Are You Allergic To Your Floor?

Allergies.....Seems like everyone is allergic to something these days.  Unfortunately, our own floors can harbor some pretty potent allergens.  If your house is making you feel puny, read on....

Throw out that carpet!   Yes, I know.  New flooring is expensive, but so are years of allergy shots and drugs.  The new laminate floors out there have been perfected to the point that you can't tell the better ones from real wood, and they will take almost any amount of abuse without a hint of a scratch.  My Schnauzer loves to peel out, jump and slide on our laminate floor, and it still looks new.  There are also nice ceramic tiles and wood floors - anything hard is better than carpet.  Hard floors can be washed often and don't harbor dust mites.  Plus, they look GREAT!

If you are stuck with carpet, only vacuum once a week, at most.  Vacuuming stirs up all sorts of bad things, including dust mites and, yuck, their droppings.  Avoid putting houseplants on carpets, since plant moisture can cause mildew, which is a serious problem for people with allergies.

If you have hard floors, vacuum them right before wet-mopping to cut down on dust that will be stirred up by the mopping.  Look for a microfiber mop that can be washed in a washing machine.  I have one, and it's terrific.

If your old carpet is getting ready for replacement, please do NOT consider another carpet, especially if you or someone in your family has allergies.  You will be so much happier.