If you experience seasonal allergies in the form of hay fever or even hives, your allergist has probably already told you that it’s important that you rid your home of substances that will set off an attack. This may include anything that retains allergens such as dust, mold, pollen and pet dander. Unfortunately, rugs and carpets are some of the biggest repositories of allergy-causing materials (along with books and papers, knickknacks and clutter).
Since few of us want to live in a home with completely bare floors, the next-best thing to do is ensure that rugs and carpets are cleaned regularly to remove allergens.
How Do I Keep the Allergens at Bay?
The Mayo Clinic has some recommendations for allergy sufferers who have rugs and carpets in their homes. They include:
- Use low-pile instead of high-pile carpeting. Deep carpeting pile collects more allergens.
- Vacuum weekly with a vacuum cleaner that has a small-particle or high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter.
- Shampoo the rugs and carpets regularly.
- Wash area rugs and mats weekly in the washing machine.
- Keep animals out of the bedroom to avoid animal hair and pet dander on carpets.
- Use HEPA-rated air filtration systems throughout your home, and change the filters regularly.
- Remove your shoes at the door and leave them on a mat. This way, you’ll track fewer outdoor allergens into the house.
Choose Hypoallergenic Rugs and Pads
Some people’s allergies are set off by chemicals called “volatile organic compounds,” or VOCs. If you’re one of those people, look for carpeting and padding that contains low levels of VOCs such as formaldehyde and benzene, which can get into the air and make you ill.
If you have mold allergies, choose carpet and rug pads that have been treated to fight microbial growth. Also pay attention to what the rugs are made out of when you purchase them. Nylon is one of the most effective allergy-controlling carpet fibers since it repels some allergens. Wool should be avoided because allergens and mold can thrive in it.
Call a Professional
It’s worth calling a professional carpet cleaning service to regularly come in and deep-clean rugs to remove allergy-causing substances. Professional rug and carpet cleaners like Always Clean have proprietary materials and processes that can remove allergy-causing pollen, mold, pet dander and other triggers from rugs and carpets.
