Hardwood floors not only add value, beauty and warmth to your home, they are also better for your health than other floors
Testing by leading allergists finds that wood flooring provides homes with a substantially healthier environment than homes with other types of flooring. The National Wood Flooring Association in Chesterfield, Mo., believes hardwood flooring is especially beneficial for individuals with asthma and other respiratory problems.
“Bacteria, dust and dirt do not become embedded in wood flooring as they do in carpeting,” explains Dr. Clifford W. Bassett, a prominent allergist in New York City. “Hardwood floors trap far less pollen, mites and mold than many flooring alternatives, and they do not harbor animal dander.”
Indoor-air quality is one of the country’s top health threats, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). An estimated 60-70 million Americans are affected by house dust, which causes itchy eyes, sneezing, rashes, breathing difficulty and sinus trouble because of trapped pollens and molds in carpets, upholstery and curtains. Not even frequent vacuuming will eliminate those microscopic troublemakers.
Hardwood floors can be cleaned more thoroughly than carpeting, and they have a very durable surface that is easy to maintain.
When properly cared for, hardwood floors are extremely resistant to mildew and other types of problems associated with carpeting. Simple, regular maintenance such as dust mopping, sweeping and vacuuming can help keep wood floors allergen free. Many families have found that their health improves with the removal of carpeting, offers Paul Sylvia, manager of the Lumber Liquidators store in Hartford, Conn.
He has seen instances in which a family decides to put wood flooring in one part of their home, and later decide to use wood in other rooms because of the health benefits they experience.
“Approximately a third of our customers state that they want to put in wood floors because of a health concern,” notes Sylvia.
The EPA study found that the hard surface of wood floors also helps people avoid artificial substances such as pesticides that can accumulate on other floor coverings. According to the study, pesticides used in gardens and homes accumulate on floors and other surfaces in the home, but wood floors greatly reduce the accumulation of such toxins. Another concern for the home environment is the release of toxins from some synthetic materials on new carpets, vinyl flooring and linoleum. These toxins can make some people very ill.
So whether you suffer from asthma or other respiratory problems, or you simply prefer to know that you are breathing cleaner air, hardwood floors are a smart and healthy choice.
