One of the most expensive investments that you might have bought for your home is your carpet. It adds color and texture to your house, but allergens and microorganisms are lurking in your rug are invisible to the eye.
Carpets Can Harbor up to 20,000 Bacteria per Square Inch
The carpet is contaminated with bacteria, pollen, dead skin, and dust mainly if it has been in use for a long time. According to Philip Tierno, Jr., a microbiologist and immunologist who wrote the book The Secret Life Of Germs, the carpet is far dirtier than most people think. It can harbor about 20,000 bacteria per square inch, which means it is about 4,000 time as gross as your toilet.
Germs Lurking in Your Carpet
Among the most commonly found bacteria in the carpet include methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), campylobacter, norovirus, micrococcu, and enterococci. There are also disease-causing fungi and mold, some of which can cause severe allergies.
MRSA is a drug-resistant superbug that often causes skin infection. There are also instances when it can cause pneumonia. If left untreated, MRSA infections can become severe and lead to sepsis, which can be deadly.
Campylobacter is most dangerous during winter months. It can cause a disease called campylobacteriosis, which can be harmful to those with compromised immune systems such as small children and the elderly. Symptoms of this disease include abdominal pain, fever, and bloody diarrhea.
The norovirus, on the other hand, can cause symptoms similar to food poisoning and stomach flu. This pathogen can survive in the carpet for up to six weeks and becomes airborne once people or animals walk across it.
Micrococcus can cause meningitis, septic shock, and skin infections, while some harmful species of enterococci can cause urinary tract infections.
Keeping the Carpet Clean
It is not easy to discard of expensive carpets easily, so your best bet is to keep them clean. Vacuuming the carpet at least once per week can keep disease-causing critters under control, and may reduce the number of allergens, dust, and bacteria that can make your family sick.
If you easily suffer from stuffed noses, wheezing, skin irritation, and irritated eyes when you do the cleaning yourself, consider getting help from a commercial carpet-cleaning service in Draper.
You can also cover high-traffic areas with washable area rugs since these are more easily replaceable. You can spray disinfectant on the fabrics of the carpet to kill bacteria.
Even if you can DIY the cleaning and vacuuming of the rugs, make it a point to have your carpet deep-cleaned with a professional service once every six months or once a year. This helps ensure that pathogens that are difficult to get rid of are eliminated.
In the end, you should remember that the carpet in your home can harbor thousands of bacteria that can cause infections and potentially deadly diseases. With that in mind, make sure that you keep the pathogens lurking in your carpet under control to prevent your family and your visitors from getting sick.
