Carpeting is wildly popular among homeowners because it makes a house cozy and comfortable. It’s soft underfoot and makes a home look more inviting—not to mention it comes in every color under the sun. We all do our best to keep the carpets clean, but there’s something sinister just under the surface. No matter how many times you vacuum, you’ll never get all the nastiness out—there’s a whole ecosystem of living things in carpets that you can’t see. Carpet holds so many things in it that can make you sick, it’s shocking how dirty carpets can affect your health. After you read this blog, contact Aloha Restoration to schedule a deep carpet cleaning from professionals. Or if you just want to start over with a whole new living room or master bedroom, we’re licensed remodeling contractors too.
Fact Retriever has some wild facts about carpet—here are three they mention that detail how dirty carpets can affect your health.
The stomach flu virus can live in dirty carpet.
That’s right! The stomach flu, also known as the Norovirus, is resting right beneath your feet. The wonderful symptoms of this fun little virus are vomiting and diarrhea. It can live in your carpet for weeks—lurking, skulking, and patiently waiting to make you sick as a dog.
Carpets are a tony address for bed bugs.
Bed bugs are a close cousin of the tick. Both feed on blood and can double in size after feasting on you while you sleep. When they get tired of a person’s snoring, bed bugs like to move to a more bug-friendly neighborhood: carpets. Wall-to-wall carpeting is warm, plush, and perfect to hide in.
Warm carpet near a fireplace is perfect for firebrats.
Firebrats are in the same family as another disgusting bug: the silverfish. They have a long flexible body with long spike-like hairs and three thread-like tails. They’re a truly terrifying thing to look at, and they eat almost anything! They can’t fly, so that makes them a little less awful, but they can run fast—so good luck stomping on one.
