Carpet is, and has been, one of the most common flooring options out there. It feels soft, reduces noise and helps insulate rooms. And of course, along with its popularity and great advantages, there are also false myths floating around about it. But don’t worry, we’re here with the facts to help clear all this up.
Myth 1: Carpet Aggravates Allergies
There’s a reason this myth is number one on our list—the exact opposite of it is true. Carpet in fact helps you breathe easier. It acts as an allergen trap and holds significant quantities of dirt, dust and other substances, so they don’t float around in the air. Carpet holds onto all of this debris until you’re ready to remove it with regular vacuuming. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) recommends that people with asthma or allergies use a vacuum with a HEPA air filter. This type of air filter will trap even the smallest particles and allergens that other vacuum cleaners usually just pass through.
Myth 2: Carpet is Hard to Maintain
Carpet isn’t any more difficult to maintain than any other flooring option. The best maintenance routine consists of regular weekly vacuuming and a professional cleaning every year. Of couse, this can vary based on the amount of foot traffic, but regular vacuuming will keep dirt and other particles from getting stuck in the fibers and matting down the carpet.
The big area of concern a lot of times is in spot cleaning. With carpet, you do have the potential for stains, but there are several ways to help avoid them. The best way to avoid a stain is to clean any spill thoroughly and immediately. The less time that liquid sits on the carpet, the less likely it will stain. Also, choosing a carpet that’s not white and that has several different colors in it will help to hide any potential stains.
There are also several different stain resistant carpet fibers to choose from that are very helpful if you have kids and/or pets.
Myth 3: Carpet is Outdated and Boring
Carpets come in a wide variety of patterns ranging from traditional designs to exotic animal prints, and in stylish, bold colors and other top trends. Many people use a mix of carpet, hardwood and tile in their homes to create an incredible, beautiful effect.
Myth 4: Carpet is Bad for the Environment
In recent years, there’s been a large push towards greener flooring options, and the carpet industry has become a big part of this movement. Synthetic carpet materials, which dominate the industry, are often reused and recycled into the new carpet fibers at the end of their life. Many of the carpet lines from major carpet brands are made from recycled materials. There are also other, greener options made from natural materials, like wool.
Myth 5: Carpet Emits Harmful Chemicals That Can Cause Health Problems
There’s a lot of talk about VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) in the flooring world. Many people claim that the new carpet smell is actually just harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde being leaked into the air. Formaldehyde isn’t even used in the carpet manufacturing process today, and hasn’t been since 1978. Even before then, a small amount of it was used as a resin hardener, but even if you have pre-1978 carpet in your home, whatever might have been left of the chemical would have dissipated a long time ago.
The truth is that carpet is actually one of the lowest emitters of VOCs in the household environment, ranking lower than wall paint in multiple tests.