Flooring For Health Conscious Homes
In today’s fast-paced world, creating a healthy and comfortable living environment for ourselves and our loved ones is of utmost importance. When it comes to home design, flooring plays a significant role not only in aesthetics but also in promoting a healthy indoor atmosphere.
Among the popular flooring options, carpet, laminate, and vinyl each offer unique advantages, but which one reigns supreme in terms of health-consciousness? In this blog post, we embark on a journey to explore the health implications of these flooring materials, helping you make an informed decision for your family’s wellbeing.
Last Updated: 20/02/2024
Contents
Carpets: The Comfortable Contender
Carpet is well-known for its luxurious feel and warm ambiance, making it a popular choice for bedrooms and living rooms. When it comes to health considerations, carpet can be beneficial in many aspects. It acts as a natural insulator, helping to retain warmth and reduce energy costs which by themselves make carpet a great choice where possible.
Additionally, carpet can trap allergens, dust, and airborne particles, keeping them from circulating in the air until they are properly vacuumed. While we’re on this topic, when was the last time you changed your vacuum’s filter? Many people have never changed their vacuum cleaner’s filter – instead they see the loss of performance from an air filter as the vacuum cleaner wearing down and they replace it instead. Before splashing out on a new vacuum or even new flooring – if you’re running into issues with allergies, give the filter a swap out instead and see if that improves things.
If your vacuum has a decent filter, then it’ll trap allergens and dust so that they don’t become airborne. Many vacuum cleaners now come with HEPA filters, which stands for High Efficiency Particulate Filter, which removes 99.8% of dust and allergens! HEPA filters should be changed every 6 months, lower standards of filters still commonplace on vacuums today should be changed every 3 months.
Laminate: A Hygienic Harmony
Laminate flooring, with its multi-layered construction and sealed surface, offers a hygienic and low-maintenance option. Unlike carpet, laminate is non-porous and doesn’t trap allergens, making it easier to keep clean and free from dust mites.
This quality can be especially beneficial for individuals with allergies or sensitivities. Additionally, some laminate flooring products are certified with low VOC emissions, contributing to better indoor air quality. VOC stands for Volatile Organic Compounds, and it’s a rating mainly used for things like paints and adhesives, though laminate and vinyl, because of their construction and protective layers can earn the stamp too.
Vinyl: A Healthy Haven
Vinyl flooring has come a long way in terms of design and technology. Modern vinyl floors are often crafted with health-conscious features in mind. Many vinyl products are certified as low VOC and phthalate-free, reducing potential harmful emissions. Furthermore, vinyl’s smooth, non-porous surface makes it easy to clean and maintain, preventing the accumulation of allergens. Its water resistance also makes it a practical option for areas prone to spills or humidity, such as kitchens and bathrooms. Like laminate, a quick wet mop can remove dust and allergens without them floating up into the air where they can be inhaled.
Flooring and Indoor Air Quality
One of the essential factors to consider for a health-conscious home is indoor air quality. Both laminate and vinyl flooring have the advantage of being hypoallergenic, promoting better indoor air quality. A properly cared for carpet can also be good for indoor air quality providing you regularly vacuum because it’ll help trap the dust floating around until you vacuum. Regular cleaning and maintenance are essential for all flooring types to minimize allergens, dust, and pollutants.
Mitigating Allergies and Asthma
For individuals with allergies or asthma, hard-surface flooring like laminate and vinyl are easier to clean and if you use a damp mop specifically, rather than sweeping, allergens and dust will not become airborne. However, carpet’s are also A-okay as long as they’re vacuumed regularly, using a vacuum with a decent filter to prevent the dust and allergens becoming airborne too!
Conclusion
In the quest for a health-conscious flooring material, the key lies in understanding the specific needs and sensitivities of your household. Laminate and vinyl flooring seem to emerge as strong contenders for promoting better indoor air quality and minimizing allergen accumulation but with regular cleaning, a carpet stands tall with them providing there are no regular spills seeping into the base layer and underlay. So for those who prioritize warmth and a plush feel, carpet can still be a suitable option if maintained diligently.
Ultimately, there isn’t really a king of “healthiest flooring choice for your home” here, and it will depend on striking the perfect balance between comfort, aesthetics, and indoor air quality. Each of the flooring options mentioned are fine for tackling allergies and asthma but need to be cleaned differently. With a hard surface then mopping instead of sweeping quite regularly, if not daily is the way to go. For carpets, upgrading your vacuum to one with a better filter (HEPA Filters are the best ones in mainstream vacuums!) or replacing the filter more often might actually be more beneficial, as the carpet will trap dust and allergens such as pollen until you clean it so they wont make their way to the air you breathe.
Whether you choose Carpet, Laminate or Vinyl flooring, you can get your flooring from just £10 per week with Easipay Carpets! We can set you up with a home appointment where a rep local to you will bring all of our samples for you to match up to your existing décor and furniture so you can find something you love. At the home appointment they’ll also measure up the rooms for you and provide you with a free, no obligation quote and help you create an easily budgeted payment plan that lets you split the cost of your flooring over time!
Get in touch with us to schedule your home visit by filling out the form below!
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About The Author
Matt
Matt is a master at gathering relevant information and rolling it into a ball of digestibility. Fuelled by caffeine and metal bands, you'll usually find him in the office either writing blog posts with verification from our most experienced flooring fitters, creating new ad designs, working on our social media and website or finding ways to improve our customer's whole experience with us. Matt is part of the background force that keeps the Pay Weekly side of Easipay Carpets growing.