I know it’s quite obvious to most people that, does plush carpet show footprint or not. But the fact is I didn’t know that.
What is an ultra-plush carpet? I know you probably are already thinking, what an airhead I am or maybe I was living in a rock.
But you see I never really had plush in my house nor in my parent’s place. We always were into low pile rugs.
It was recently when I had my first baby. Me and my husband decided that we would prepare a softer and comfier environment for her.🥰🥹
Little did I find out after installing, that –
“Plush carpet does show footprints and vacuum marks. With lighter shades of colors, it may mask. But the worn-out look! I used it in a mid-traffic area of my house. But I can already tell, definitely the worst idea for high-traffic areas.”
If you are about to buy a plush cut-pile carpet yourself, I can bet you’d like to know more, wouldn’t you? So, let’s not waste any more time and begin the knowledge quest.
I also learned
Table of Contents
Does Plush Carpet Show Footprint?
Yes, most plush carpets do show footprints fairly enough.
Are you not familiar with the idea or haven’t seen any in person? Then you must be wondering what in the world I’m even talking about, right?
Let me give you a quick view of the idea…🧐
The plush carpet showing footprints is in actuality the shading marks which is left behind while walking across the rug.
Walking with your animals or simply just vacuuming, in any such occurrence can cause marks on your carpet. If it’s old, then the texture of your rug plays a vital role here buddy!
Among the wide variety of carpet options, plush pile carpets show vacuum tracks more than others. And so, the appearance of footprints on soft carpets is something you can not avoid.
With Time These Marks Becomes More Visible?
Yes!! Even though I had no idea up until now, but there’s no doubt in my mind now. It’s quite obvious and normal.
I already have used low pile a lot in the past so I can totally relate. My experience also allows me to compare them and give you the best possible insights as well.😃
In fact not just me but – “Most of the consumers probably around 83% of homeowners with plush carpets reported that footprints were ‘highly noticeable’ after 1 year of installation. Especially on wool-like appearance.”
Plush carpets have densely packed fibers, providing a softer and comfier feel. If you know how thick is plush carpet, you’d understand.
But that also makes them prone to making footprints more visible. Light reflection on high-luster fibers is one reason for this.
| SL | Carpet Type | High Visibility of Footprints |
| 1. | Plush Carpet | 85% |
| 2. | Low-Pile Carpet | 32% |
“Please note that the data shown above are exemplary only. Thus do not support any survey data and research materials.”
How noticeable are footprints on plush carpets?
Compared to other types of carpets footprints are more noticeable on plush carpets. I hear my downstairs neighbors always complaining.
They say every minimal movement they make on their shag carpet results in traffic patterns due to the shading variances of light particles.
I have a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter that captures 99.97% of particles. As small as 0.3 microns from my high-pile plush carpets too. So, that’s ought to answer is, does plush carpet wear well or not?
I went through some documents and talked with my friends as well about these carpet styles. They all told me that it’s quite normal for plush carpets to show highly visible footprints.
They also told me that – “The dense pile or plush carpet absorbs and reflects light from different angles. And so carpet shading and carpet visibility of footprints are some of their usual characteristics.”
While searching through many documents, I found some other reasons too.
I particularly find those quite helpful for my understanding. And so, I scrapped them out for you guys too.
Why do plush carpets show footprints?
The materials the carpet is made of can be a major reason why they show footprints. Having a better understanding of this is really necessary before buying plushy flooring.
For me, I wondered Is plush carpet good for the long term. A brief explanation did help me understand that better. Here, let me explain it to you.
| SL | Carpet Material | Footprint Visibility Rating |
| 1. | Nylon | Medium |
| 2. | Polyester | Medium |
| 3. | Wool | High |
| 4. | Triexta | Low |
1. Nylon –
I saw nylon carpet is the type of carpet that was easier to get on the market. I found out that these carpets may show footprints, but the visibility mostly depends on the pile height and weight.
And so, choosing the right nylon carpet can reduce your maintenance effort as well as improve the appearance of your carpet too.
Honestly, for once I was thinking of getting twisted yarns to match my kitchen design.
2. Polyester –
Like nylon, polyester carpets also have medium footprint visibility ratings by many consumers. They are quite budget-friendly but surely they show footprints quite a bit too.
3. Wool –
I was quite let’s say not so happy to find out that these plush carpets that are made of wool fall into the category of high footprint visibility.
How? Well, they sure are soft and cozy so I guess that was obvious and it was just me who didn’t notice and bought one anyway.😓
They (the sellers) say that wool fibers tend to reflect light, making footprints more noticeable.
4. Triexta –
Triexta carpets are quite known for their stain resistance and durability. What’s more? They have a “low” footprint visibility rating, which means they hide footprints well too.
Seeing my baby playing around and making so much mess I really wish I had chosen triexta over wool.😑
I learned a lot about carpets, their do’s and don’ts as well as cleaning too. Knowing the pros and cons is disturbing though. Cause if I had known these earlier I would have been able to make better decisions.
Don’t you think?
If you are not yet sure and need more guidance, no need to worry just watch this video –
How do you avoid plush carpets showing footprints?
I prefer being extra diligent about cleaning frequently to avoid plush carpets showing footprints. But there are some other methods too.
Frequent Vacuuming
Lifting and redistributing your carpet fibers can help big time. Cleaning experts suggest that vacuuming twice a week can reduce visible footprints on a large scale.
Choosing Darker Colors
While buying choose carpets that have more patterns in them. Also, colors that make up for the shading are the better idea too. A dark and light color combination is the best choice.
High-Traffic Areas
You should avoid using plush carpets in high-traffic areas. It will be safer for you too. And also based on how low the traffic is the footprint visibility will also go down.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can frequent vacuuming help reduce visible footprints on plush carpets?
Yes, frequent vacuuming can help reduce visible footprints on plush carpets. However, by lifting the carpet fibers and redistributing the pile, you can make the footprints less noticeable.
Are certain colors of plush carpet better at hiding footprints?
Yes, certain colors of plush carpets are better at hiding footprints. You can consider lighter or, mid-tone colors, such as grays and taupes. Blending lighter and darker colors can be a good idea as well.
What kind of carpet doesn’t show footprints?
Textured Saxony or looped berber carpets don’t show footprints. Simply put low-pile carpets, which are made of materials such as nylon and polyester. After all rich texture minimizes tracking marks.
Now Your Final thought!
In the end for me with my baby making a mess every now and then wool plush carpet was the worst idea.
I even used it on stairs which was another big mistake of mine. It literally points out the trail where we walk frequently.
To learn more explore the topic relating to “Is plush carpet good for stairs or not?” Believe you certainly find this knowledge handy.
But I hope now you know which one you need to be the best for you.
Happy carpeting!💯
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