​The conventional wisdom among many people that have carpeting in their homes, is that the carpeting is not good for overall indoor air quality.

​The conventional wisdom among many people that do NOT have carpeting in their homes is that the indoor air quality of their home is better because they do not have carpet.

The conventional wisdom in many commercial establishments is that carpeting is not good for indoor air quality.

Are they all correct?

No! They are not. In fact the exact opposite is true. Carpeting, when maintained even at a basic level, contributes to healthy air in your home or place of business.

​This statement is backed up by FACTS. We are going to deal with FACTS in this article because FACTS seem to be a real problem when it comes to people understanding the role that carpets play with indoor air quality.

Why Do Carpets Have A Bad Reputation For Indoor Air Quality?

Well it all started years ago when doctors, and others, started telling their patients, or whoever would listen, that carpets were not good for quality indoor air and contributed to asthma and other breathing problems. This simply, to put it mildly, was not true.

When science got involved the idea that carpets were bad for indoor air quality was quickly put to rest, but some people still believe what they were taught many years ago.

​Let's Take A Look At Why Carpets Contribute To Good Indoor Air Quality

​1. Carpets are the lowest emitter of VOC's (volatile organic compounds) of all major flooring choices. What VOC's that are emitted during installation quickly dissipate and are usually gone within 48 hours, or less.

2. Carpets trap and hold contaminants at floor level. With other flooring surfaces these contaminates are not held in place. They are free to move around the other flooring surface and are often dispersed into the air that you breathe. 

On the other hand, carpet holds those contaminants below ankle level, just waiting for you to vacuum them out. This contributes to better indoor air quality and actually helps sufferers of asthma and other breathing conditions.

But Indoor Air Quality Is Not The Only Area Where Carpets Shine

Besides contributing to good indoor air quality, carpeting has other advantages. Let's take a look at some of them.

1. Wide ​Variety of ​Design ​Choices. Carpets are the most designer-friendly flooring choice you can find. From colors to textures carpeting offers far more choices than any other flooring surface.

2. Reduction of Noise. Carpets are the quietest flooring surface you can find. They reduce noise in your home; whether that is the kids running across the floor, or the dog jumping up and down and running across the floor, or the husband headed to the refrigerator to get a late night snack; carpets reduce noise.

3. Carpets Reduce Slips and Cushion Falls. Let's face it, it is pretty darn hard to slip on carpet! The texture of carpet just does not allow that.

On top of being hard (close to impossible) to slip on carpet; floors with carpeting are safer when someone falls. Think about this: your two year old son or daughter is running across the floor and falls, would you rather he/she fall on a flooring surface with carpet and padding or a hard wood, tile, or linoleum floor that has almost no cushioning affect? It is pretty obvious!

4. Carpet Is Just More Comforting. Nothing against other flooring surfaces, we like them also, but carpeting is just more cozy and comfortable than the other flooring surfaces. It just is.

​And finally, carpets save money!​

​Carpeting is usually less expensive to install and maintain than other flooring surfaces, especially wood floors. If we had a dollar for every time a client told us how much it was going to cost them to have their wood floors refinished, or completely sanded and refinished, we would have enough money to carpet every room in a very large home!

Carpet is not hard to maintain if you just do the basics. And you can find some tips on basic carpet maintenance here.

So, finally, you know the real facts about carpeting and why it is such a great flooring surface and why it sometimes gets a bad rap.

At Linton's Carpet Cleaning we are NOT against the other flooring surfaces. They have their place, no doubt. But don't avoid carpets because of misinformation.

Carpeting has many advantages. Better indoor air quality, better design flexibility, better noise reduction, better slip and fall protection, and low cost of maintenance compared to some of the other flooring surfaces.

If you have any questions about carpeting and how we can help you keep your carpets clean, healthy, and looking great for a long period time please do not hesitate to call us.

You can find more carpet FACTS here.