Allergies and Carpeting: Dispelling the Myth

It's common knowledge that if you or someone in your family has allergy or asthma problems, you should stay away from carpeting when redoing your floors; right?

Wrong. Carpeting is actually one of the more practical choices when making changes in the home to boost indoor air quality.

Many different irritants inside the home, such as dust mites, pet dander, mold and pollen, are often triggers of allergies and asthma. With hard surface flooring like hardwood, vinyl and tile, these allergens get kicked around and re-circulated through the air; where as carpeting will act like a large filter in your home, trapping those allergens until they are vacuumed up.

Studies have shown that carpeting in a room will reduce the amount of airborne contaminants that may trigger allergies and asthma. Another study of school children found that students who had carpeting in their bedrooms used less amounts of asthma medication and missed fewer school days than the students who did not have carpeting in their bedrooms.

Bliss carpeting by Beaulieu of America, offers Magic Fresh and Silver Release treatments. The Magic Fresh treatment works the same way as a box of baking soda in your refrigerator does, it absorbs the odors in your home and releases them back into the air, stench free! The Magic Fresh treatment lasts up to 10 years, or for 5 hot extraction cleanings. Silver Release goes one step further, providing protection from the bacteria that causes stains, mold and mildew. Ever heard the phrase "Born with a silver spoon in his mouth"? It has been long known that silver has powerful antimicrobial properties and was once used by the wealthy to prevent disease in their children. The Silver Release treatment uses silver, zinc and copper to protect your family from mold and mildew, and will last for the entire life of the carpet.

Another concern most allergy sufferers have when changing the flooring in their home is exposure to VOC's. A VOC is a carbon based chemical compound and exposure to high levels can cause eye irritation, headaches, fatigue and coughing. Along with most of the major carpet manufactures using less of them in the carpet manufacturing process, studies have shown that there are simply not enough VOC emissions in new carpeting to cause adverse heath effects. The VOC's found in studies were extremely small, in the parts per billion, and were extremely short lived. Some people love the new-carpet smell and that's ok, because it's certainly not harmful to you. For those of you who don't like the smell, open a few windows and vacuum more frequently in those first few days and the smell will dissipate in a quickly.

The key to keeping your home allergen free is to vacuum regularly. Also have your carpets cleaned professionally according to your manufacturer's warranty. Additionally, by removing your shoes at the front door you won't track outside allergens throughout the house.