It is a pretty common sight in a home office. You have a rolling chair on top of a chair mat. The mat is there to keep your carpet safe from the damage that the chairs rollers can cause. But do they do more harm than good?
There is no question that rolling chairs can quickly wear out your carpet. Because of that you should never place a rolling chair onto your carpeting. They should only be used on a hard surface. To solve this problem most people buy a floor protector which is basically a sheet of plastic that you lay on the floor to protect it. They do protect the floor from the damage of the chair but they also cause an entirely new problem. For starters the carpet underneath the mat is protected to the point that it does not wear at all. When you go to move the mat you have a new piece of carpet surrounded by worn carpeting. Cleaning will help but chances are that the carpet will never match again. Another problem they can cause is yellowing. Because the mat does not allow air to pass through it can trap gasses underneath the mat. These gases which are produced when new carpeting and padding off gas can actually turn your carpet yellow.
So what can you do? The best thing to do is not use a rolling chair at all. Buy a regular chair with legs and do not use a mat on your floor at all. if you must use a chair mat, pull it up often and vacuum underneath it. When you put it back, reposition it slightly. This little bit of effort might just save your carpets.
Author: James C
Author Bio:
The author operates a site helping people find cheap auto insurance. Learn about insuring your car, truck or motorcycle and automobile safety.
