That Plush Carpet You Barefoot Across? It's 16 Times Filthier Than Your Phone

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We've all heard our phones are basically germ taxis we hold to our faces, but brace yourself: the real bacterial block party is happening underfoot. Wall-to-wall carpeting, according to a new report from Home Advisor, is 16 times dirtier than the average phone and six times grimier than a toilet seat. (Yes, really. Human hair makes up 36 percent of the funk; plant matter, skin cells, and fungal spores chip in another 5 percent.) So that soft landing for your bare feet? It's also a soft landing for every crumb, spore, and stray eyelash you've ever shed.

Carpet gets a bad rap for being the dusty wallflower of the flooring world, but lately we're rethinking the romance. French creative Julia Rouzaud made us want to roll around in forest green and Yves Klein Blue; Kansas designer A.B. Lafitte proved tangerine carpet can turn any room into a moody cinema den. And let's be honest, there's nothing like sinking your toes into something plush at 7 a.m. Hardwood may photograph well, but it doesn't give your feet a hug.

The good news? You don't have to choose between cozy and clean. We tapped Becky Rapinchuk, also known as Clean Mama, to spill her best DIY carpet-rescue secrets.

Start by evicting every chair, basket, and rogue sock from the room, then vacuum like the floor owes you money. Fill your carpet cleaner's tank with hot water and your favorite cleaning potion. Work in bite-size sections from the back of the room toward the door, moving left to right like a very tidy typewriter. Let it dry, then vacuum once more for good measure. Spill something dramatic? Blot fast, rinse with cool water, pretreat, and let the machine earn its keep. Got pets or kids? Repeat every six months, or at least before your mother-in-law visits. And while you're already on Amazon for the carpet cleaner, do your phone a favor and grab a UV sanitizer box. It's earned it.

Lydia Geisel has been on the editorial team at Domino since 2017. Today, she writes and edits home and renovation stories, including house tours, before and afters, and DIYs, and leads our design news coverage. She lives in New York City.

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