If you are planning to have new carpets fitted, you might be focused on issues like colour and patterns. But before getting the carpet fitters in, you should also think about the pros and cons of having either natural carpets or using synthetic materials.

On the one hand, you can use natural materials like wool, sisal, jute, coir and seagrass. These have a long traditions, as some of the first carpets in the world were made from such materials. It is only with modern chemistry that synthetic alternatives like nylon, polypropylene, polyester and triexta have emerged.  

The biggest advantages for the newer materials are that they resist stains more easily and they are less prone to biological infestations like mould and mildew. All these are great attributes.

Since all this is the case, you might ask why they haven’t replaced traditional carpet materials entirely. The reason for this is they do have some downsides, mainly that they are not as hard-wearing as natural carpets. So if you want a carpet that lasts, especially in a room that sees a lot of footfall, a natural material makes sense.

However, there are some respects in which the choice is more nuanced. One of them is that there is an option to have mixed fibres. This makes a carpet last longer than a purely synthetic one and be more stain-resistant than a totally natural one, but this involves a trade-off of different advantages and disadvantages, increasing some and diminishing others.

Another concern is that synthetic carpets are made from plastic-based materials, which raises environmental questions. However, it is worth noting many of them can be made from plastic items that have been recycled, such as old drinks bottles.

In the end, it is important to consider these pros and cons and you may end up going for different things in each room; for instance, a busy hallway or stairs may benefit from a durable natural carpet, while a nylon carpet, for instance, keeps its shape well and thus is good for a room with lots of heavy furniture you may move around.