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Installing a carpet is a popular way to make a home look and feel cosy. Unfortunately, many people also associate that comfy carpet with nasty sneezing fits.
Carpet can be a safe and healthy choice for allergy sufferers when it is well maintained, regularly cleaned, and made of materials that the current resident is not sensitive to. Carpet that is not regularly vacuumed and cleaned can trap allergens, making residents sick.
Carpet can contribute to making your family sick, but it can also be part of a healthy home! Keep reading below for more information on making carpet work for your family’s lifestyle
Is carpet ok for people with allergies?
Contrary to popular belief, most people who suffer from allergies can safely use carpets in their homes if they follow a few basic precautions.
The most important thing to remember is that carpet doesn’t show dust and dirt like wood, laminate, vinyl, or tile floors do. You can’t just look at the carpet to decide when it needs to be cleaned or otherwise maintained, and it’s gone far past the basic maintenance point if you can clearly see dirt and stains.
Keeping a filter running in the house, using a vacuum with a good filter multiple times a week, and getting your carpet cleaned every 4-6 months are some of the best ways to keep the allergens down.
Wool is also a sustainable product that naturally repels mould and mildew, ensuring peace of mind for your family. We understand how important your home is to you. The Drovers Ridge Carpet One wool collection contains the best of the best wool products. Our team of flooring experts have chosen each product for their exceptional quality – they are the ultimate in performance, beauty and durability.
Is Carpet An Allergen?
The carpet itself is very rarely the cause of allergies. If anything, allergy sufferers are more likely to be sensitive to the chemicals emitted from the pads and components at the very beginning of the carpet’s life, but that dissipates fairly quickly after installation.
Some carpet types, like wool carpet, have the potential to be an allergen if the resident using them is extremely sensitive to that particular material.
Contaminants and allergens trapped in the carpet are a much more likely source of allergies than the carpet itself.
Can Carpet Cause Allergic Reactions For Bare Feet?
Carpet can trap allergens and be at least partially responsible for skin rashes on very sensitive individuals. Pet allergies, mould allergies, and chemical sensitivities are the most likely culprits in these cases. Allergen reactions on bare feet are a strong sign that the carpet needs to be deep cleaned, or even replaced if it shows enough signs of wear.
Which Carpet Is Best For Allergy Sufferers?
Nylon carpet is widely regarded as the best for allergy sufferers. It inhibits mould and mildew growth, is fairly easy to clean, traps pollen and dander, and is more durable than polyester. Short-pile and tightly woven nylon carpets will be the most reliable choice for homes where allergies are a concern.
Dust mites live in nylon more easily than wool, but wool carpets can trigger wool allergies.
Allergy sufferers should be allergy tested before picking a carpet. Different materials provide different benefits.
We have some exceptional Non Allergenic carpet options at Carpet One.
Does Carpet Cleaning Reduce Allergens?
Carpet cleaning can significantly reduce allergens.
Carpets can trap dander and other potential allergens preventing them from being airborne and might actually help improve the air quality. That said, vacuuming your carpet regularly is essential because you don’t want dirt and allergens accumulating on the carpet especially if you babies and toddlers who like spending time on the floor. Aside from removing allergens, you can also prevent the growth of bacteria by regularly vacuuming your carpet.
Invest in a good vacuum cleaner that can get the dirt and allergens out of the carpet. Have your carpets professionally cleaned regularly based on the manufacturer’s recommendations.
How Do I Make My Carpet Less Allergenic?
Some people love carpets enough to put up with potential allergens, and that’s fair! Carpet is soft, looks great, and has noise dampening and anti-slip benefits to balance out the extra upkeep. The trick is reducing allergens through proper upkeep and cleaning.
How To Get Dust Mite Allergens Out Of Carpet
The best way to get dust mites out of the carpet is through regular steam cleaning treatments. This kills the mites before their population grows too much, and it cleans the carpet more thoroughly than dry vacuuming can.
Dry vacuuming is not able to remove dust mites from the carpet, so the mites and the allergens will stay until steam cleaning happens.
Keeping the environment, in general, clean and dry is another great way to reduce the dust mite population.
How To Get Pet Allergens Out Of Carpet
If you have pets and you have a carpet, you have allergens in that carpet. That’s just a fact of life when you have both.
