If members of your household suffer from asthma and allergies, you would do anything to reduce their symptoms, and you may be surprised to learn that carpet has repeatedly been linked to lower incidence of these types of conditions. If you're concerned that carpet is actually contributing to household allergies, these studies may help you to think again:
Notes From New Jersey
A four year survey of 4,634 school-age children in Passaic, New Jersey cited carpeting as a possible protective influence against allergies and asthma. Students with carpeting in their bedrooms required less asthma medication and had fewer school absences.
The Swedish Study
In the 1970s, much of the population of Sweden became concerned that carpeting was making their homes unhealthy. As a result, use of carpet decreased by about 70% in the two decades which followed. A fascinating study linked this decline in carpet usage to an attendant 30% rise in allergies. Once again, carpet appeared to be helping rather than aggravating allergic reactions. As a result of this study, carpeting is once again a popular floor covering in Sweden.
A Third Study Explains It All
The key to understanding how carpets could actually help allergy and asthma sufferers experience less symptoms lies in the function carpeting plays in the household environment. A third study discovered that a key difference between hard and soft flooring is that less allergy-causing particles are disturbed when the flooring is carpet. Carpet's ability to trap allergens may make breathing easier for everyone in your home, office building or school.
If you are considering removing your home's carpeting because you've assumed it makes the home less healthy, we hope you'll read these three studies before switching to hard flooring. As we've learned, having wall-to-wall carpeting that is professionally cleaned on an annual or semi-annual basis may actually improve the health of household.
Scientists and home owners aren't the only ones who are ready to give carpet a second chance. If you watch some of the most interesting home design shows on television, you may notice that designers are incorporating modern carpets into beautiful rooms, too. Of course, you can choose to carpet your home in a neutral, high-end Berber carpet, but the latest innovations in Berber offer a ton of options in both texture and pattern that can complement all elements of your home decor. Modern carpets can be flecked like elegant tweed, feature yarns applied in floral or geometric patterns and have short or luxuriantly deep piles.
It makes sense to consider how busy your household is. Some carpets are designed to stand up better to heavy foot traffic than others, but even highly durable carpets are now manufactured in a variety of colors, patterns and textures that offer both serviceability and visual appeal to any home. And, bear in mind that a professional carpet cleaning team like ours has the tools and skills to dramatically improve the cleanliness and appearance of carpeting, even in very busy, high-traffic abodes.
Studies support carpeting as a tool for improving health for people with allergies and asthma. Talented designers support carpeting as an incredible design feature. Eminent Carpet Cleaning supports your household with professional carpet cleaning services that will keep your floors hygienic and beautiful, year after year.