When The Carpet Becomes A Prime Health Risk In The Household
With carpets, appearances can be deceiving. Sure, you’ll notice the stains – but what is buried deep within the fibres? The carpet’s absorbent nature, from the fibres to the loads of spaces within the material, makes it horde in loads of grime, putting the health of the household members at risk.
First off, did you know the average carpet can hold it 4 times its weight in dirt? It’s basically a humongous air filter, trapping in the particles floating around, and also scrapes off whatever grime is under people’s shoes. Dander, food crumbs, faecal waste be it from dust mites or insects, mounds of dead skin – they all accumulate in the carpet. As people walk on the unit, the dirt gets pushed deeper into the carpet. So much winds up within those lush piles that it ends up outweighing the carpet itself. In fact, by the time the carpet is getting visibly soiled, with its colour becoming dull, there will already be plenty of soiling that is in the unit.
Here’s another interesting stat: 75% of people admit to walking on carpets with dirty shoes. This means tracking in copious amounts of dirt from their outdoor escapades, a majority of which winds up in the carpet. Family members, guests, and even pets all contribute to this. The dirtier the carpet gets the lower the quality of the indoor air. In fact, the indoor air quality can get 8 to 10 times worse than outdoor air, which will certainly affect your comfort. Add this to the carpet absorbing substances like smoke particles for those houses where there is a smoker on the premises, or during fire incidents. This will linger for long, unless a deep carpet cleaning is carried out.
The Grime Your Carpet Holds
The list is long. Food crumbs that drop onto the carpet, beverages that spill on it, dust settling onto the fibres from the airspace, pollen grains blown into the building through the open windows, dead skin shed by the people in the building, the grime that the kids drag in from their games in the outdoors, fur and dander for those with cats and dogs – it accumulates in the carpet, breaking down into finer particles over time. The organic matter rots, and gradually the carpet develops darker tone, producing odours in the process. The longer that the deep carpet cleaning is put off, the worse the situation, dragging the decor of the household down with it.
Mould is an issue as well. Naturally there are mould spores floating around, and some of these latch onto the carpet. When there is moisture in the material for extended periods of time – like when a spill is left unattended to, it gives the mould suitable conditions to grow. Mould is a problem in different ways. or staters, when there is an infestation, there’ll be an increased concentration of spores being released into the indoor airspace, triggering reactions. These range from flu-like symptoms to difficulty in breathing. There are also mould species that release mycotoxins, which can have adverse effects on organs like the liver and the central nervous system.
What of bacteria? A dirty carpet is a breeding ground for the microbes. These range from the germs brought over by insect coming to feed on the food crumbs, to the pathogens breaking down the organic matter in the carpet. Some of the bacteria strains that can be found in carpets are also responsible for a wide range of illnesses and hospitalisations. These notorious ones include salmonella – which can be from faecal residue tracked into the house from outdoor areas by people and pets, campylobacter that thrives in moist carpets and requires very little oxygen to survive, to the infamous E. Coli whose effects range from abdominal pain and diarrhoea, to dehydration and even kidney failure in severe cases. Given that the kids enjoy touching the different surface and materials, then putting their hands into their mouths, they are at a higher risk of ingesting the pathogens.
Some of the pathogens can thrive in the carpet for weeks. These are the likes of the contagious Norovirus, which is a stomach and intestinal virus. It can live in the carpet or around 4 weeks, making the norovirus outbreaks more difficult to bring under control. Deep carpet cleaning through methods like hot water extraction is needed to fight off these pathogens.
Magnet for Critters
The concentration of rotting organic residue in the carpet lures in a wide range of insects, from ants to cockroaches. In some cases, you will have mice being drawn into the home. As they go about scavenging for free meals, they can wreak havoc on your carpet. From chewing through the fabric itself to the large organisms like rodents ripping the material with their claws as they try to pry out the food from the fibres – these actions ruin the carpet, forcing you to spend more money on repairs.
Get In Touch With Us To Give Your Carpet A Quality Clean
Are you looking to hire professional carpet cleaning services? We’re here for you. Our team has been rigorously trained, and comes with the certification and accreditation to prove it. Having had years of experience catering to our residential and commercial clients, you can rest assured that your carpet is in safe hands – just take a look at our reviews and testimonials. We’re proud of what we do, and our clients are our #1 priority, where we strive to deliver quality results each time. Our team will arrive at your premises at the scheduled time, fully equipped and ready to hit the ground running. The appropriate safety measures will be put in place to protect the carpet and the persons on the premises. We’re also insured, with the coverage catering to both your property and our personnel as they carry out the task. Our friendly crew will be sure to bring to your attention any aspect in your premises that is putting the carpet at risk, that way it can be resolved early to avoid costly repairs down the road. Speaking of costs, our prices are budget-friendly and are tailored to suit your particular situation.
When The Carpet Becomes A Prime Health Risk In The Household
