Carpet is among the most popular flooring types. It makes the home comfortable and gives it great looks, especially when it is maintained and routinely cleaned.
It is common to see carpets in many homes, as they bring warmth and coziness. However, there are many health risks associated with carpets. They can harbour allergens, dust, bacteria, and other pollutants which cause health problems.
Often, many carpets are manufactured with chemicals that cause health problems when released into the air. It also explains why people who, after installing new carpets, experience a sudden change in their health due to the effect of the adhesive glue used when laying the carpets. The adhesive glue contains chemicals that are harmful to the body.
Further, another contributor to the harms posed by carpet is the lack of regular or routine maintenance. A dirty carpet harbors incredible amounts of dust and bacteria that can adversely affect the body, including air quality.
Another reason why carpet poses a great health concern is that only a few of them are made using natural products — the risks to health doubles for people who have old carpets and don’t practice regular cleaning. Old carpets are a harbinger for dust, dirt, bacteria, mold, and allergens that settle inside, making it hard to completely remove them regardless of how complex or regular you clean.
The chemicals we use in our homes, including cleaning products and pesticides, can be buried deep into the carpets. They contain harmful substances which can cause health problems when released into the air.
Reasons you should replace or replace your old carpets
It is not only essential to replace your old carpets for ambiance but also your health. Your old carpets may appear neat and still beautiful; however, they can be harboring many harmful contaminants like specks of dust, mold, allergens and others.
Environmental and respiratory health experts have stated that carpet chemicals can cause respiratory disease, heart attacks, asthma, and developmental problems. This chemicals — volatile organic compounds (VOCs) — can be released into indoor air from normal use and cleaning of these carpets.
Removing carpets from your homes can help eliminate those risks posed by having one. It is much better not to have carpets in your homes, or you’ll have to replace old carpets to prevent it affecting your health.
Health Benefits of Removing Carpets
Old carpets are host to allergens, dust, dirt and mold that causes problems to your health. Regular carpet cleaning helps keep these contaminants to a minimum, but it doesn’t eliminate them, especially allergens. Numerous research have found out that there are health problems that your old carpets can cause. However, you can avoid these problems and derive these health benefits of removing your carpet.
1. Prevent Asthma Attacks
You may be susceptible to asthma attacks when you’ve old carpets in your home. The allergens harbored by old carpets pollutes the air, making it hard to breathe fresh air and increase the likelihood of asthma attacks. Other allergies triggered by allergens found in carpets include sneezing and itching of the eyes.
2. Avoid Skin irritation
Dust mites that live on carpets can cause itchy skin, rashes, athlete’s foot, and eczema. Dust mites are tiny that they are not visible to the naked eyes. It makes it also impossible to eliminate them no matter how regular you clean your carpets.
3. Avoid a Weakened Immune system
Your body immune system weakens when it constantly fights against bacteria and other harmful diseases posed by an unclean environment, including having old or dirty carpets. This is especially true when you have a carpet containing germs and other toxins; it makes your body tired of constantly fighting against them.
4. Avoid Stomach illness
You can develop stomach illness when you lie on wet or damp carpets. Mold thrives on damp carpets, and they can cause discomfort to the stomach. The mycotoxins released by molds cause severe stomach irritation and infection.
5. Avoid Carpet Allergies
A carpet can cause allergies because is traps allergens, which go up into the indoor air whenever it’s walked on. Allergens such as animal dander, pollen, mold, and dust can be house in a carpet. Carpet fiber, padding, and the glue required to hold carpets together can also lead to allergic reactions in some people. You can avoid putting yourself at risk of developing these allergies by removing your carpet.
Bottom Line
To avoid these problems, you must remove old carpets. Instead of using carpets, opt for hard-surfaced flooring and rugs that can be easily removed and cleaned outside.
