Carpet for Cleaner Air
Carpet's Role in Indoor Air Quality

Contact: CRI Communications Department, 706.428.2103

November 21, 2002 (DALTON, Ga.) -- Allergens associated with dust mites, fungi and mold inside our homes, schools and workplace are receiving considerable media coverage these days. Unfortunately, a lot of "bad" information is making its way into the coverage. It is important to weed through the myths and untruths and grasp hold of the real facts.

Today, more than ever, people are "inside creatures.'' As a result, people are breathing higher levels of airborne particles.

It is well known that a wide variety of allergens enter homes and buildings. These are brought inside on shoes, clothes, pets, and the outside air. For example, we would expect to find from a few dozen to several hundred mold spores per cubic meter of air indoors. It should not be surprising then that we find mold spores and various allergens in dust on furnishings and flooring.

However, dust mites are known to live in carpet only where environmental conditions permit. The mites also thrive in far greater numbers in two other major indoor microenvironments, bedding and upholstered furniture. Both provide the necessary environmental factors mites require - human skin flakes for food, and moisture that is provided by the body.

When determining the relative risks posed by dust mite allergen, fungal spores and other biological materials that may be present in carpet, airborne exposure is the prime consideration. Medical experts agree that airborne particles such as dirt and dust frequently trigger asthma and other breathing problems. Asthma is believed to be the single most reason children miss school. It is the most chronic of the childhood diseases, and affects nearly five million children and adolescents.

An extensive body of scientific data has not demonstrated that carpet contributes significantly to airborne contaminants. In fact, in response to some individuals who worried that their carpet might be the cause of allergic reactions, comparison data from a 10-year study in Sweden by scientists at the Swedish Institute of Fibre and Polymer Research, found that there is no link between carpet usage and the incidence of asthma or allergies. What they did find was that even though carpet usage had steadily decreased since 1975, the occurrences of allergic reactions in the general population had increased.

One plausible explanation for this has been the observation that mite allergen and spores are relatively difficult to make airborne from carpet. This is consistent with the assertion that carpet traps these materials without significant re-suspension into the breathing zone. Therefore, given potentially low exposures to mite allergen from carpet, risk would also be very small.

There are those who would want you to believe this is a bad thing, trapping the allergens in a carpet, but, in fact, we believe it is a good thing. Your carpet actually acts as filter. What goes into carpet stays in it until it is vacuumed out and removed from the indoor environment completely.

It is important to recognize that growth of fungi and other microorganisms cannot occur in carpet or on any other surface without a nutrient source and water. Moisture is essential to microbial growth; however, carpet components are not a source of nutrient for microorganism growth. Recent studies clearly show that even reasonably clean carpet does not support the growth of fungi, even when damp for several weeks. The studies also indicate that significant amounts of soil, in addition to the critical supply of moisture, are necessary to provide the food for fungal growth. The simple principle of keeping materials "clean and dry" applies to all products and surfaces, including carpet, in the home, in order to control microbial growth.

You should vacuum carpet and rugs at least once a week - twice a week in bedrooms and high-traffic areas. Use a well-functioning vacuum cleaner that has adjustable brushes, and bears the Carpet and Rug Institute's Vacuum Cleaner Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Testing Program green label. These are vacuum cleaners that have been tested for and meet strict standards for removing soil and containing the dust within the bag and the vacuum cleaner. Vacuum cleaners may produce dramatically different cleaning results and impact on the indoor environment. The Green Label program endorses only vacuum cleaners that perform each of the following three tasks well: soil removal, dust containment (without putting the dust back into the air) and carpet appearance retention.

Carpet is the only floor covering in your home that is tested for Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Not only is carpet one of the lowest emitter of VOCs of all floor covering choices, but there are fewer chemicals required to maintain carpet versus other floor coverings, further reducing VOCs. Carpet contains no formaldehyde and has not in over 20 years now.

Properly maintained carpet has no adverse effect on air quality, so breathe a lot easier - assuming, of course, the floors are carpeted.