Did you know that most complaints about carpet are due to cleaning and maintenance issues?  There are billions of yards of carpet on the market crying out for better cleaning and maintenance.  Instead of analyzing current cleaning programs and increasing frequency of cleaning, consumers blame the product – the carpet.

Because of the aforementioned problems, the carpet often looks terrible and the solution – to the consumer – is to replace them with hard flooring.  It’s interesting that the hard floors in homes or facilities will get a frequent cleaning, while carpet is ignored until it is blamed for non-performance.  And therein lurks the problem – and the solution.  Clean each surface equally, with the same dedication, and you will see myths dispelled.  Carpet myths abound in today’s world.  Let’s look at some of these that affect your homes or facilities.

Health Comes First

A study commissioned in Sweden is often cited as proof that carpet is a good choice for healthier indoor air quality.  Here is a graph of the study results:

Many blamed carpet as the culprit for allergy sufferers.  They said that carpet was the cause of poor indoor air quality.  This research shows that carpet de-selection occurred because of a nationwide concern of allergens.  Interesting is the fact that allergic reactions and other illnesses blamed on carpet in homes and facilities went up dramatically during the years of less carpet usage.  Quite the opposite of what was expected.  Sweden has become a nation consuming less and less carpet, and at the same time, suffering more and more from what was originally blamed on carpet.  When you analyze and compare all living conditions in today’s world, carpet actually makes a healthier home or facility.  You don’t have the dust load in the air as you do with hard floors – all things being equal, of course, and cleaned properly.

Dust mites and pet dander are often blamed for allergic reactions.  Both can build up in carpet, and both can be found on hard floors.  We won’t even go into tobacco smoke, pollution from automobiles, pollens, and more…  When in carpet, the proper vacuum system – used regularly – along with regular proper carpet extraction provided by an IICRC Certified Firm, keeps allergen levels low.  For hard floors, the proper dusting and mopping system is important.  With just a small amount of air movement on a hard floor, allergens are swept up into the air and into the respiratory systems of occupants.

Potential Carpet Problems

Many people feel that carpet is a “dirt sink” that traps potentially dangerous contaminants.  True, but it’s also a positive aspect of carpet.  With carpet, the fibers act as a filter and hold onto contaminants until they can be vacuumed or cleaned.  Hard floors do not do that.  One way to see this for yourself, is to watch the air in your home or place of business when the sun is shining in.  With carpeted surfaces, you see some dust in the air, but not much.  So you have two options:

Option #1:  Carpet, which will hold onto dirt and contaminants until the carpet is either vacuumed or properly extracted.

Option #2:  Hard floors, which do not hold onto dirt and contaminants, allowing it to float in the air for you to breathe into your respiratory system, but will still perform well if cleaned regularly.

Regular cleaning makes any building or home healthier.  Don’t blame the product – instead, make it perform better with better cleaning and maintenance.

So to summarize, carpet, if cleaned and maintained properly, can be a better floor covering for those with asthma or allergies, plus it has the additional benefits such as:  it’s safer with less slip and fall accidents, is easier on your joints and body as you walk, better comfort, better insulation and allows for noise reduction.

To help you with maintaining your carpet properly, call your local IICRC CleanTrust Certified Firm to provide you with a consultation and quote.  The importance of using an IICRC CleanTrust Certified Firm is shown by Shaw Industries, the largest manufacturer of carpet in the world, as they have announced, effective January 1, 2008, a new company-wide mandate allowing the use of ONLY those FIRMS CERTIFIED by the IICRC to service carpet covered by their warranties.  The requirement stems from an ongoing effort by Shaw Industries, to improve the quality of service providers throughout the industry.  For years, unqualified personnel have caused problems for carpet owners who expected a high level of professionalism and care in cleaning their carpet and rugs.  Mohawk is following with this same mandate.

Your local IICRC CleanTrust Certified Firm is Apex Floor & Furniture Care.  For more information or an in home consultation and quote call the owners, Ron and Jackie Wood at 352-556-4012, or e-mail them at info@Apex-CarpetCleaning.com where they provide cleaning, repair & restoration services for all types of floors, rugs & furniture, located in Spring Hill, serving the Tampa Bay area.  You can also log onto their website at www.Apex-CarpetCleaning.com for more information, testimonials and a full list of services.