QC Newsletter January 2018 - Vacuuming for your health

Vacuuming for your health

Reducing vacuum frequencies hurts a carpet’s life and appearance but these cuts can also adversely impact indoor air quality. Most people are aware that outdoor air pollution can damage their health, but they may not know that indoor air quality can have a similar effect. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) studies of human exposure to air pollutants indicate that indoor air levels of many pollutants may be five times higher than outdoor levels.According to the American Lung Association, indoor air quality can cause or contribute to the development of chronic lung diseases such as asthma. It is estimated 40 million individuals in the United States are affected by allergies. Allergies weaken the immune system, draining a person’s energy and leaving them more susceptible to infectious diseases caused by viruses and bacteria. Allergic reactions can range from mildly uncomfortable to life threatening, as in a severe asthma attack. The estimated number of people with asthma has risen more than 59 percent since 1970. The number of asthma-related deaths has also increased.The largest source of indoor air pollution is from the common dust mite.Asthmatics are not allergic to living mites but to the airborne feces of mites and, to a much lesser extent, to the dead mites. Living mites are difficult to remove from carpet but their feces are readily removed from carpets by proper cleaning. When a carpet is regularly cleaned, it will not and cannot contain enough allergen to affect people. The proper maintenance of carpet completely prevents trouble from that source.A recent study concludes that carpets may benefit indoor air quality by acting as a filter for indoor air, trapping and holding dust mites, pollutants, and allergens such as pollen, pet dander and molds, which play an important role in allergic diseases. The key to maintaining good indoor air quality is to clean this filter regularly, i.e., remove these pollutants through vacuuming.The science shows regular vacuuming is important and necessary, not just to protect and maintain carpets appearance, but for hygienic reasons, as well.