Allergens and Bacteria
Area Rugs, Carpet, and Indoor Air Pollution: Miss-Conceptions Finally Explained
By: George M. Baskinger Jr., Biologist; Senior Sales Representative, RevitaRugs 11-11
A filter by definition is any substance (silk, wool, cotton etc.) through which liquid or gas is passed to remove suspended impurities. The question I pose to you is “Is your area rug a filter?” As cited by CRI (Carpet and Rug Institute) and the EPA, (The environmental Protection Agency) rugs act like an air filter, and clean filters are healthy for the home, but a dirty air filter can be extremely dangerous. Indoor air pollution which is caused by dust mites and other airborne allergens exist in extremely high concentrations within rugs. These rugs are not regularly cleaned or in some cases; never cleaned says Steve Goldman Co-Founder of RevitaRugs and retired CEO/Chairman of Power-One (www.power-one.com). Imagine purchasing a beautiful antique rug for your home, only to find out that it has never been cleaned, just vacuumed and perfumed to smell new. The fact is the rug is filled with organic and non-organic contaminants from its 100 year journey through our environment. Even a newer rug has been exposed to handling and indoor air pollution during shipment, storage and displays in various store fronts.
We spend thousands of dollars each year cleaning and replacing our air condition filters, but we neglect an even larger source of allergens and bacteria…our rugs. A recent study by Phillip Tierno, Director of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, NYU, states that “your carpet probably contains about 200,000 bacteria per square inch, making it 4,000 times dirtier than your toilet seat” (www.menshealth.com). So why don’t we take the time each year to professionally clean our rugs? The answer is education. If the average person understood that “Rugs are botanical and zoological park” (www.menshealth.com) and that a person “sheds about 1.5 million skin cells every hour” (www.menshealth.com), feeding the festering bacteria that lie within you rug’s fibers, they most likely would pay more attention to the health risks that can arise from a neglected rug. Now factoring in food particles, pollen, and pet dander, you are bound to have communities of bacteria such as E.coli, salmonella, and staphylococcus living and multiplying within you rug fibers.
These bacteria not only destroy and decompose your precious rug, but are also known to cause nausea, diarrhea, and severe stomach pains, which are only a few symptoms among the long list of illnesses associated with them. Dr. Charles Gerba, professor of environmental microbiology, University of Arizona in Tucson states “every time you walk on the carpet or roll around on it with you kids, you disrupt the bacteria, bring some closer to the surface” www.menshealth.com). Pollen, pet dander, molds and bacteria settle deep into rugs, only to be kicked up by footsteps and reintroduced into the air. The EPA has concluded that repeated exposures to these kinds of allergens can cause or increase sensitivities, allergic reactions, and respiratory problems including asthma. Now picture your 2 year old crawling across a rug that you think is perfectly clean because it is vacuumed weekly or even daily. The fact is, your vacuum suction and beater brush does not reach the bottom of the rug. Now I ask “would you like you rug to be perfectly clean and free of such impurities?”
There is a solution! RevitaRugs an Environmentally Green Rug Cleaning Business www.Revitarugs.com in South Hackensack, NJ, has brought its 100% safe Green Rug Cleaning process from its sister company in Italy the Shirzad Corporation (www.shirzad.it) to the US market. RevitaRUGS process not only deep cleans and disinfects rugs of all kinds, but does it in a way that systematically removes dust particles and reduces allergens. This process uses the mildest soaps and the purest water possible, and is 100% safe for antique or silk rugs. With decades of experience using a pure clean laboratory grade water softening system, perfume-free organic soaps, and patent pending processes, RevitaRUGS is a perfect solution to cleaning any type of area rug. Now, you can keep your home healthy for your children, as well as protect your valuable heirlooms.
EPA- Environmental laws and regulations; Air pollution laws and regulations, www.epa.gov
Philip M. Tierno PH.D. : Clinical Professor of Microbiology and Pathology at www.NYU.edu