What to Do with Old Carpet

So, you finally did it. You have new carpet installed, soft and luscious, properly set. It feels great on the feet and looks great on the floor. You even have your first carpet cleaning scheduled with Preferred Carpet Care. But the installation company left large amounts of the old carpet behind, perhaps even the whole thing.

What are you supposed to do with all that old carpet? Recycle it? Yes, that is certainly a good thing to do, but old carpet has many different uses once finished with its original function. Just ask any college student – leftovers can be a godsend.

 Automotive Uses

Your vehicle can benefit from carpet scraps in many ways. For instance, hanging a strip of old carpet on garage walls protects both the walls and your car doors from getting scratched or banged up, and it provides a great parking reference point. With a little finesse, it could double as a nifty piece of wall art. If your car leaks a little, place old carpet on the garage floor to catch any drippings.

If you live in rainy, muddy or snow areas, keep a few strips of old carpet in the back of your vehicle. If you ever get stuck, the carpet does a great job helping your tires get traction. You can also trim larger strips of old carpet to match the footwells in your car, making easy floor mats. If it’s old shag carpet and you happen to have a full-size van… well, that’s up to you.

Non-Human Household Members

Of course, we aren’t the only ones who benefit from reusing old carpet. If your dog has a special corner or a doghouse, why not line it with the old carpet so they have insulation? Depending on how you fix it to the area, the old carpet can be removed for easy cleaning. By using old carpet on cat houses and scratching posts, cats also benefit (as will your furniture). If you have a line of plants that you water regularly, place a strip of the old carpet under the pots to catch any spills when watering.

Around the Home

A common use of old carpet is as doormats, which works very well. Some people even use larger sections as area rugs, provided the edges are reinforced. If you need a yoga or exercise mat, a longer strip of old carpet will do in a pinch. Patches of old carpet make great padding – under washers and dryers to quiet them, under heavy furniture to move them, under knees and elbows to protect them. Depending on the type of carpet, smaller patches can be cut into squares or circles to make excellent drink coasters.

If you’re using a piece of old carpet as a doormat to scrape off shoes, why not adhere a piece to the bottom rung of your ladder? Scraping off your shoes before you climb will make the job a lot safer. Also, use a scrap of old carpet to wipe off brushes or putty knives. Sometimes old carpet makes a great rag to wipe things off, like door screens. Scraps of old carpet can insulate things like attics, porches, or even compost piles. And for those with talents in arts and crafts, the possibilities are only limited to imagination.

Don’t forget to share the wealth. Friends and neighbors might benefit from carpet coasters, door mats or wall art, or they might have other intended uses for old carpet scraps. If you just can’t reuse all the remaining scraps of carpet, recycling is your best option. But make it your final option – just because your old carpet is old, it still has plenty of use. And feel free to ask Preferred Carpet Care. We might have other ideas and options on what to do with your old carpet.