• Myth: If you have allergies, having carpet instead of hardwood flooring can make them worse.

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• FACT: The situation is just the opposite.

Contrary to common perception, carpets actually reduce allergic symptoms in people with allergies. The amount or type of allergens in your home has nothing to do with whether or not you have carpet or hardwood. But the way those allergens get into the air has everything to do with what is on your floor. Hardwood floors allow dust and allergens to move freely from place to place, including back into the air, where they can aggravate your allergies. Carpets, on the other hand, trap those same allergens so that far fewer of them can trigger allergic reactions.

Obviously, regular carpet cleaning is essential to preventing so much build up that the allergens have nowhere to go except back into the air. A sturdy vacuum with an adequate filter is enough to maintain the “allergen trap” properties of your carpet. But keep a schedule, since allergens are not the only things floating around your house. The average human sheds about one and a half million flakes of skin every hour, and most of those end up in your carpets. Add to that pet dander, hair, and the dirt and food crumbs of everyday life, and the amount of unwanted material in your carpets can easily top several pounds every year.

A thorough monthly or even biannual steaming can do wonders for the health and cleanliness of your carpet. For larger, unforeseen problems, such as heavily water damaged carpets, pet stain removal, and mold treatments, you should absolutely rely on professional carpet cleaning companies. Given the general misinformation at large about how hard your carpet works every day to keep your allergies in check, you should do your level best to treat your carpet right. It may be one of the best friends your nose ever had. Find more on this here.