What’s the Connection Between Oxygen Quality in the Home and Keeping Your Carpet and Upholstery Clean?

Home oxygen quality is not a new term, but it is one that is being talked about more and more. The quality of the air we breathe in our homes and places of work affects asthma, congestion, allergies, headaches, and many other health issues. The quality of air can be a problem in and of itself but also can make current problems much worse. Some of us are very aware of the air quality around us and some people don’t pay it any mind or give it a second thought. Why should they? Others ask, it’s just minuscule particles that they can’t see that are hiding in some invisible gas. Out of sight, out of mind. When a person hears the words “air quality” they don’t sense the magnitude of the issue at hand. Oxygen is the life blood of our respiratory system and very few people do not know the importance of oxygen. Indoor “oxygen quality” affects every breath that we take. If the particulates floating in the air in your home did not harm us directly, they are still stealing the place of and robbing our lungs of valuable oxygen molecules.

Many colds and flu are actually allergies in disguise and companies with poor air quality report a drastically higher number of sick days to employees that have good oxygen quality. Productivity in the workforce is also higher when employees are not being stifled with asthma and allergies. Indoor oxygen quality has been shown to be important, but how can we best improve the quality of the air we breathe in our homes and offices?

There are a few ways to improve indoor air quality. Air scrubbers and filters of course remove what is already present. Leaving the furnace fan on 24/7 helps cycle the air and changing the furnace filter when it becomes saturated with dust also helps.

But how do we remove the cause of the poor air quality? In office buildings especially, a ton of dust and allergen particulates live in the carpet and upholstery. Every time we sit in a chair it belches the air that is suspended in the foam seat and sends those particulates into the air around us. On a sunny day, sit your chair between you and the window, slap the seat and watch the dust dance in the sunlight. The carpet is much of the same culprit kicking up particulates every time it’s walked on. Dust treats these fabrics as a filter and clings to them building up until they are jarred loose.

The longer the time between carpet and upholstery cleanings the more particles get released into the air. Professional commercial carpet and upholstery cleaning are the most effective ways to remove these particulates from these fibers. Oxygen is important to all of us and like most things that are important it takes some investment to reap its full rewards.