Browse Forums Flooring & Floor Covering 1 May 21, 2009 4:08 pm Hi all, Just wondering if anyone out there has any information on types of carpet and its affect on asthma... I once read that because wool absorbs moisture from the air, it provides an environment more suitable for dustmites and thus nylon carpet was better if there was an asthmatic in the house... Is this a load of bull@#$% or is there some merit in it? Anyone care to comment or provide any links? Cheers, A Re: Asthmatics and Carpet... 3May 21, 2009 4:40 pm There's a pretty informative discussion on carpets and asthma on viewtopic.php?t=1974 PS....Royalblue is/was a professional carpetologist. mmm....donuts Homer Simpson 1956- Links: Site Costs Ready Reckoner | H1 Addiction Medical Advice | Château TDL: The Backyard Re: Asthmatics and Carpet... 4May 22, 2009 4:34 am A message from Ash.... Carpets can be an asthmatics best choice of floorcoverings! It is WRONG to suggest that carpets cause allergic reactions. A properly maintained carpet enhances the indoor air quality. There have been nu,erous studies that have shown this to be so. See.... http://www.ntlfloortrends.com/CDA/Articles/Feature_Article/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000569677 http://www.carpetinstitute.com.au/good_health/index.htm A Swedish study documented how, from 1975 to1992, carpet usage in Sweden decreased by 70%, yet allergy diagnoses increased by 30%. Sweden had (has?) the highest per capita of asthma incidence in the world. This lead to the Swedish government instigating very tough regulations regarding the maintenance of carpet in public buildings (schools, hospitals, public service buildings etc). It had the desired affect, most of the carpet was replaced with hard floor. This lead to two discoveries, hard floor is much more labour intensive in maintenance (and hence more costly), and removal of (most) carpet resulted in asthma sky rocketing even higher. This then lead to extensive research and study on the problem, which in turn lead to the reversal of regulations regarding carpet and it's maintenance in public buildings. See graph. NOTE: If carpets are neglected, they can become unhealthy. This is not because they are carpets, its because of lack of routine maintenance. There is no good reason for asthmatics to not have carpets! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Asthmatics and Carpet... 6May 28, 2009 6:11 pm And to add to Ash's comments, Wool is no better or worse than any other fibre for asthma suffferers. Buy yourself a quality vacuum cleaner fitted with a power head and HEPA filtration, and use it regularly. Get the carpet professionally cleaned at least once per year to reduce the binding agents (fats and oils from sweaty feet and cooking fumes) and your vacuum will remove your skin flakes that the dust mite live on. Hard floors can harbour dust as well but this dust is more likely to become airborne than when it is trapped down low, away form your nose in the carpet, where it can sit harmlessly waiting for you to vacuum it out. easy. cheers Col Nation For information on caring for wool and other carpet and upholstery go to www.woolsafe.com.au Re: Asthmatics and Carpet... 8May 31, 2009 2:09 pm Get a Dyson with the HEPA, mine is fantastic and my daughters asthma is under control. www.themaxbuild.blogspot.com forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=20717&start=300 www.leahspaperpassion.blogspot.com 1 10973 1 15697 they can, it's a fairly standard solution when the slab isn't recessed. the falls need to be in the main floor, if it hasn't been done then you need to ask them to redo… 4 6565 |