Are Hardwood Floors Better for Allergies

Whether shopping for a new home or making some changes around the house, people often wonder are hardwood floors better for allergies? It's a good question to ask yourself as no one wants to be sneezing and sniffling all the time or worry about their health to that degree in their own home. 

Deciding on what kind of flooring is best is more than aesthetics and comfort, it's also about the quality of life you can have in your home. So, if you know you're sensitive to dust or tend to have a serious case of allergies then this information is for you. Let's look get to the bottom of asking are hardwood floors better for allergies.

Avoid the Hardwood Floors and Allergies Collection

Carpeting is fabric and like your clothes, soaks in absolutely everything. From stains to soot, the carpeting gathers it. That's bad news for anyone who has allergies, especially come springtime. Opening the windows to enjoy the nice warm breeze means pollen is getting into the carpeting. Welcome the sneezing, coughing, and puffy eyes!

Carpeting is certainly a resounding no for allergy-friendly flooring choices. If you own any rugs, you're already well aware that no matter how much you take it outside to beat out the dust, it's a never-ending waterfall. Think about that when it comes to carpeting! Combined with the fact that most carpeting is thicker than a rug and has an under-layer of foam, which further collects dust, with every step you take you're breathing in all that which irritates the allergies.

If you're looking to cut down on annoying your allergies, seasonal or otherwise, then it's probably best to go with allergy-friendly flooring choices like hardwood.

Easy-Peasy Cleaning

You may be thinking, "well, I vacuum twice a week. I make sure there isn't any dust or pet dander in my carpeting!" Think again. There is absolutely nothing to be done to remove all dander, dust, and pollen from your carpeting. That's right, not a thing. Even if you steam clean and are well acquainted with your carpet cleaner, it doesn't remove it all nor does it even touch the dust mites way down.

Dust mites cause a lot of allergic reactions and are these tiny little spider looking insects that feed on dust. They're almost impossible to get rid of with carpeting and that's one of the best answers to are hardwood floors better for allergies. No dust mites. Assuming you do clean, of course.

Hardwood floors are much easier to keep dust and dander free. Requires simple sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, or one of those little dust wipe mops. It's a much more simple task to keep hardwood floors spotless rather than vacuuming and carpet cleaning machines that don't get it all.

When it comes to hardwood floors and allergies, the wood flooring wins in the cleanliness department as well. 

Replacement Flooring

Some people hesitate from getting hardwood flooring because of replacement but, what they don't know that if you care for it properly then you won't have to replace it anywhere near as often as carpeting. Earlier it was mentioned that carpeting cannot be fully cleaned and soaks in everything, which means in the allergy-friendly flooring choices contest it looses big. 

To avoid your allergies getting worse every year, you'd have to replace your carpeting regularly. It's quite a vicious cycle. When looking into are hardwood floors better for allergies, also consider the replacement angle. With hardwood floors, they don't collect dander and dust the way carpeting does, they don't need to be replaced nearly as often, and they can actually be cleaned.

Cut down on the floor replacement as well as the sneezes and sniffles.

Allergies When Wet

Ever see carpeting in a bathroom? It's a bad idea. Mold breeds in wet spaces and with carpeting, the moisture can run deep. It's true that any sort of moisture is bad for wood and can also cause mold but, it's far more difficult. Carpeting is a woven fabric that often sits on foam, water gets in very easily and is difficult to get out. With hardwood floors, water can get it but it's far more difficult because it's sealed. 

This is important as many people are allergic to mold and black mold is bad for all people, whether they're specifically allergic to it or not. If you do have allergies, then mold can make it much worse. So, are hardwood floors better for allergies? In the moisture department, they are!

Hardwood Floors and Allergies

That about sums up the important things to consider if you have allergies and deciding on floors. It's pretty clear that hardwood floors are better for allergies than carpeting. The next step is deciding on what kind of hardwood flooring you'd want. There it's all about taste and lifestyle but, that's another topic. 

Stay healthy and sniffle free!