How Dirty Carpets Can Affect Your Allergies During Allergy Season

Is your carpet making you feel sick? The cause of your sneezing, itching, coughing, and shortness of breath might be literally right under your nose. Carpet might be soft, cushiony, and help to absorb noise, but it’s also a hub of allergens—especially during allergy season. Even the cleanest of houses with a no-shoe policy are prone to capturing allergens in the carpet because there’s only so much vacuuming, spot cleaning, and non-industrial carpet shampooing can do. Your carpet is home to microscopic irritants that can include dust, mold, animal dander, dust mites, pollen, and other pollutants.

However, the carpet itself can also be the cause of your weepy eyes and red nose. Some people are sensitive and allergic to the carpet fiber itself, the glue holding the carpet together, or the padding used in carpet. Many people are, at the very least, sensitive to some type of irritant in their carpet, and no matter what it is, you can bet the irritant is hiding in there. Professional carpet cleaning can get rid of it.

What to Watch Out for in Your Carpets This Allergy Season

Unfortunately, some people are “lucky” to only struggle with itchy and water eyes, rashes, and a runny nose from irritants in the carpet. In severe cases, dirty carpet can cause or exacerbate asthma and serious breathing problems. This is especially true if someone in your home is high-risk, such as an elderly parent or a young child. If you or someone in the home experiences wheezing or trouble breathing, seek immediate medical attention. If the symptoms are less severe, it’s time to figure out exactly what’s causing the problem.

Carpet is often to blame, and high-pile/long-pile carpet such as frieze rugs are especially troublesome. The more carpet you have (and carpet length), the more places there are for irritants to hide. In fact, the American Lung Association and the Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America recommend avoiding carpet entirely if you or someone in the household experience allergy symptoms.

That isn’t always possible—and that’s where professional carpet cleaning comes into play. Pro cleaning of the carpets can authentically remove irritants and allergens. It goes well above and beyond anything a homeowner or landlord can manage on their own. Many people find they can breathe easier and better after a pro cleaning even if they weren’t exhibiting symptoms of an allergy.

Pro Cleaning for Your Carpets

You’ll find a lot of tips for how to handle indoor allergies, from taking oral antihistamines to using a hydrocortisone cream. Asthma treatments such as an inhaler and allergen immunotherapy might be recommended in more severe cases. All of this may help, but why not get rid of the cause of the reason instead? Combine regular pro carpet cleaning and air duct cleaning with at-home complementary best practices such as keeping animals off of carpets when possible and upgrading to a high-quality vacuum for sessions in between pro cleanings. Upholstery cleaning is especially important if you have pets that like to make themselves at home. Call Pristine Carpet Cleaning today to schedule your appointment and take the first step in keeping allergies in check.