If you suffer from allergies then you know how difficult it can be to get comfortable even in their own home sometimes because a number of things can aggravate your symptoms. Floor coverings, in particular, can play a big part in reducing allergy triggers, if you have the right type of flooring. Unlike carpets, which are bad news for allergy sufferers, wooden flooring can help alleviate bothersome symptoms, like watering eyes or an itchy nose, by reducing the number of allergens and irritants the floor gathers.
How Carpets Can Aggravate Allergies
Different types of flooring will affect allergy sufferers in different ways, with carpets being the worst offenders for exacerbating allergies. Even with the most diligent maintenance, daily vacuuming simply can’t stand up to the task of removing dust and allergens faster than they accumulate. Carpet fibres are the ideal environment for trapping, dust, dander, and pollen, making it difficult to minimise allergens in your home. In the case of plush carpets with densely packed fibres, your vacuum cleaner might not even be able to reach the dust mites.
It’s not just dust mites that can become trapped in carpet fibres. Any pet owner will know the constant struggle of trying to keep rugs and carpets free of pet fur. Even if you don’t suffer from pet allergies, this trapped fur can easily present a problem if you have toddlers or small children that will be crawling and playing on the floor.
Benefits of Having Wooden Flooring
Hardwood floors are the perfect choice for allergy sufferers. Although allergens like dust, dander, and pollen will still settle on wooden floors, they cannot become embedded the same way that they would in carpet fibres. Because wooden floors are a hard even surface, it’s far easier to remove allergens, preventing them from building up in your living space. Wooden floors also offer a number of additional benefits including longevity, low maintenance, and aesthetic value.
According to scientific studies, hardwood floors have minimal contamination from the usual suspects that worsen indoor air quality – dust, mould, and animal dander. Although they aren’t suited for bathrooms because of damp issues, hardwood floors are also well-known for how easy they are to keep clean with a simple hoover and a weekly damn mop.
If you suffer from asthma or a dust mite allergy, GPs will often recommend that you remove rugs and carpeting from you home and instead keep your floors bare, especially in the bedroom.
Of course, a wooden floor alone won’t help to keep your home free of allergens; the key is to have a well maintained wooden floor. A floor that’s fallen into disrepair, or has gaps and cracks, will be teeming with dust and dirt. To combat this, make sure that if you’ve had your hardwood floors for a number of years, you get them resanded and refinished to keep them in good shape. Unlike other flooring options that will benefit allergy sufferers, wooden flooring has the advantage of longevity. Rather than replacing it every few years once it begins to look worn out, a simple refinishing will bring it back to life.
