Indoor air pollution is a big problem and if you don’t take steps to tackle it, you could do some serious long-term damage to your health. There are a lot of pollutants in your home that come from cooking or cleaning products. Pollutants from outside can also leak into your home. There are a lot of factors that affect the air quality in your home but flooring is something that people often overlook. The type of flooring material in your home has a big role to play in the air quality and it’s something that you should seriously consider when designing and renovating your property. Here’s how different flooring types affect the air quality in your home.
Carpets
Carpets are the worst flooring type for managing indoor air quality. When you walk around your home, dust and pollutants from your shoes get stuck in the fibers. Any chemicals and pollutants from cleaning products or cooking also get absorbed. These pollutants are then released into your home gradually, so you are constantly breathing them in. Consistent household cleaning can help you manage this problem and improve your overall health, but you should always be aware that carpets do pose a risk where air quality is concerned.
Hardwood Flooring
If you are worried about air quality, hardwood flooring is the best option to go for. It won’t hold any pollutants like carpets do and they’re much easier to keep clean. The wooden flooring installation is quick and easy and it’s very durable, so it will last you for years to come. In some cases, chemicals may be used to finish the flooring but these will dissipate very quickly and will not affect air quality for more than a day or two as long as you ventilate the home well while the floors are being put in. If you are looking for a great low-maintenance option that makes it easy to stay on top of air pollution, wooden floors are ideal.
Vinyl Flooring
Vinyl flooring is a very popular choice because it’s relatively cheap, incredibly hard wearing, and it comes in a lot of styles. While it might not look as good as hardwood flooring or carpets, it’s an easy option for a lot of people. However, you have to consider the potential air quality problems when having vinyl flooring installed. Often, harsh solvents are used to fix the flooring and these will give off gases over time, so it has a big impact on the air quality in your home. The installation methods vary and these solvents will not always be used, so it’s important to check before you go ahead. Proper ventilation is crucial during the installation process to make sure that gases are removed from the house and they don’t get absorbed by soft furnishings around the home.
Overall, if you are very concerned about air quality in your home and you want to reduce pollutants, hardwood flooring is your best choice. However, regardless of the flooring choices, you need to make sure you keep up with regular cleaning if you want to tackle pollutants.
