Natural Rugs Create a Safer Home Environment

There are numerous health warnings within the public health sector on the pros and cons of certain floor coverings and home furnishing items. The guidelines for a healthier and safer home environment, published by the EPA, CDC, and various asthma, allergy, and pulmonary health groups and organizations, including American Lung Association, heavily emphasize improving indoor air quality. All these organizations identify as a key factor in indoor pollution and its adverse health effect on your home, the lack of proper and routine carpet cleaning.

Volatile Organic Compounds Found in Carpets

Synthetic carpets contain Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) that may cause health problems from allergies to nausea, and more complex health issues in people with chemical sensitivities and respiratory illnesses. Virtually all varieties of synthetic carpeting are backed with a latex mix styrene, known to be a human carcinogen. The Carpet and Rug Institute argues the above by saying: “Emissions from new carpets are among the lowest of any household’s indoor furnishings, and most VOCs dissipate within 24 hours, even faster with good ventilation.”

While brand new wall-to-wall carpets can give off gas and pose a health hazard under certain conditions, their proper cleaning and maintenance is literally the elephant in the room. There is only so much one can do to clean any fabric/wool/synthetic fiber that is pinned to the floor. How do you properly remove pet urine that has penetrated to the padding? What about mold and bacteria growth due to dampness and minor water leaks which go unnoticed?

On the contrary, natural area rugs are much easier to specify, inspect, and properly clean. RevitaRUGS can thoroughly inspect and deep clean your rugs, as well as remove pet urine, bacteria, germs, and dust mites. We then quickly dry your area rugs safely and effectively without the use of any harsh chemicals. Area rug cleaning must be done before placement, and afterward for proper hygiene in your home or office space. No fuss, no worries.

Allergens: The Carpet Magnet

Dust

Wall-to-wall carpeting is the first thing allergy and asthma specialists have you rip out of your home. However, opting out of having rugs and going for a bare, hard surface is not wise either. Every time you walk, you kick dust into the air, and even if you vacuum and wet mop every day, you cannot keep up with the dust.

Rugs have obvious decorative benefits, but more importantly, rugs act as air filters, good sound barriers, and their natural wool fiber is good for temperature control and humidity. Wool has the ability to absorb moisture when it’s humid out, and release it when air is dry.

Home furnishing items, such as carpets, rugs, upholstered furniture, and curtains act like air filters. They absorb dust, pollen, pet dander, household cleaning chemicals, bio-aerosols, and feces from dust mites. They can trigger allergies, cause respiratory illnesses and exasperate asthma, skin irritations, and, in some cases, cause serious health hazards. Natural area rugs do their job as an air filter, but they must be cleaned properly, and routinely; the same way you replace or clean any air filter. A dirty filter in this case, is not only bad hygiene; it can be hazardous to the health of your household.

Dust Mites

Dust mites are not parasites; they do not bite, sting or burrow into our bodies. The harmful allergen they create comes from their fecal pellets and body fragments. Dust mites are nearly everywhere; roughly four out of five homes in the United States have detectable levels of dust mite allergen in at least one bed, and they like to eat dead skin from pets and humans. You probably shed enough skin a day to feed a million dust mites. Dust mites produce up to 200 times their body weight in waste each day. Almost 95% will survive and remain even after regular vacuuming or cleaning.

Pollen

Pollen may aggravate allergies more in springtime; however, fall and winter months are a particular problem for dust mite infestations because we close up our houses. Their multiplication reaches a peak in warm and humid weather.

Pet Hair and Secretions

Pet saliva, urine and other secretions contain proteins that are potential allergens, while pet hair often traps dust, fleas and pollen that lands in rugs and carpeting when the animal sheds.

Mold

Mold is another common cause of indoor allergies. High humidity, pet urine that was not properly cleaned, potted plants building condensation on rugs, spills that not cleaned up, and leaky ceilings can all contribute to mold growth. Steam cleaning your carpet and rugs can promote the spread of mold and mildew. Mold can develop when carpeting or rugs are not dried. Whenever the source of the mold is disturbed, the spores disperse throughout the air.

Bacteria from Shoes

Shoes traipse bacteria, germs, and pesticides into your living spaces every day. They join the party that the dust mites and dander already have under way. It should not be a surprise that a recent scientific test recorded several bacteria,

including E-coli, at the bottom of shoes. TAKE THOSE SHOES OFF.

Are Brand New Rugs Clean?

Area rugs are cleaned for various reasons after being taken off the loom. Depending upon the country of origin, exporter, and the facilities, a variety of methods are used to clean them. There are no standardized methods, similar to the unregulated rug cleaning industry in United States. The cleaning agents may use petroleum chemicals and other solutions.

This link from rugcarespecialists.org is a detailed report on the washing of area rugs in various rug-weaving countries. A highly regarded expert in this field provides a clear understanding of the process.

The Rug Test for Chemical Smells

A certain number of imported rugs give off gas with a bad chemical smell. People with chemical sensitivities will suffer because of this, and it will adversely affect indoor air quality.

RevitaRUGS discovered a number of these rugs had carbonated soda added to absorb the smell. However, the amount of residue left in the rugs was well beyond an acceptable level by any sound medical advice. In two cases, we collected nearly two pounds from average-size rugs. We sent the powder to FAI Material Handling Labs in Atlanta, where the test results showed carbonated soda.

Even the best-washed rugs go through man handling at several stages of transport. They are not vacuum-sealed, so it is reasonable that they will collect dust, dirt and bacteria during their several weeks aboard an ocean freighter, in ports or warehouses, and distribution centers along the way to their ultimate destination: a retailer’s location. Once you see it in the showroom, many hands moved it around.

Just because it appears unused and new, it does not mean the rug is dust-, dirt-, pollen- and bacteria-free.

Properly clean your rug before you take it home, as it will be a year or two before you think about cleaning it again.

Questions to consider for rug cleaning:

– Do you know where your rug has been?
– What is in your rug?
– Did you put your nose to it and smell any chemicals?
– Are you sure, the rug is not giving off gas?
– Is it worth the risk?

The best solutions for home health and proper hygiene are a) cleaning your area rugs before use, and b) doing an annual routine cleaning after placement. Steam cleaning, topical cleaning, dry cleaning, and any type of harsh chemical cleaning is not only an improper method for cleaning area rugs, but can be hazardous to your health. The naked eye cannot see all the germs and bacteria, which is what we see under a laboratory-grade, digital microscope. We also see the filthy water rinsing out of your rugs after our wash process.