Ever wish you could make this kind of proclamation to your kids:
[unraveling scroll] “Doth have you a challis of grape juice? Doth you want a bowl of chocolate pudding? You are hereby allowed, henceforth, to eat your chocolate pudding and drink your grape juice on the carpet!” [rolls scroll back up] Okay, that’s a gross food/drink combo, I know, but the question stands: wouldn’t it be awesome to NOT fret about what lands on your soft carpet floor? This isn’t as ridiculous as it sounds, save for the archaic 15th-century vernacular. Why? Because Mohawk Flooring’s SmartStrand Carpet exists and it’s all kinds of amazing.
My family made the drive down to the Italian Market Festival in South Philly on Saturday to visit with the Mohawk Flooring folks and to make a hideous mess on the carpet square samples they were giving out. The girls sprayed grape juice, red wine, soy sauce, and watched as a sausage sandwich with gravy, peppers, and onions was smashed into the beige SmartStrand Silk fibers. It was nasty. But with a just a bottle of water, the stains poured out of the carpet like it was the year 2350 and all this was taking place on Jupiter. We were mouth-open amazed!
We learned that most of the stain resistant carpet sold and already laid down in the world had their stain and soil shield treatments applied to the fibers, but that as the carpet is beaten up by foot traffic, those topical treatments buckle under the pressure of time and use and that is how even stain-proof carpet get all stainified over time. Mohawk Flooring SmartStrand has the protection built into the carpet fiber, meaning that for the life of the carpet it will reject whatever harsh damage your kids and cats and dogs and contractors with muddy boots can dish out. For whatever gets on the SmartStrand carpet is super easy to clean with nothing more than plain old fashion water. Kiss those chemical warfare carpet cleaners goodbye! I was curious enough about the wetness seeping down into the padding to ask about the potential of mold. No worries at all on that front, because the SmartStrand carpet has a sort of firewall that keeps liquid and moisture from going south into the padding and, vice versa, helps protects the carpet from water leaks and such occurring down below. That’s pretty darn brilliant.
I had no idea that Mohawk Floowing is the world’s largest flooring manufacturer or that such a silky smooth soft carpet such as the SmartStrand Silk was available. It was like walking on a pillow, inside a cloud, inside a dream. And I’m not even exaggerating. Okay, maybe a little, but the stuff is that luxurious.
I also had no idea The Bear loved cannolis so much. But when you’ve got one of the best pastry chefs in Gus of Isgro Pasticceria, a South Philly legend, handing them out to you it’s easy to fall in love. During our afternoon at the Italian Market Festival, we grabbed some free grilled cheese from the Land O’ Lakes Grilled Cheese Truck, bought an overpriced plastic singing bird in a cheap plastic birdcage (ugh), watched the Bear devour a whole mango on a stick, saw Chef Peter McAndrews of Paesanos prepare and serve sandwiches on Better TV, made a dry pasta necklace, got our faces painted, bought a bunch of fruit and asparagus (so thin! so beautiful!) and oh, I got to meet and take my picture with the buff and dapper Mr. Chip Wade from HGTV! What an awesome, awesome day.
Mohawk Flooring License to Spill Tour Philly Italian Market Festival with my girls
Mohawk Flooring License to Spill Tour Philly Italian Market Festival with Chip Wade from HGTV.
My Girls making a mess on the SmartStrand Silk Carpet at the Mohawk Flooring License to Spill Tour in Philly.
There’s already been some great photos shared from the License To Spill tour, like those three of my Instagram photos above. Follow along on Mohawk Flooring’s Twitter or go to one of the upcoming stops!
The License To Spill Tour is still rolling along, coming soon to Wisconsin, Georgia, New Jersey, Indiana, Maryland, and then Colorado (in what has to be the strangest way ever to tour the country!) Check out all of the dates and locations here.
