The Healthy Flooring Option

Practical Benefits of Carpets

As well as the obvious aesthetic features carpet gives consumers a wide range of practical benefits which are often forgotten:

Heat insulation - which can generate significant energy savings.
Comfort and warmth giving an incomparable luxury feel
Comfort and warmth - giving an incomparable luxury feel.
Noise absorption - for a quieter relaxing home environment.
Absorbs pollutants - for better indoor air quality

Asthma and Carpet

Claims that carpet has a major impact on asthma has no reliable scientific basis for the following reasons:

Ease of cleaning -the practical flooring solution
Airborne dust mite allergen can trigger asthma attacks but carpet acts as a filter trapping these particles in the pile, reducing the possibility of inhalation.
Asthma is complex and influenced by many diverse factors including pets, genetics, diet, pollen, smoking, infections, pollution, dust mites etc.
Smooth floors by contrast allow allergen particles to settle on the surface from which they can easily become airborne.
No scientific studies have ever proved that the total removal of carpet on its own has ever clinically benefited asthma patients.
Where mass removal of carpet has taken place asthma cases have increased dramatically. In Sweden, where health hysteria led to a 77% reduction in carpet use over a 15 year period between 1975 and 1990 the incidence of asthma increased by over 300% in the same period.
Good ventilation with temperature and humidity control will limit dust mite populations and reduce indoor allergen loads.
Normal household cleaning on a regular basis with a good quality vacuum cleaner removes most allergen, dust and pollutants from carpet.
All materials used in carpet manufacturing are subject to the closest scrutiny and processes conform to the highest environmental control standards.

Indoor Air Quality

All materials emit gasses from VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) but carpet emits much lower levels than other common indoor products and poses no threat to consumers. For example plywood emits twice as much VOC as carpet, wallpaper over 16 times more and paint 200 times more.
Carpet acts as an absorbent for many common airborne pollutants and improves indoor air quality.

In Summary

Carpet, like most products, needs to be looked after and the majority consumers, living in clean, tidy, well-ventilated homes vacuum their carpet regularly to prevent a build up of dust particles. In these circumstances there is no objective scientific evidence to show that carpet poses any health risk whatsoever to consumers.

Copy courtesy of the The Carpet Foundation