What makes for a clean and sanitary household or office space? Many people diligently wipe down door knobs and handles to control the spread of germs, and changing the trash is one thing. But carpet cleaning services can go a long way toward not only the carpet cleaning itself, but also improving the air quality itself. The same is true of rugs, and even drapes and similar upholstery found in a home or office space. There are more health hazards to dirty carpets and rugs than many people realize, and too many offices or homes today are suffering poor air quality as a result. So, when is it time to hire a maid service to clean the rugs and other flooring at home or in the office? And how can air quality harm a person’s health if they are constantly breathing in bad air like this?
Carpeting and Health
More than a few studies have been done to measure the effect that bad air quality has on a person, especially people who are breathing dirty air for hours at a time in the office or at home. What do the results show? Some studies say that constant exposure to VOCs (volatile organic compounds) will set off allergies and asthma quite often, and many children and babies might develop respiratory issues if they are exposed to VOCs and dirty air long enough. What is more, constantly breathing in air that is dirty due to filthy carpets or air ducts will harm a person’s cognitive functions, such as at the office. Another study had multiple people working at an office that had very clean air, and after a few weeks, those people scored 101% better on cognitive function tests than those who regularly breathe dirty air. Similarly, many travelers say that they will choose one hotel room over another based on the presence of hypoallergenic flooring, drapes, and the like.
A carpet can soak up a lot more dirt and grime than many people realize, and a square meter of such flooring may absorb a few pounds of particles and dirt and start emitting VOCs. This is why construction workers and contractors put down papers and sheets to protect flooring fibers from dirt, but homeowners don’t do that. A carpet can soak up dirt from outside, dust, skin flakes, crumbs of food, hairs, bacteria, and more, and worse yet, much of this filth isn’t even visible. A carpet does not have to look dirty to be dirty, and this means that many Americans are breathing bad air from dirty carpets that look deceptively clean. The same may be true of rugs, too, and drapes or other large fabric surfaces in the home. Fortunately, it is never too late to buy a new vacuum or a carpet cleaning machine, or hire maid services who will handle this work on the client’s behalf.
Cleaning Those Floors
Many Americans diligently vacuum and sweep their floors, which is certainly a good thing, but that can only accomplish so much. Vacuums only go so deep into the carpet’s fibers, removing larger debris such as crumbs and hairs and the like. Once a floor has been thoroughly vacuumed a few times, it is now time for deeper cleaning with shampoo and water. A homeowner can set up a regular schedule for this, such as once every month or two. The homeowner may then buy a carpet cleaning machine, and once ready, use it all over their floor to thoroughly scrub it clean of grime that a vacuum cleaner cannot remove. This will take some time, but a homeowner may be amazed by how dark the water becomes from the removed dirt. Doing this not only makes the carpeting look and smell much nicer, but it also lowers the VOC emission rate, which improves air quality.
In the case of a business owner, or a busy homeowner who has little time for this, professional maid services are a fine option. Maids may visit on a schedule and perform all of this cleaning work and more, and often, they are scheduled to work at a time when no one else is around, such as at night or early morning, or when the homeowner is away on a vacation or business trip.