I have had my Smartstrand what will be 3 years in June. I didn't buy mine at Lowes - got mine through the same carpet place where we bought our original carpet 20 years ago. Anyway - about a month after it was installed, I was printing out some photos and you guessed it - the printer malfunctioned and the ink just sat on top of the paper and when it "shot" the paper out, the ink continued on - all tiny spots on my carpet. After a moment or two of panic - I got out my wet and dry vac and a pitcher of water. I started with a couple of spots and when the water hit it, the spots spread. Oh crap, I'm thinking but I recall reading that would happen and to just keep flushing and sucking up the water. It worked! After I got all the ink up, I just kept blotting up the area with plain white paper towels. Once it was dry - you couldn't tell where the ink had been. Now - I still don't take any chances. Anytime I print on photo paper, I put a plastic table cloth in the area where the printer is. And I don't use glossy paper anymore. I did just have the doorways restretched as I was having some "fraying" where the carpet met the tile. The original installer came back to do it and he admitted that his helper at the time had not done it correctly. I have a 3 year warranty from the carpet company on the install as well as the warranty from Mowhawk. Didn't cost me anything and the guy told me that my carpet looked like new. I was considering having it cleaned but he told me if it were in his house, he would wait as long as possible. I do have a few spots, mostly from my grandson, guess I will spot clean them. I have the Smartstrand pad - with moisture barrier. I was really impressed when it was installed - no odor from the pad or the carpet.

Finding carpet is a pretty horrible and confusing process. Here is what I've learned about the two: What carpet you get should depend on what type of wear and staining you typically experience in your house. For instance, Triexta (the stuff SmartStrand is made of) will stand up to water-based stains and bleach better than nylon, but is more susceptible to oil and grease stains. This has to do with the chemical nature of the fibers. So, if food stains are an issue for you, Triexta might not be a good choice, but if your teenager is clumsy with his acne cream you might not want nylon. Carpets usually get some kind of stain resistant coating that helps them in this area but since moat carpets get this, I think it's a moot point. As far as wear, crush and abrasive wear resistance is what you need to consider, especially in high traffic areas. Often people say carpet doesn't 'wear out' it 'uglies out' which means it gets matted and scratched up by dirt being ground into it making it looking like wet dog fur. Nylon is generally considered the hardiest of fibers with the best crush resistance and is tried and true because it has been around for so long. Triexta is a relatively new fiber that gets a lot of flack because it is chemically similar to a very crappy fiber: polyester, which had terrible crush resistance and is largely no longer used. The thing is, Triexta is supposed to be new and improved with better durability because of its structure (something to do with kinked strands or whatever which help keep its shape.) Still, there is a lot of trepidation about Triexta because it hasn't been time tested like nylon. Of course, wear is also down to how the carpet is designed: how densely the fibers are packed together; how twisted the fibers are; how short the pile is, and whether you're buying bulked continuous fiber (longer strands for less shedding.) More dense, more twist, shorter pile, BCF = better wear. Getting the appropriate carpet padding in the right thickness will also mean less wear. The saying generally goes: If you're trying to save money, skimp on the carpet but get good pad. And, vacuum the hell out of it at least weekly or that dirt will act like sandpaper on your carpet every time you walk on it. As far as professional carpet cleaning goes (which you need to do it every 12 or 18 months to maintain your warranty) more people know how to clean nylon than they do Triexta. I've read that there is some debate over whether we should clean Triexta like polyester or something altogether different. Some cleaners do not know what they're doing and clean it like nylon, which is bad because Triexta requires different detergents. Using the wrong one means residue and makes the carpet feel nasty. As an aside, you may have heard you can clean Triexta using only hot water extraction, but that is not true of oily stains since they bond to the fiber. Oh and speaking of warranties, they're all ridiculous. I invite you to read all the terms and exclusions listed in them and tell me whether you think carpet sales people aren't con artists. Don't buy a carpet based on warranty, because it's likely only applicable during a blue moon when a virgin's tear makes a rare Norwegian truffle bloom. There's also some impractical, luxury points to consider, like hand-feel. In my opinion, Triexta feels nicer to touch. I have touched a lot of different nylons and I think it's softer and less abrasive. Of course, I've read some reviewers who say you shouldn't touch it or walk on it barefoot because the oils in your skin stick to it and attract dirt. Make of that what you will, it sounds like an exaggeration to me. Style and color is also important to some. Nylon wins there because it's been produced longer and has more variety. That doesn't mean to say that your perfect Triexta carpet isn't out there, but if you want an unusual color or pattern they might not make it yet. Disclaimer: I picked carpet months ago so small details may be incorrect but the general gist of things should be true. We ended up with nylon because we needed our carpet to last. The current carpet we have has been here since the 80s and looks like roadkill -- that's how cheap we are! But we believe in quality so we picked carpet that was $5~6 per square foot so hopefully it'll hold up until we're dead.

I was the district mgr for Armstrong and worked for Mohawk. As these products are all made from different sources going solely on brand name means nothing. None of them own a hardwood mill. Mohawk and Bruce are major players so there is a company to back the warranty. Go with the one you like the best.

I am in the same boat! Looking at the Smartstrand forever clean. I really like the looks of the Smartstrand Silk forever clean, but this is for a high traffic area and stairs, and am afraid it won't look good in a few years. What did you all end up with, any issues?