Keep muddy paw prints off your best carpets with a hall runner

And that doesn’t just mean dog prints either. Everyone has had the experience of opening the door to someone and realising to their horror that the visitor intends to tramp through the house will all manner of yuck adhering to their feet. It’s very rude of course, but many of us don’t feel comfortable asking guests to take their shoes off, especially if the visit is just a short one, for example reading the meter. However, no one likes to spend good money on lovely rugs through the house to have them trampled on by grubby feet, especially if they have splashed out on some expensive silk traditional rugs or some lovely shaggy wool rugs which really can trap the crap. So, what’s to be done?

Buy a natural fibre hall runner

If you have a farmhouse style interior there is nothing better in the hall than a natural coir or raffia hall runner. They look the part and they really trap the dirt. Not only that, the dirt, when dry, falls through and so you don’t pick it up on the return trip and traipse it all through the rest of the house. There is also a chance that the visitor, realising that you have taken steps to protect the floor, will at least wipe their feet – but that may be just a dream! Natural rugs are easy to keep clean as well; you should vacuum all floor coverings regularly anyway but coir really responds to daily cleaning and a damp mop (not sopping, just damp) will take away the surface dirt very well. They also like a good shake outside but be careful – a long hall runner made of coir or any natural material can be quite heavy, so it isn’t a job for one.

Dogs are the worst, though!

Although thoughtless people do tend to drag dirt in on their feet at least as a rule they have watched where the step. It goes without saying that by and large dogs don’t give a hoot where they put their feet; in fact, they can pretty much be relied upon to find anything smelly, sticky and gruesome that is around when they are out for a walk. If you have dogs or have friends with them, a hall runner that can be washed easily at regular intervals might be more the kind of thing that would help you keep the rest of the house dog-yuck free. Whether you use a smaller one which will pop in the washing machine daily or a larger one that you can hose down outside, a washable hall runner will help you keep the house cleaner and fresher and without the pervading air of not just dog but everywhere the dog has been. Hall runners don’t have to look as if they are there just to keep dirt at bay, either. Whether washable or natural fibre, they can also look very handsome while they work!