HEPA filters are one of the best ways to avoid overloading the carpet with allergens. Having filters running in the house at all times will clean the air, making sure that allergens released from the carpet are reduced before they reach you, as well as reducing allergens in the air before they hit the carpet in the first place.
Besides keeping all your pets well groomed, and avoiding excess fur and dander falling to the carpet, the best thing you can do is regular maintenance of your carpet.
Steam cleaning the carpet, shampooing and cleaning the carpet, and generally getting the carpet deep-cleaned every 4-6 months as well as spot cleaning any urine spots or messes is a great way to get pet allergens out of the carpet. This type of cleaning goes beyond what vacuuming is capable of.
Vacuuming frequently, at least twice a week with a HEPA filter-equipped vacuum, is a good idea for anyone who suffers from allergies. Vacuuming can even be a daily habit in shedding season.
Can I Vacuum Old Carpet To Avoid Allergens?
Vacuuming carpet is a good idea, but carpets cannot get truly clean without deep cleaning using a designated carpet cleaning machine. Vacuums don’t have the shampooing, steaming, bacteria, and mould-killing capabilities that carpet cleaners have. If you have an old carpet, you should get a professional to check out your carpet and see if it’s safe to keep around.
Remember, under that old carpet is an old carpet pad. This pad can trap old lead from paint, urine from long-departed pets, dust, dead skin, mould, and more. If you’ve ever torn up old carpet, you know what those pads can look like. The foam can even break down after a while, causing dust to rise from the bottom up.
You could vacuum every day for a year and still not get all the allergens out of that carpet. If your family has a serious problem with allergies, the best option would be to consult a professional cleaner. If they think the carpet needs to be retired, you can choose a totally new carpet and pad, a hard floor with a large area rug, or a simple solid floor as the new living surface.
What Does Hypoallergenic Carpet Mean?
Hypoallergenic is not actually an officially recognized word by the vast majority of professionals and organizations. Because of this, defining things as truly hypoallergenic is difficult.
Hypoallergenic is generally accepted as meaning “less likely to cause an allergic reaction than other things.” The carpet itself is generally hypoallergenic for most people since the carpet fibres are unlikely to cause an allergic reaction, but some carpet materials and types are more likely to trap allergens and encourage their growth.
Because of this, a hypoallergenic carpet is generally defined as a carpet that inhibits the growth, release, or other proliferation of certain allergens like pollen, pet dander, dust mites, or mould.
What Type Of Carpet Is Hypoallergenic?
Since hypoallergenic carpet doesn’t actually have a set definition, opinions might vary on what defines a hypoallergenic carpet. We’re going to focus on the three most popular and common options.
Remember that for any of these, the type of carpet is almost as important as the material. Short and tightly woven carpets will be easier to clean and hold fewer allergens than a high-pile and fluffy carpet. They may not look as pretty, but it’s worth the lack of breathing issues.
Nylon
Nylon carpet is great at avoiding mould or mildew, is easy to clean, and is rarely an allergen in itself. If someone is extremely chemical sensitive, they should try to air out the house after installation if the smell is bothering them. They should otherwise have no issues.
All of these points make Nylon one of the most popular hypoallergenic carpet materials!
Polyester
Polyester has all the same benefits as Nylon but wears down faster. If you plan on replacing your carpet a little more frequently, that might not be an issue for your house.
Wear Warranty
This is the most common type of warranty. This warranty guarantees the product from wear and tear. It typically comes with a range of exclusions so be sure to read the fine print . The warranty generally only covers the affected area as well which can leave you with an odd fit between two sides of a room, one old and one new.
Wool
Wool is a popular option for individuals with multiple chemical sensitivities since it’s all natural and eco-friendly. Best of all, dust mites hate it!
However, some people are actually allergic to wool. Be sure that no one in your home is allergic to wool before committing. Wool is the most expensive option, and you don’t want to replace it a year or two after installation.
Talk to one of our experts for more information
If you are not sure of your requirements but would like more information about the best carpet for your home, talk to one of our experts! There are lots of ways to shop with us. Because you are important to us, we have designed a shopping experience to suit everyone. Whether you prefer to shop late at night online or talk to someone in person we can help you to find the perfect home and flooring solution so you can live beautifully for less.
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