Fine Dust indoors

For those allergy sufferers, particulates and endotoxins in the air are not only a nuisance as they can trigger asthma attacks, but can also cause other diseases. Studies prove that the use of textile flooring can reduce the amount of fine dust particles in the air and therefore significantly reduce the risk of breathing related health issues.

Fine dust in Indoor Air

The use of a carpet significantly reduces the risk of fine dust pollution indoors. Unlike smooth flooring such as parquet, laminate, wood or ceramic tiles which have no dust-binding capacity and the dust is whirled through the air, carpets prevent this by trapping the dust in the surface pile. Therefore, the dust cannot get into the indoor air and consequently cannot be inhaled.  Generally, the concentration of fine dust in an interior with hard flooring is twice as high as in an interior with a carpeted floor.

Indoor fine dust concentration

The average concentration of fine dust particles in rooms with hard flooring is generally twice that of a carpeted room.

This means that the limit value for fine dust particles often exceeds the value which is regularly used to measure particles outside in Germany of 50 μg/m3. Therefore for people who are susceptible to allergies and who have a weakened bronchial system, choosing to use carpet, which ‘captures’ the dust and does not release it into the air, is an important precautionary measure. To ensure that any accumulated fine dust and other particles are removed from the carpet, thorough and regular vacuuming is recommended.

The fine dust concentration in an interior with hard flooring is twice as high as in an interior with carpet

Facts about house dust mites

Carpet is a far from ideal habitat for dust mites as they need food, moisture and warmth to survive. Therefore, they are far more likely to be found in beds and upholstered furniture which provide the right levels of humidity, warmth and low light levels for populations to thrive. In fact, the occurrence of house dust mite allergens in mattresses is 1.5x higher than the number in the dust in bedroom carpets. 

The house dust mite itself is not the problem for asthma sufferers, instead it is the allergen which is in their faecal matter which is inhaled with the air which causes asthma. As heat and moisture do not occur in carpet, dust mites are unable to survive as they cannot reproduce in this environment. However, as dust mites and allergens can travel in the air, good ventilation which controls humidity, in critical areas such as bedrooms, ensures that the dust mite population is kept in check.  Regular vacuuming of the carpet also removes any remaining allergen particles.

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Dust mites are almost never found in offices

Dust mites are almost never found in offices, and in a study comparing carpets from twenty seven randomly selected offices with 30 bedroom carpets, the level of house dust mite allergen was found to be 0.32 μg/g compared to 18.4 μg/g in the bedrooms. Therefore the conclusion is that working in a carpeted office does not pose an increased risk to allergy sufferers.

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