5 Illness Associated with Dirty Carpet & Furniture

When we think about potential hazards at home, carpets and furniture are probably the last thing on our minds. Both carpets & furniture usually bring images of comfort, warmth and style. In reality, your carpets and furniture can pose significant health risks & illness if they’re not cleaned on a regular basis.

While harmless-looking on the surface, filthy rugs and furniture are actually a world of its own for microbes, fungi and other irritants that can make us ill.
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Here’s a list of Top 5 Health Risks & Illness that you, pets and the people around you can experience if you let your carpets and furniture go uncleaned:

NOROVIRUS

Also known as the Norwalk virus is a very contagious virus that can infect anyone. Infection is characterized by diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain. This usually develops 12 to 48 hours after being exposed. Norovirus can become airborne, so even breathing in a room that someone has vomited in, as quickly as walking through that room, can cause you to have the virus, per the Department of Health. Norovirus can survive on your carpets and upholstered furniture for 4-6 weeks. Having your carpets & upholstery regularly clean can reduce the life and spread of the Norovirus.

CAMPYLOBACTER

This bacteria is mostly found during winter months in damp carpets and can cause campylobacteriosis (an infectious disease caused by eating or handling contaminated food or drinks) which can be lethal in people and animals with compromised immune systems. Traveling through the bloodstream, campylobacteriosis can cause bloody diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain and fever. To kill this bacteria, is as simple as keeping your carpet clean and dry. ​

KAWASAKI SYNDROME

Named and discovered by Dr. T Kawasaki in 1967 is believed to be a rare illness caused when bacteria and chemical toxins in carpets enter the lungs. (Most that catch this disease are children, although adult cases have been reported) Symptoms include a high fever that typically lasts 5 to 10 days, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, a rash along with inflammation of the hands and soles of the feet. Red lips and eyes are additional symptoms.This illness can can cause physical disabilities, and even death. Although some studies connect Kawasaki syndrome to dirty carpets, its origin is still idiopathic.

MOLD ILLNESS

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 30 percent to 50 percent of all structures have damp conditions that could encourage the growth and spread of biological pollutants like mold. And that’s just for average climates; in warm, moist climates, this percentage is likely much higher.
When mold grows on your carpets, furniture, mattress portions of it are transferred to the indoor air you breathe.

According to the EPA, this can lead to symptoms such as:

Allergic reactions (e.g., rhinitis and dermatitis or skin rash)
Asthma
Hypersensitivity pneumonitis
Other immunologic effects

FACT – Only 55% of homeowners deep clean their carpets as often as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends, which is at least once every six months or more.

SALMONELLA

Most of us have heard of Salmonella, and think of it as a food-borne illness. Salmonella is a pathogen that can cause diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps. Especially dangerous to young children and elderly adults. Although we associate it most often with contaminated food, Salmonella can be tracked into your home – and carpets – on the bottom of shoes. One study showed that 15 of 55 (27.2%) of vacuum cleaner bags from households with occupational exposure to Salmonella enterica were positive for the virus, as were 1 of 24 (4.2%) in households without known exposure.

Occupational exposure includes carpeting in such places as cattle farms with known salmonellosis in cattle, a salmonella research laboratory, or a veterinary clinic seeing an outbreak of salmonellosis. This is one good reason you should never eat food that falls on the floor, in your home or at any other location. Maintaining a clean, dry carpet is the best way to kill Salmonella, which only has a short life.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA) RECOMMENDATION

FREQUENCY OF CARPET & UPHOLSTERY CLEANING      

Professional carpet & upholstery cleaning and regular vacuuming is essential for keeping your house clean and healthy. Even if the surface looks harmless, a filthy carpet upholstered furniture can be the world for fungi, microbes, and other irritants. Call ProCleanersNJ Today 973-343-7627