ByGrant
Allergy Carpet Cleaning – Does it help?
Allergies occur when your immune system over-reacts to substances which are normally harmless. More commonly, these substances include dust, pollen and foods which the immune system has become oversensitive to. So, does allergy carpet cleaning make a difference?
These substances which the immune system have become hypersensitive to are called allergens and when encountered, the body releases a chemical called histamine which gives you a range of symptoms like running nose & eyes, itchy eyes & throat, sneezing etc.
These allergens can be found outdoors or indoors. Removing the allergens from the indoor environment can make being at home much more comfortable instead of constantly reacting to your environment.
Dust and other allergens build up in your home which can create symptoms like asthmatic symptoms – coughing and wheezing or other symptoms like rashes etc.
Dust mites can be found in fabric like carpet and clothes and other surfaces in the home. These dust mites thrive in higher humidity and live on skin flakes and mould. They can become dehydrated and dormant when it is dry and become active again with increased humidity.
Your Carpet and Allergens
People often think that having carpets increases the amount of allergens in the home. While carpet can have a number allergens in it, the carpets normally holds onto the substances that cause the allergies and seldom do these particles move into the air that you breathe.
In essence, having the carpet act as a filter, removing the particles from the air, makes a space with carpet less likely to activate allergic reactions.
While carpets work well in removing allergens from the air, like all filters, it needs to be cleaned from time to time because it can only hold so many particles .
Regular vacuuming of carpet and even mattresses and upholstery can remove a lot of allergens including dust mite feces. Doing this on a weekly basis or even more often is good to keeps these particles to a minimum.
Carpet Cleaning For Allergy Sufferers
The next thing to do is have your carpets professionally steam cleaned on a regular basis. Frequency of carpet steam cleaning will vary depending on conditions the carpet is under but should be done at least every year especially if there is someone living at the property who suffers from allergies.
In saying this, there are a number circumstances which may require more frequent steam cleaning such as if the area is susceptible to mould growth – steam cleaning is great for retarding mould growth in carpet. Some companies which do carpet dry cleaning only, promote that what they do retards mould growth. This is just an assumption.
Other instances of the carpet needing to be cleaned more regularly than annually are if there is a large amount of foot traffic over the carpet, if there are pets in the home or if the space is often open to an outside space.
It is also worth cleaning other fabrics in the home on a regular basis like upholstery, curtains and blinds as they all collect the same allergens. Curtains can collect particles very quickly from open windows.
Steam cleaning is better than dry carpet cleaning in removing allergens because it is a deep clean and flushes out much more of the undesirable particles. Dry carpet cleaning is a chemical clean leaving a chemical residue which may even aggravate the allergies which you are trying to handle with the cleaning in the first place. You can find more information on the benefits of both dry and steam carpet cleaning by clicking here.
It is also a good idea to keep the dirt from getting onto the carpet in the first place by having doormats for people to wipe their feet on before entering.
For many, it may be surprising that having carpets can be healthier and less prone to aggravate allergic symptoms. Carpet cleaning for allergies if important to do from time to time is important.
Things you can do
In addition to getting professional allergy carpet cleaning done by a company who know what they are doing on a regular basis, there are things you can do yourdelf to minimise the allergies and hayfever in your home.
- Vacuum regularly – Use a good vacuum cleaner that does not just push dust into the air. Use a vacuum that has HEPA filter. Also, if the vacuum cleaner has a powerhead, it will pick up more dust particles than other machines.
- Control the air quality – Controlling airflow into the building can help to keep low allergies. Having doors and windows closed and using a filtered system for air flow. Smaller systems can also be used to purify the air. Just make sure the filters used are kept clean.
- Keep pets clean – Even if you are not allergic to your pets, they can move allergens int your home. Brushing also helps.
- Use mats – Door mats help reduce allergens in your home. This works surprisingly well but the mats have to be kept clean.
