How to Protect Your Carpet From Your Office Chair

If you've invested a lot of money in carpeting in your office or home work space, the last thing you want is to damage it with the wheels of your office chair. Unfortunately, with improper care, your carpet may suffer minor damage or excessive wear – especially if you use an office chair every day.

In this article, Furniture At Work explains the best methods on how to protect your carpet from your office chairs.

How do office chairs damage carpet?

Rolling office chairs can damage your carpet in a number of ways and can look unsightly. Plush or shaggy carpets are at risk of being damaged by office chair wheels. The weight and friction exerted on the carpet by the chair and its wheels can cause the fibers to thin – resulting in an uneven, worn-looking carpet.

Additionally, your chair can collect dust and dirt inside its wheels if not cleaned regularly, which can make your carpet cloudy. This can eventually stick to the threads, making it harder to clean in the long run.

How to protect your carpet from your office chair wheels

There are several ways to protect your carpet from office chairs – keeping it looking fresh and clean for longer. These methods include:
Using an office chair pad

Arguably one of the most effective yet least expensive solutions to carpet damage, office mats eliminate the impact of constant movement and overall friction on the floor when you sit a chair on it. Office mats not only provide a layer of protection against general wear and tear – they also prevent spills from getting in and staining your carpet.

You'll also find that using an office chair base makes maneuverability easier, as the wheels will slide across the base instead of potentially getting caught in the carpet.

Check out the range of chair bases available at Furniture At Work today.

Using furniture coasters for chairs without wheels

If you have a static office chair that wasn't originally equipped with wheels, it's a good idea to invest in furniture coasters that will reduce the impact of feet on your carpet. These furniture coasters are small discs made of rubber or plastic that can be placed on the legs of your chairs to minimize stress on your carpet.
Use chair wheels that are suitable for carpets

A chair caster is a wheeled device that you can attach to each of your chair's legs, and this will ultimately reduce friction by making your office chair easier to roll. For carpeted floors, it's best to choose casters made from nylon, metal or polyurethane coating – these materials work best with threads and fibers.
Keep your chairs clean and maintained regularly

If an office chair is used every day, dirt, dust and bacteria will quickly build up and spread onto your carpet. However, with regular cleaning, this doesn't have to be the case. Depending on your chosen office chair, you may receive specific instructions on how to clean the material/style of chair from the manufacturer. Alternatively, you can clean the chair by doing the following:

Invest in an upholstery cleaner to deep clean the fabric
Vacuuming to remove dust
Use detergent or alcohol to remove stains
Wipe the seat with a microfiber cloth dampened with warm soapy water

Keep your chairs clean and maintained regularly

We hope this blog post on how to protect the carpet of an office chair can give you some guidance on how to keep your carpet looking fresh – even when you use your chair every day! At Furniture At Work, we offer a variety of desk accessories to keep your workspace looking great. Contact us today if you are looking for more information.