King Cyrus. When he conquered Babylon, the beauty of the new city inspired him to start the art of carpet-making.
8. Rug-making is the most popular craft in Iran. Iranian carpets are known for their high quality, durability and yes, high price.
9. During the Civil War, the term 'carpet bagger' was coined to refer to the much-hated Northerners who conquered the South. This term came from their tendency to carry their possessions to and from the battlefield.
10. Some years ago, people were so obsessed with their carpets that they did not think they could get dirty. Due to this, newly-launched Hoover vacuums were initially a very hard sell!
I wonder what made them think that? Well we know better these days – we just have to look at the water after cleaning a carpet!
11. The red carpet - is not as modern as the people on TV would like you to think. It was already in use in 458 BC by Aeschylus for welcoming leaders and important personalities.
12. In the Middle Ages, Europeans had great reverence for oriental carpets. When crusaders returned from their wars of conquest, they brought back with them these rugs, together with wild tales of faraway lands inhabited by new peoples.
13. The name 'carpet' has its origin in the Latin word 'carpere' which means 'to pluck'.
14. If you have £100,000 or more to spare, you could grab yourself a carpet woven with gold and silver strands. Further, you could have precious stones of your choice stuck on the fabric.
That’s not conducive to wandering around in bare feet!
15. The Clark-Sickle Leaf carpet from Persia is the world's most expensive floor covering. It was auctioned for an eye-watering $43.8 million in 2013.
Now we love carpets, but that’s plain ridiculous!
16. The Ardabil Carpets are the most famous carpets in the world. They are of Iranian Azerbaijani origin, popular with such notable personalities such as Hitler and the British Prime Minister.
Not often you see those two in the same sentence!
17. The 'Spring Time of Khosroe' was a carpet considered so valuable that nobody could be allowed to own it alone. It was eventually stolen and cut up to be given to kings as a trophy.
Hmmm – strange reasoning there.
18. Carpets can be used for emotional symbolism: red denotes wealth, green denotes renewal and life, yellow is for royalty, blue is for honesty while white stands for peace, gentleness and tranquility.
19. Carpets rank as one of the most common items of trade throughout history. Rare rugs were given as gifts between kings.
20. Every hour, the human body shed around 1.3 million skin flakes. Most of these end up – you’ve guessed it – on our floors.
21. The Qasr al-Alam holds the record for the world's longest carpet. It is a whopping 5,625 feet long and took 1,200 women working 16 months to complete it.
22. 'Norovirus', the virus that causes stomach flu, can live on a dirty carpet for more than a month.
Yikes – is this true??
23. Sprinkling salt on a carpet and letting it stand for one hour has been found to be a way to leave a carpet shinier and brighter.
Please note: we don’t recommend you try this but include it as a fun “internet fact”
24. Every year, a carpet can gather more than 1 pound of soil.