10.11.2011
Benefits of Carpet
Enjoying the warmth of carpet that it brings to a home or business environment is even better when you consider some of its other benefits.
Carpet keeps the air you breathe cleaner by trapping dust particles and other allergens until they are vacuumed away. In fact, a number of studies show that with regular use and cleaning, carpet allows significantly fewer particles into the air than smooth flooring like hardwood or tile.
A major international survey of nearly 20,000 people in 18 countries was conducted in 2002 to investigate the association between asthma and a number of environmental factors. The resulting report, published in the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, showed that people who lived in homes with wall-to-wall carpet showed fewer symptoms of asthma and allergies than those without.
Another study, which surveyed environmental factors in the homes of 4,800 school-aged children in New-jersey, found that children whose bedrooms were carpeted were absent from school less often and were less prone to respiratory diseases such as asthma.
Overseas, a report published in 1992 in Sweden reported that the installation of carpet had dropped dramatically since the mid-1970s to only 2% of the country’s total flooring market. Yet despite this reduction, the national rate of asthma and allergic reactions in the general public had increased significantly.
All the above evidence points to the fact that carpet can improve the quality of more than just your floors – it can improve your way of life. Whether you love carpet because the way it feels or looks, you can breathe easy knowing that it can also make your home or work place healthier.
In addition, carpet is easier and cheaper to maintain than hard-floor surfaces. Properly maintained carpet only needs vacuuming once or twice weekly and periodic steam extraction cleaning. The sweeping, mopping, stripping, waxing, and buffing that hard surface floors demand are more laborious and costly.
Finally, some facts about mold and mildew. Mold and mildew exist only where there is excess moisture and dirt coupled with poor cleaning and maintenance habits. Mold growth can occur on any surface – from windowpanes to carpet – that is not properly maintained and when moisture is extreme. Eliminating sources of excessive moisture, such as water leaks, and controlling humidity greatly offset the potential for mold to grow.
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