Suffering from Allergies? Rethink Your Hardwood Flooring

There’s a long-running debate on which flooring is better for allergies, hardwood or carpeting. At this point, due to some great marketing, hardwood is the front-runner in most people’s minds when they think of the cleanest, most allergen-free flooring.

As it turns out, that’s not entirely true.

Because hardwood flooring is a flat surface, dust, pet dander and other allergens in the air tend to fall and rest on top of the flooring. When someone walks across a floor, or a breeze flows through the house, the particles are kicked up into the air, floating them in the airspace directly in front of the allergy sufferer.

This doesn’t happen with carpet, because carpet is made of thick fibers that trap allergens, pet hair and dust, keeping them out of the breathing space of allergy sufferers. It’s a common misconception that because of this, carpets are somehow “dirtier”, when, in fact, the ability to trap allergens until they can be swept up is one of carpet’s greatest strengths.

The facts back it up, too. A 2002 study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology that studied over 20,000 people in 18 nations found a statistical relationship between carpeted homes and reduced asthma symptoms and bronchial issues. A 15-year study in Sweden found that when the Swedish government required public buildings to remove their carpeting, incidences of allergies rose amongst the nation’s population by 30%.

Much of the responsibility of keeping a home free from allergens falls to the homeowner. In order to keep carpeting functioning at its best, it’s important to regularly vacuum it with a vacuum cleaner that has a good airflow, multiple brushes and an enclosed, high efficiency filtration bag. It is recommended to have carpeting deep cleaned by a professional cleaning company every 12-18 months. Additionally, making sure that all surfaces are regularly cleaned and heating and cooling systems are maintained, with fresh filters, is vital to lessening the allergens in a home.

If you want to know more about the benefits of carpeting for allergy sufferers, talk to the team at Langenwalter by calling (317)876-9944 and we’ll help you find a solution.