Rental problem: Horrid Carpets

My general frustration with renting is the inclination to put money into the place to make it nicer. I can’t help myself. But it just isn’t logical. Unfortunately, we have a rather useless landlord when it comes to asking him to do things like: “please stop weed-eating my irises,” “please replace our microwave that screams loudly and smells like smoldering metal when you turn it on,” and, my biggest issue, “PUH-LEASE replace our carpets that have deep stains from the previous tenant and potential mold/mildew danger around the edges that is causing both of us to have upper-respiratory infections and terrible allergies. Please.” Oh, and, “Please do not lawn-mow our cable line. It snaps when you do that.”

Frankly, I’m less concerned about the mold (I know I should be) than I am about the unsightly stains, mostly because I know he won’t replace the carpets, and we vacuum and de-stain often (the Woolite stick is a lovely product, but white vinegar, especially Windex Vinegar, works wonders on stains). So I’m on a bit of a roll looking at rugs to cover up. As always, I must preface with “I’m a poor grad student so these are on the cheap side.” Most photos link to their website.

Ikea Rug... $20!

Understated, but I love the piling.

Another great Ikea find. Non-obtrusive circles.

This was on ideeli.com, and it is by Seventeen Rug. It definitely needs the "right" room.

If you haven’t checked out ideeli, it is an AMAZING discount designer site, invitation only, as is RueLala.com, and I look at them every single day. Love both sites for clothes, shoes, and home.

Here’s your invitation to ideeli,

And here is your invitation to RueLala!

And here is another ideeli rug from the same brand:

I ADORE this yellow and grey houndstooth. It also comes in rectangular form.

Sale rug on WestElm... if you want a better quality rug than, say, Ikea

Enjoying this kicky little runner rug from UrbanOutfitters

Not sure how I feel about this: what you are seeing is a Trompe l'oeil rug, or trick of the eye: the rug is painted to look like a distressed floor. They have a few others... I think I would like them in the right setting. I guess this is unrelated to carpeting.

I’m still scouting… and will definitely let you know my solution. Pip, pip. Toodle-oo. Cheerio.

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