Canadian physicians have diagnosed 8.4 percent of Canadian adults, and 13.4 percent of our children as asthmatic. Those numbers are shocking! 2.3 million people in this country suffer from an affliction that restricts their breathing, and impedes their general health.
After researching the relevance of having household carpets, and those suffering with asthma, scientists have come up with conflicting reports as to whether a carpeted floor will help or hurt those with symptoms, but the overwhelming majority of those reports all concluded that regular and professional steam cleaning would drastically improve the quality of life for victims of asthma.
Not All Carpets Are Built The Same
Natural fibers like wool might be renowned for their softness and aesthetic quality, but they tend to harbour more microbes and allergens than synthetic fibers like nylon. Long, loosely woven carpet fibers (such as those found in shag) will also tend to hold more allergens. Although the general recommendation for homeowners is to have their carpets cleaned every 6 months, those with a shag wool carpet may wish to increase that rate in order to keep their home healthy and free of the dust, and dander that naturally build up over time.
Other Effective Methods Of Improving The Air
Vacuuming the home regularly with a vacuum that uses a HEPA filter, or a centralized system that exhausts to the outside world, will always improve the air quality in the home.
Dust mites are also known to grow faster in a relative humidity of 55% or higher. Keeping the relative humidity of the home lower will help to slow their growth very effectively. This is especially effective in the wintertime.
Try to limit the amount of dust and dirt that you bring into the home by using a washable door mat, and removing your shoes after entering the home.
Steam Cleaning Using Low VOC Products
If you are regularly using steam cleaning to improve the air quality of your home, ensure that a low VOC solution is being used. VOC stands for Volatile Organic Compound. These VOCs can be very aggravating to victims of asthma. At Aquamist we make sure that all of our steam cleaning solutions are nature friendly and low in VOC’s. The health of our customers is important to us!