What are dirty carpets doing to your health?

You vacuum your carpet, spray it with disinfectant every now again and even have your own carpet shampooer; your carpet must be clean, right?

Think again.

Carpets are made up of millions of fibers which are great at hiding dirt, bacteria, and other nasties. Regular cleaning of your carpets is sadly not enough to rid your carpet of these toxins. This, in turn, can do damage to your health. Did you know that your carpet is 4000 times germ-ier than your toilet seat… Yup, 4000 times! It’s time we take a closer look into what dirty carpets are doing to your health.

Weaken Immune System

Our immune system is constantly fighting off toxins to keep us in good health. Whether we are at home, work or out and about we are constantly coming into contact with various different surfaces and germs, causing our immune system to be in overdrive. More often than not, we do not see what our immune system is fighting off so it can be difficult to know how to help.

Living in an unclean environment can be bad for our health for two reasons: 1. It will introduce us to harmful bacteria and other toxins that can make us sick and 2. An unclean house can lead to an ‘unclean mind’, when our stress levels are raised it can also lead to a weakened immune system.

Carpets can be a breeding ground for mycotoxins. Mycotoxins are made up of different types of mould. As we all know, exposure to mould is not good for one’s health and all mould should be dealt with quickly and effectively. Many asthma and allergy sufferers will have their symptoms worsen when exposed to mould.

Babies have developing immunes systems and are frequently in contact with floors, which puts them at a greater risk of getting sick from your carpet. If you have a home with toddlers and small children, frequent vacuuming and professional cleaning are important for keeping your kids healthy.

Pests

Pest like dust mites and fleas love to live in dirty carpets. Every day we shed over a million dead skin cells which are spread across our home and all the places we visit that day. Not only are our carpets full of dead skin cells, but they are also full of food crumbs, bacteria and fungi which makes an ideal breeding ground for dust mites. Dust mites do more than just eat your dead skin cells, they can cause itchy/red skin, sneezing, coughing, itchy throat and irritated eyes. If you have asthma these symptoms could be exacerbated.

If your pet has had fleas, having carpet in your home can make it even harder for you to rid your pet of fleas as their eggs can remain in the carpet and once hatched jump back onto your pets. This can cause a big problem for your pet as fleas can be very hard to get rid of once they have laid eggs in bedding and carpets.

Respiratory Problems

As mentioned previously carpets are a breeding ground for both moulds and dust mites. Both can cause flu-like symptoms and respiratory problems. Mould when inhaled can lead to short- and long-term health problems, especially in the lungs. Dust mites can cause eye and nasal irritation as even in death their carcasses are laying around causing problems for your health.

Dirty carpets can also trigger asthma attacks, as many sufferers are sensitive to airborne toxins. Mould, pet hair, pollen, dust etc… can stay within your carpet’s fibres for days or weeks when not cleaned correctly. Once walked on they can lift from the carpet and become airborne which will, in turn, can cause asthma attacks and even irritation to non-asthma sufferers.

Allergy sufferers pay the price for dirty carpets inside their home and work but so can other so-called ‘healthy’ people. Up to 2,000 dust mites can live in one ounce of carpet dust, they are mostly invisible to the naked eye so you will not be able to tell if they are hiding in your carpet or on your mattress. Not only can these factors damage a healthy adults health but young children who spend most of their time playing on the ground are at a big risk of developing respiratory issues or allergies due to constant exposure to mould, other toxins and pests.

Cheap carpet cleaning products, vacuums and shampooers may not be enough to deal with a pest or mould infestation. Professional carpet cleaners have powerful tools to kill and remove hidden pests and extract any moulds that might be growing deep in your carpets. The experts at Jim’s Carpet Cleaning recommended you get your carpets professionally cleaned every 6 months or whenever you notice you might have a flea or dust mite infestation to keep you and your carpets healthy.

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What are dirty carpets doing to your health?