Health Comes First
A
study commissioned in Sweden is often cited as proof that
carpet is a good choice for healthier indoor air quality.
Here is a graph of the study results:
This PDF document can
be downloaded to your computer. The document shows that carpet
de-selection occured because of a nationwide concern of allergens.
Interesting is the fact that allergic reactions and other
illnesses blamed on carpet in homes and facilities went up
dramatically during the years of less carpet usage.
Quite the opposite of what was expected.
Sweden has become a nation consuming less and less carpet,
and at the same time, suffering more and more from what was
originally blamed on carpet.
When you analyze and compare all living conditions in today's
world, carpet actually makes a healthier home or facility.
You don't have the dust load in the air as you do with hard
floors - all things being equal, of course, and cleaned accordingly.
Dust mites and pet dander are often blamed for allergic reactions.
Both can build up in carpet, and both can be found on hard
floors. We won't even go into tobacco smoke, pollution from
automobiles, pollens, and more...
When in carpet, the proper vacuum system - used regularly
- along with regular carpet cleaning, keeps allergen levels
low.
For hard floors, the proper dusting and mopping system is
important. With just a small amount of air movement on a hard
floor, allergens are swept up into the air and into the respiratory
systems of occupants.
Potential Carpet Problem
Many people feel that carpet is a "dirt sink" that
traps potentially dangerous contaminants.
True, and a positive aspect of carpet.
With carpet, the fibers act as a filter and hold
onto contaminants until they can be vacuumed or cleaned. Hard
floors do not do that.
One way to see this for yourself is to watch the air in a
home or business when the sun is shining into the home. With
carpeted surfaces, you see some dust in the air, but not much.
So you have two options:
Option #1: Carpet, which will hold onto
dirt and contaminants until the carpet is either vacuumed
or cleaned.
Option #2: Hard floors, which do not hold
onto dirt and contaminants, but still perform well if cleaned
regularly.
Regular cleaning makes any building
or home healthier. Don't blame the product - instead, make
it perform better with better maintenance.
Carpet has another great trait: There are less slip and fall
accidents on carpeted surfaces.
Carpet and Mold
Can mold grow on carpet? Yes. Can mold grow on just about
any surface? Yes. All it needs is an organic base - dirt,
as one example.
Mold grows most often when it has a food source, moisture,
a warm temperature and typically a dark place to reside.
Mold does not use carpet as a food source. Today's carpet,
the vast majority, are made from synthetic materials. Mold
has no "appetite" for these materials.
Mold, however, will use contaminants in carpet as a food
source, so if a carpet is damaged (water damage, sewage, etc)
and not remediated properly, mold can grow on it.
It also will grow on the walls, concrete, furnishings, and
hard floors.
It's not picky. It just needs certain things to exist, just
like people need certain things to exist. Control those things
and mold should not be a concern.
Carpet and Off-gassing?
People who are chemically sensitive definitely have a challenge
in today's world.
Carpet is no more of a problem for chemical reaction
than any other product on the market.
Some claim that carpet off-gasses fumes, such as formaldehyde.
Formaldehyde isn't used in the manufacturing
of carpet.
Any odors from a new carpet is simply a "new carpet
odor", just as you might find in a new car or other manufactured
product.
Then people blame the latex in carpet, saying they have an
allergic reaction to the natural glues.
Problem is, latex in today's carpet
is also synthetic, which studies show does not contribute
to allergic reactions.
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