Choosing the best carpet for allergies could be very troublesome.
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If you are an allergy sufferer, you may have noticed that your allergy symptoms usually increase when you move in to areas covered with carpets. Carpets and rugs usually trap allergens, mold, pet dander and other harmful micro organisms. And when you you step on them , these harmful particles are released in to the air.
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Since these particles are almost invisible, you inhale them without knowing. Once in your system , they trigger asthma and allergy symptoms such as runny noses, coughing , sneezing and difficulty in breathing.
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The good news is that there are really some type of carpets and rugs that are best for allergy sufferers.
These days, many carpets and rugs are made of synthetic materials that repel allergens , pollen and dust.
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In this post , we are going to discuss the best carpet for allergy sufferers; Carpets and rugs that are really good for people who are sensitive to dust, irritants, pollen, mold and other allergy symptoms triggering substances.
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Carpets and rugs suitable for use by allergy and asthmatics are usually termed as hypoallergenic carpets and rugs.
Hypoallergenic carpet is a termed mostly used by manufacturers. They use it to highlight the fact that such carpets contain less allergens as compared to other carpets.
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It’s important to state emphatically that it’s quite impossible to get a carpet that doesn’t trap allergens in one way or the other. So hypoallergenic carpets are not exactly allergen free carpets.
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But if you select the proper hypoallergenic carpet and maintain it well , you are likely to do away with allergens, pollen , dust , mildew and other allergy symptoms triggering substances in your home.
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Best Carpet For Allergies
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1. Safavieh Adirondack Collection Ivory and Silver Oriental Vintage Area Rug
This rug is a unique design. And it comes in different sizes and colours. It’s made of polypropylene. Polypropylene is synthetic fiber usually used in making clothing and rugs.
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This rug doesn’t encourage the growth of substances that can trigger allergy symptoms such as mould.
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It’s non-shedding. And this makes it easy to clean and maintain. You can use this rug at almost everywhere in your home; dinning room, foyer, play room , bedroom or even in the living room.
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The rug might be too thin though! And also you may have to get a non-slip mat as it’s slipping.
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But all in all, we think that this rug is quite good for allergy sufferers. And it will a make wonderful rug for your home.
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2. Ottomanson Ottohome Modern Area Rug
This rug is also made from polypropylene. It’s good for allergy sufferers because it prevents moulds growth on them. Polypropylene is preferred over natural fibers. Natural fibers do bad job at inhibiting the growth of mould.
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This particular rugs comes in many sizes and colour. But it’s ideal for small spaces. It would be the best rugs you can get for kids room. And if you have pet in your home, this rug is your choice.
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Another cool thing about this rug is that you can easily clean it. Either by steam or vacuum cleaning.
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Remeber we advise you agasint buying carpets with long fibers. This particular rug has short fibers which are tightly woven. Good for your allergies.
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A major disadvantage of this rug is that is quite thin!
You can check its price on AMAZON.COM
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3. nuLOOM Blue Vintage Lindsy Area Rug-
This rug is also made up of polypropylene. Just that it has a latex backing. This can cause slipping and you will have to explore other options to solve the problem of slipping. You could consider a rubber mat.
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Some of its advantages are that it is tightly woven and easy to clean.
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But because it contains latex , people suffering from latex allergies are likely to get allergy symptoms from this rug. So we advise such people to try different options.
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Another thing is that it is quite expensive .
4. Sweet Home Stores Cozy Shag Collection Solid Shag Rug–
Just like the Ottomanson Paterson Collection, they are completely made up of polypropylene. And this means that they inhibit the growth of mould more than natural fibers.
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They also come in different sizes and colours.
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But the issue with this rug is that it’s shaggy. And that means that it holds more allergens as compared to non shaggy rugs. Another “uncool” thing about it is that it emits chemical smell. And again , if you are an allergy sufferer, this rug is not very ideal for you.
