1. The Norwalk virus or Norovirus (the virus that causes the stomach flu) can survive on an uncleaned carpet for a month or more.
2. Microbiologists have identified air blown from a running vacuum cleaner as one of the five places in the home that has the highest numbers of germs. Other places include dish sponges, washing machines, bathroom toilets during a flush, and kitchen trash cans.
3. The five-second rule is a myth: bacteria can live after four weeks on carpet. And, thanks to “microbial adhesion,” germs such as the following are immediately transferred to food: Salmonella typhimurium, Campylobacter, and Salmonella enteritis, a nasty bacterium that causes horrible diarrhea and vomiting.
4. Bed bugs can live in carpet fibers and wooden floorboards. For their size, they are extremely fast and can crawl more than 100 feet to obtain a blood meal, usually at night from people who are sleeping. Engorgement takes about three to 10 minutes yet people rarely realize they are being bitten.
5. A person sheds about 1.5 million skin flakes an hour, most of which becomes embedded in our carpets.
6. When properly cleaned and maintained, carpeting will improve the quality of air through trapping allergy-inducing dust and allergens. Most people, however, do not clean their carpets correctly, which can actually exacerbate allergies.
7. All carpet should be professionally cleaned a minimum of every 12 to 18 months.
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