Checklist For Healthy Floors

You walk on it, your kids play on it and your dog even sleeps on it. Your family has a lot more interaction with your home’s flooring than you might think. In the grand scheme of things in your home, your flooring might not get much attention, but it can have a major impact on your health. In fact, choosing the right type of flooring and keeping it properly cleaned can dramatically reduce some common respiratory ailments while also contributing to a much healthier home.

Types of Flooring:

Wall-to-Wall Carpeting, Hardwood Floors, Engineered Hardwood Floors, Laminate, Stone, Tile, Vinyl, Linoleum, Cork, Bamboo.

Checklist For Healthy Floors

When the time comes to remove flooring for any reason, you must be extremely careful. Old flooring could have been manufactured with materials that are now know safety hazards. Old vinyl floor tiles could contain asbestos, which was commonly used to strengthen the flooring many years ago. Old painted wooden floors might contain lead from lead-based paint that was used several decades ago. Carpet padding made before 2005 could have been manufactured with polyurethane foam that was treated with PBDEs, a toxic chemical fire retardant. Not only do you need to worry about the materials that were once allowed to be used in the manufacturing of the flooring, but you also need to be aware of what might have built up underneath the flooring ever since, such as mold and layers of dust.

• Consider your family’s health needs when purchasing new flooring. Certain floors are beneficial for people with allergies or other special needs. Because flooring is in every room of the house, it is vital to consider how it will affect a person’s health and choose options that fit your needs.

• If you have had new flooring installed in the past two years, especially vinyl or laminate options, make sure you have proper ventilation throughout your home. You can reduce your exposure to off-gassing chemical coming from new flooring materials or adhesives by increasing ventilation throughout your home.

• Clean rugs routinely. To reduce the amount od dust, allergens and chemical buildup that occurs in carpet fibers, it is important to clean them regularly.

• Ensure that rugs have nonslip surfaces underneath. Rugs that easily move underfoot are a safety risk.

• Do not stress over flooring that has been in your home for more than two or three years unless you are experiencing health problems. Chances are, older flooring has released a majority of the pollutants that it contained when installed.

For health and safety reasons for your entire family, it is often best to hire a professional who is certified to properly remove the type of flooring that you have and deal with any health hazards if they arise, such as lead or asbestos removal. And only you can decide what type of flooring is appropriate for your family and your home!

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