Since it appears many people are replacing their carpets with hard surface flooring, i.e. hardwood, laminate or tile, I would address some of the trade-offs.

Now a freshly finished hardwood floor looks fabulous!! It’s also true that 90% of the allergens and pollutants in a house are found in the carpet. But those allergens and pollutants are floating around a house anyway and end up on whatever flooring you have. So I understand people’s desire to clean their floor. They are concerned about cleanliness and allergies.

But let’s look at the trade-offs.

A hardwood floor might look awesome and is easier to sanitized but it is:

• slippery to walk on
• cold to walk on
• noisier
• does not trap dust
• requires daily sweeping and/or damp
• mopping
• costs more to replace

Carpeting, on the other hand:

• is soft and warm to walk on
• gives more traction
• much quieter
• traps dust and allergens so we don’t breathe them
• can be adequately vacuumed one to three times a week

 ​The US EPA found in a study in 1989 that in fact carpeting is better for people with a minor allergies. Of course if you have major allergies then removal of the carpet is recommended. it is true that 90% of the pollutants in a house are found in the carpet. But when you consider that most people will wash their kitchen floor every couple of weeks but will only clean their carpets once every one to two years is not surprising. Since the carpets act as a air-filter for the house it needs to be cleaned/emptied every six months to one year because of hygienics.

TAKE THE TEST 

If you want to experience the difference between hard surface flooring and carpet there is a very simple test you can do. Next time you’re walking around the house in barefeet, just throw a towel on the floor.
Step on, step off, step on, step off.

When I do that its feels like a 5 degree increase in temperature when I’m on the towel. It just feels better.

So before you tear up your carpet consider a professional, thorough cleaning.

PET ACCIDENTS may be easier to clean on carpet rather than hardwood or laminate. If the urine soaks into the flooring, I can often remedy the problem on carpet. With hardwood, it might be able to be sanded out.

On laminate however, it will need replacement. One client couldn’t find a match, it had gone out of stock. She had to replace her entire floor, ie the Living room, the dining room, the hallway, the den, just to repair a 4 sf area that a dog had urinated on.

Trade offs!