Although installing allergy–friendly flooring is a huge step towards allergy relief, proper care and maintenance of
your new floor is just as important. Help keep allergens out of your living space by meeting airborne and
surface–dwelling critters head–on with a routine cleaning schedule.
Allergy Friendly Floor Care Products
Hard–Surface Flooring:
Bamboo, Concrete, Cork, Hardwood, Laminate, Linoleum, Stone, Tile
When it comes to maintenance, hard–surface flooring gets two thumbs up. In fact, most flooring professionals and
allergy doctors advise allergy–sensitive customers to remove wall–to–wall carpeting and replace it with a
hard surface. Simply put, hard flooring is easier to keep clean because you can actually see the build–up of hair, dust
balls and other matter that's making you sniffle and sneeze. On the other hand, the same things can "hide" in carpeting for
months – or until a guest has a sneezing attack.
It's important to sweep and mop hard surfaces regularly to reduce the presence of allergens. Use non–allergenic
cleaning products recommended by the flooring manufacturer. If you purchased prefinished
hardwood floors, you should be able to find cleaning tips in the flooring manufacturer's guide. If you finished the floor
yourself, seek advice from the manufacturer of the finish.
The cleaner the floor, the less chance you'll have an allergy attack. So, if you're putting in a new floor and allergies
are a concern, you might want to make life easier on yourself and go with hard–surface flooring.
Carpet
Carpet tends to hold airborne allergens into its pile, which helps to keep them from circulating around the room. On the
downside, these allergens can become trapped in the pile. Therefore, if you choose carpet for your home or office, regular
vacuuming is important. Frequent vacuuming and professional steam cleaning helps remove these allergy–aggravating
materials
such as pet dander, skin
flakes, and dust mites before they become trapped.
Get a HEPA Vacuum Cleaner
Choosing the right vacuum is half the battle. The best kinds have integrated High Efficiency Particular Air (HEPA) filters
that are designed to absorb 99.97% of all airborne pollutants. You also want to make sure the vacuum you select has a
tightly–packed filtration system to ensure that allergens don't escape back into the air. HEPA vacuums tend to be more
costly, but the long–term benefits are worth the price.
How to Get Rid of Dust Mites
There are different theories about how to best deal with dust mites in carpets. While benzyl benzoate and borate powders
are recommended in some quarters, in others they are regarded as potentially harmful to humans and/or possible allergens
themselves. If you want to play it safe and get some relief – you'll never get rid of all your dust mites – use a
vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filtration system (see above). And don't forget to throw away the vacuum bags as soon as you're
done – you don't want any of those pesky allergens escaping!
Professional Cleaning
Make sure all professional carpet cleanings are done with steam and not shampoo. While shampoo gets the carpets clean and
leaves them smelling good, it can leave behind residue that aggravates allergy symptoms. To find a certified carpet cleaner
in your area, check out our Find It Locally feature, which is accessible from every page of our website.