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It is very easy to steam or vacuum clean though.
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We think that the Ottomanson Paterson Collection will be a better option than this for allergy and asthmatics.
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As an allergy sufferer, when next you want to buy a carpet consider the following;
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.Nylon and Polyester
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Thankfully, nowadays some carpets are made of Nylon and Polyester. These synthetic blends repel allergens and other irritants. Nylon is soil and mildew resistant while polyester is resistant to stain
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These property make them the best carpets for allergy sufferers.
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So when next you want to buy a carpet or a rug, look for carpets and rugs that are made of Nylon and Polyester. They trap less allergens , dust and pollen.
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Another cool thing about these type of carpets is that you can easily clean the few particles that settle on them.
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Nylon is the best material among the two. But if you can’t find a nylon made carpet, polyester will equally do a good job for you.
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Wool
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Any carpet made of wool should be avoided by allergy sufferers. Wool traps molds and allergens easily.
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As an allergy sufferer, you would not want a carpet on which mold and allergens thrive. Because the more these substances stay in your house , the more you are likely to experience allergy symptoms.
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We advise strongly against buying wool carpets. They may trigger and exercabate your allergy symptoms.
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Volatile Organic compounds;
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Volatile Organic compounds are wide range of harmful substances that are emitted from certain liquid and solid materials. These compounds easily evaporate at room temperature and there by polluting indoor air quality.
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Volatile Organic compounds can cause serious health issues such headaches and respiratory irritations. They also easily trigger allergy symptoms.
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Unfortunately, some carpets contain high levels of these toxic compounds.
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So when next you want to get a carpet , ensure that you buy carpets with low volatile organic compounds. You can achieve this by getting carpets with Green label or Green label plus.
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Green label or Green label plus products are products that have been tested and proven to contain the lowest dangerous chemical emissions.
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DO ALSO REMEMBER to avoid long shaggy carpets. They are bad for allergy sufferers. As they trap more allergens within them.
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Tightly woven strands are good. They don’t capture and trap many allergens within them.
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Now Let’s look some precautionary measures you can take to increase the hypoallergenic nature of your carpets;
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1. Before installing your carpet, unroll and air it in a well ventilated place.
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This will drastically reduce particles, allergens or irritants on the carpet.
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Do this outside the house. To ensure dust don’t linger in the home after the airing out. Also keep children away from the place you are doing it. Children are more sensitive to such chemicals.
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If you are seriously allergic to dust and pollen , we advise you to get someone to do it for you.
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2. Before installing the carpet, let people who are sensitive to chemicals leave the place.
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Don’t allow them in immediately after the installation. Ventilate the place for several times before allowing allergy sufferers in.
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And again , if you can get someone to do the installation for you , we advise you to do that. As an allergy sufferer, limiting your exposure to allergens is Key and Crucial.
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3. Vacuum your carpets regularly.
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Regularly maintain your hypoallergenic carpets and rugs by vacuum cleaning it often.
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Use a vacuum cleaner with HEPA filters to do this. HEPA filters are very effective in capturing even the smallest allergens, pollens and dust.
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Properly maintaining your carpets will prevent allergen build up on them. And this will drastically reduce the possibility of you experiencing allergy symtioms.
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In conclusion
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Allergy sufferers should choose thier carpets and rugs very well. It necessary to stay away from carpets and rugs that holds and encourage the growth of allergens.
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Carpets and rugs made of synthetic fibers are best for allergy sufferers. We hope the examples of the best carpets and rugs for Allergy sufferers we gave above would be of great help to you.
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If you have a question about hypoallergenic carpets and rugs , leave us a comment below.
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Please recommend a specific brand and where to buy. I need this and don’t know where to start.
Hi Julie,
Any of the carpets we listed above is great for allergy sufferers. Our personal preference though is Safavieh Andirondack Collection rug. It doesnt shed, so it is relatively easy to maintain. You can get it on amazon.com