We want to make this clear from the very beginning: Carpets are good for indoor air quality and overall health - if they are kept clean. In this article we are going to go over some "carpet cleaning for health facts" so you can take the appropriate actions to keep your carpet clean, healthy, and looking great for a long period of time.

What Evil Lurks In Your Carpet?

We realize that subheading sounds a little ominous, but we put it there to get your attention! The plain truth, no matter what any carpet cleaner (or anyone else for that matter) tries to tell you, is that carpets can hold a lot of things you simply do not want in your home. A lot.

So what are these "evil" things (contaminants). Well they can literally be anything, absolutely anything. Whatever you track in from outside gets deposited onto your flooring surface, at least some of it. And it doesn't matter what flooring surface you have.

It could be carpet, real wood floors, laminate, tile and grout, linoleum, or whatever new flooring surface is out there - whatever comes into your home, on your shoes and pets paws, gets left on the floor. And since we are talking about carpets - that EVIL stuff gets left in your carpets. In a bit we will explain why that is actually a good thing. Yes, a good thing.

So think about this: dirt, dust, oil, cat feces, dog feces, parts of dead animals, rotting parts of food shoes have picked up, all sorts of things get left on your floors. This is one reason why a no-shoe-policy is a really good idea.

But There Are Also "Dangers" From Within The Home

It's not only the evil dirt and grime from outside that gets left in your carpets and floors, but many things from inside the home get left in your carpets. Just basic dust (dust mites can be a big problem), urine, food particles dropped onto the floors, oils from skin, you name it - it could be in your carpet or on your floors.

Let's talk for a second about dust mites. They are everywhere and probably already in your home. They are in your bedding, in the carpet, and probably even on YOU right now. At least some.

Dust mites are a major cause of allergic reactions in some people and they need to be dealt with. Carpeting, bedding, and upholstery are GREAT places for these EVIL LITTLE CREATURES. And here is the deal: you cannot see dust mites with the naked eye. But they can sure make you feel miserable if you are allergic to them.

Actually, it is not the dust mite that you are allergic to, it is the dead dust mite. The body parts of the dust mite. The feces of the dust mite. That information probably doesn't make you feel better, but here we deal in FACTS. Getting rid of these dust mites is important or, at least, greatly reducing their population.

So What Do You Do About All Of This EVILNESS (Is that a word?) In Your Carpet?

The first thing you do is hug your carpet. Why? Because carpets actually contribute to good indoor air quality and health - if they are kept clean. Study after study after study shows that clean carpets contribute to good healthy indoor air. How can this be? Well, let's take a look.

Carpets are GREAT filters, the largest in your home. They trap and hold about everything you can imagine. All you have to do is occasionally empty them of their pollutants. And there are two ways to go about emptying and cleaning your carpet filter.

1. Vacuum your carpets on a regular basis! Three to five times a week is a good STARTING point. Vacuuming, with a good vacuum cleaner, removes a lot of dust particles (some of those EVIL dust mites and their body parts) and other contaminants in your carpet. The carpet has trapped and held those particles in one place - they are not floating all over your home in the air like they would be with other flooring surfaces.

So make sure you vacuum regularly. Vacuuming can be fun. Just put on the headphones, play some relaxing music, and vacuum away for about 20 minutes. If you are in a really aggressive mood, play some heavy metal and think about all of the dust mites you are destroying. Good times.

2. Regular professional carpet cleaning goes a long ways to keeping carpets healthy and looking good. Professional carpet cleaning companies in Vancouver, Wa. can go much further in reducing the build-up of pollutants in your carpets (even upholstery and bedding). With their knowledge, cleaning agents, and powerful cleaning equipment a professional carpet cleaner can remove much more soil than a vacuum cleaner.

On top of that, professional carpet cleaners that use HWE (hot water extraction) can clean with temperatures that instantly kill dust mites and help remove oily substances that hold the soil to the fibers. You really should be using a carpet cleaning company that uses HWE. Actually, you should be using us here at Linton's Carpet Cleaning.

EPA Carpet Cleaning Guidelines

According to the EPA, you should have your carpets cleaned MUCH more frequently than most people will ever clean them. Take a look at the chart below, this is from the EPA. Let us be clear about this: We do not agree with the recommendations unless you NEVER EVER vacuum and your are basically throwing parties every night of the week. 

As you can see, if you are living in a normal residence, have some kids and with pets the EPA says you should get your carpets cleaned every 3-6 months. While this certainly would not be the worse thing to do - we think cleaning every three months is probably not needed unless your environment is really dirty. Most people do not live in environments that dirty.

And, remember, there is a reason they call a vacuum cleaner...a vacuum CLEANER. Every time you use your vacuum you are cleaning the carpets to a certain degree - so make sure you vacuum three to five times a week.

But we do recommend cleaning your carpets at least once a year. The benefits are carpets that look better more often, are cleaner and healthier, and carpets that will simply last longer at a high appearance level. Carpeting can take a beating, a real beating. But when maintained right carpet is such a wonderful flooring surface. The benefits of well maintained carpet are worth the extra effort.

Below is a screenshot from the CRI - The Carpet and Rug Institute. These guys and gals know carpet. Their claims are backed up by REAL SCIENTIFIC STUDIES. You can go to their page by clicking the link above or, if you are short on time, just check out the screenshot below by clicking on it.

So there you have it: Cleaning carpets for health is a VERY good idea.