New Carpeting!

With new carpeting being installed, we were officially homeless. With all of our furniture unbolted from the floor, we had to pack our bags and move into the local “Baymont Inn and Suites” in Decatur. (Note- the “Suites” part isn’t really a true “suite”—all you get is a bigger bathroom and a Jacuzzi tub). But, they did have free breakfast and wireless internet, so we managed to stay sane for the 3 day ordeal. At the end of the day, we’d check on the progress. It’s hard to imagine the amount of work involved in replacing carpeting in this tiny space. It was a bit like walking into one of those HGTV shows where everything is completely gutted. Newmar doesn’t make it easy either. Rather than install the carpeting after the cabinetry is in, they take the easy way (for them) and install the carpeting first- then install all of the sofas/cabinetry on top.

We did learn an awful lot about carpet and tile care from the folks at Habegger. First, we realized that you really want to have someone who’s done this kind of work before to deal with any carpet replacement in a motorhome. But we also learned that for carpet care:
1. An annual cleaning is absolutely essential. And, it should be a hot water heat extraction cleaning process- not a dry cleaning. It actually re-sets the fibers in the carpet.
2. Once cleaned, it’s best to let it dry for at least 24 hours before walking on it (a little difficult when you’re full-time)
3. Find a reputable cleaner- the chain cleaners may not be your best bet.
4. With any carpet cleaning- even spot cleaning, the most important thing Is to make sure you remove all of the cleaner from the carpet. The residue, if left on the carpet, becomes a dirt magnet.
5. When you remove your shoes at the door and walk on the carpet in bare feet, you’re probably doing more harm. The oils on your feet are worse than the dirt from your shoes!
6. The best thing to do is leave your shoes at the door and wear socks or slippers. (Oh, are we going to become those horribly obnoxious people with a box of slippers at the door for our guests?) Well, at least for a while we are!
7. One of the absolute worst surfaces is asphalt – it will leave a residue on carpet and tile that actually causes a chemical reaction.

After 3 days, we came back to a brand new motorhome. It truly looks better than it did when we bought it new! The folks at Habegger did a great job. Of course, once we got the new carpet in, it was begging for a new area rug. And, wouldn’t you know, they had a beautiful oriental in their showroom. One of the major problems with our small space has been finding the right size oriental – they’re either too big or too small. With Habegger’s facilities, they were able to size the rug to “just right”.