Germs, Viruses, and Keeping Carpets Clean for a Healthier Home
Cleaning and disinfecting as part of spring cleaning is on steroids at the moment, with the entire country facing down a worldwide pandemic. The Coronavirus will pass but dealing with dirty carpets won’t. There are special challenges to getting dirty carpets as clean as we may want them to be. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), only hard surfaces can be “disinfected” in the pure sense of the word. Read on to see how to deal with bacteria and viruses in carpeting and just how clean we can get our carpets for the sake of health.
Do Viruses and Bacteria Thrive in Carpeting?
We can’t use anti-bacterial cleaners on our carpets as we do on cabinets and other hard surfaces. That’s not good news based on the following recent research finding:
- Every square inch of carpet in the average home harbors approximately 200,000 bacteria.
Are the Bacteria in Carpeting Health Hazards?
Unfortunately, several types of bacteria commonly found in carpet are particularly dangerous to us and our families. Examples include:
- Staph
- Norwalk virus
- Salmonella
- E. coli
The Norwalk virus causes severe flu-like symptoms, and it can survive on carpet for more than a month. Salmonella lasts just as long on carpeting, and it’s a disease that affects the intestinal tract.
Are Carpets Bad for Our Health in Other Ways?
Carpets act as filters that trap pollutants such as dust mites, pet dander, mold spores, dirt, dust, pesticides, and cockroach allergens. If carpets aren’t cleaned regularly, they can cause respiratory problems such as difficulty breathing. Asthma can be worsened, as well, by dirty carpets. If you have pets, there is a greater risk of toxic particles in carpeting.
Routine Carpet Cleaning
Vacuuming of carpets a few times per week, if not daily, is recommended. Cleaning with a HEPA filter or high-filtration filter helps to remove more substances, including dirt and dust mite allergens that have settled deep into carpets. Steam cleaning is recommended as needed or every three months, and professional steam cleaning or hot water extraction cleaning should be scheduled with a trusted carpet cleaning company. Steam cleaning is considered a better alternative than cleaning with a low-quality detergent because the detergent can leave behind a sticky residue that tends to attract dirt. High-quality detergent, however, is fine.
One of the Best Ways to Disinfect Carpeting
If you have a warranty on your carpet, it’s important to note that using a product that disinfects or sanitizes the carpet could void the warranty. Dry vapor steam cleaners don’t use chemicals, but they are very effective using super-heated low-moisture steam to clean carpets and upholstery. This method of cleaning is approved for sanitizing, disinfecting, and cleaning carpets.
Does Professional Carpet Cleaning Make a Difference?
Bacteria that thrive in carpeting feed on such things as food particles, pollen, and dead skin cells. Regular vacuuming on a frequent basis is very helpful for removing dirt and debris from carpet, but only professional-strength machinery and cleaning processes can make carpets safer for your family.
Contact E & B Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning
There’s no need to switch to hard floors just because carpeting is more difficult to clean than hard surfaces. The two best things you can probably do to keep carpets from being health hazards are to have everyone remove their shoes when entering the home and contact E & B Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning for carpet disinfecting services. You do your best to keep viruses and bacteria off of your carpet and we’ll do the rest. Contact us today for a free estimate on carpet cleaning for your home.
