If you or a loved One are Susceptible to Allergies or Asthma, the Health Benefits of Hardwood Floors Can’t Be Beat
As I have spoken of for years in the past, hardwood floors are beautiful, lasting and easy to maintain. Today however, I want to talk about the health benefits of hardwood floors. Once your hardwood flooring has been finished and sealed, it is very inhospitable to pollens, dust mites, mildew, mold and all the other irritants and allergens which can exacerbate bronchial health issues.
Hardwood flooring is also free of the many different chemicals known as volatile organic compounds or VOCs, which can cause all manner of poor health symptoms. VOCs can be responsible for dizziness, headaches, nausea, fatigue, allergic reactions, sinus problems and a host of other uncomfortable or debilitating reactions. Even old, well-worn hardwood flooring remains free of those issues, while only looking more beautiful.
Keeping Your Hardwood Flooring Clean is Simple and Easy
Who else has been told by their parents to make their floor “clean enough to eat off?” Of course they didn’t intend to serve dinner plate-less on the floor, but the standard expected is clear. Fortunately, cleaning a hardwood floor to a truly healthy level is simply a matter of sweeping it thoroughly, then hitting it with a good hot mop with a mild detergent mixed in. There are, in fact, several brands of over-the-counter floor cleaning solutions, designed for hardwood floors, and specifically for homes or buildings where people susceptible to allergens may spend a lot of time. These products increase the health benefits of hardwood floors.
New Carpeting Comes with VOCs Included, No Extra Charge
Most carpets today are made from synthetic materials and chemical compounds, which are one of the leading sources of VOCs in the home. A brand new carpet, installed with padding and adhesives, will constantly be releasing VOCs for as long as a full year. Currently, a direct link between carpeting VOCs and serious health issues in adults has yet to be clearly established. Which is not to say it does not exist, it merely needs to be studied further before any direct pronouncements can be made. People with new carpets often report the symptoms I described earlier however, like headaches and nausea, to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. This says nothing of the problems carpet installers report themselves.
Old Carpets Harbor More Than Just Old Memories
In addition to the “walked” in wear patterns along the high traffic areas, carpets older than eight or ten years also retain a faint remnant of every cough, sneeze, crumb and spill they’ve ever been subject to. Certainly they have been vacuumed and shampooed hundreds of times, but the very nature of their construction and design makes them a perfect home for mold, mildew, pollens, microbes, pet dander, dust mites and a whole host of indoor air pollutants. Which can be a serious problem here in the Reno/Tahoe area, where we keep our windows closed through all of those cold winter months.
If These Health Issues are Important To You…
You might want to consider having your new home or office done in hardwood flooring, or take a look under your existing carpets to see if they are hiding beautiful hardwood floors right under your feet. If you decide that you would like to learn more about the health benefits of hardwood floors, a National Wood Flooring Association member is always your safest bet.
I invite you to give me a call here at Artisan Hardwood Floors right away, while your questions are fresh in your mind. I am always happy to discuss the benefits and advantages which hardwood flooring can bring to any home or office, even concerning health and indoor air quality.
Sorin Giurca