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Picture yourself in your newly refurbished home. You walk in to see pristine, freshly painted walls and run your hand across the plush velvet of your newly upholstered sofa—it looks perfect. Except that you suddenly find yourself wheezing and coughing!
If this scenario sounds familiar to you, then you’re not alone. As many as 44% of Brits struggle with at least one allergy, with dust and carpet allergies in particular becoming more and more common in recent years.
Naturally, the last thing you want after switching out your old floors for a new set is to find out that you might be allergic to the materials used, or that they exacerbate any existing allergies you might have.
But while you can’t control external factors; your home is a sanctuary where you should be able to thrive – complete with allergy-friendly flooring options. So, if you want to avoid potential carpet allergies and synthetic material allergies, take a look at our recommendations for allergy-friendly flooring below!
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What are carpet allergies?
While a carpet allergy could be something as simple as being allergic to the materials used in the creation of your carpet itself, there are actually a number of reasons as to why your carpet could be causing you allergy problems.
By their nature, carpets are far more likely to capture a variety of common and annoying allergens compared to hardwood floors, trapping them in their fibres and exposing you to them when walking on them.
From animal dander and dust to pollen and other outdoor pollutants, your carpet could be harbouring all manner of irritants in its strands which might be causing your allergies to flare up.
What to do if you’re allergic to a carpet
If you are allergic to your carpet or the contaminants trapped in its fibres, then you’re probably looking for tips on how to get rid of carpet allergies altogether, or at least advice on how the chances of your allergies flaring up.
But while you could certainly hoover and clean your carpeted rooms more often to stay on top of dust and pollen, or take regular anti-allergy medicine to reduce symptoms, the best way to calm a carpet allergy is to swap out your carpeted floor for an non-allergenic material!
What is the best hypoallergenic flooring?
When it comes to the best hypoallergic flooring options, harder surfaces are going to be your best friend moving forward. Not only do they prevent common allergens from sticking to their surfaces, but their easy-to-clean nature makes it simple to stay on top of such contaminants.
While LVT and vinyl flooring make excellent flooring choices from a durability and price perspective, their synthetic natures mean that there’s a higher chance of you being allergic to one or more of the materials used in their construction.
So, with that in mind, here are our top picks for allergen-friendly flooring:
Engineered wood flooring
Outside of carpet, few feelings can match the comfortable warmth and firm foundation of engineered wood floorboards underneath your feet. Lending your home a touch of rustic elegance; their sturdy and sealed nature is the perfect counter to common home allergens.
Simply put, there are very few allergens that will get trapped in an engineered wood floor. And with regular mopping and hoovering, your room will be allergen-free before you know it!
Alternatively, you could opt for traditional hardwood floors instead and get much the same effect. However, when looking at engineered wood vs traditional wood flooring, engineered wood planks are not only more affordable, but their sturdier design arguably makes them more durable and long-lasting than old-style wood flooring.
Laminate floors
An even more budget-friendly option than engineered wood, laminate flooring is perhaps the UK’s most popular anti-allergy flooring material – and for plenty of similar reasons to engineered wood!
Not only does laminate require minimal maintenance to stay fresh, but its design versatility also means that it can match any home décor. And, of course, like engineered wood, laminate is fully sealed against allergen exposure.
Preventing dust, mould, and other contaminants from getting a foothold, laminate flooring can be cleaned with a quick hoover and mop. Though we will note that there is a small chance that the formaldehyde used as an adhesive between the layers can be an allergen in and of itself, making engineered wood the better option overall.
Hypoallergenic carpeting
Despite carpets being a direct source of impactful allergens for some, there are absolutely allergy-friendly carpet options available out there if you still want that soft carpeted feeling underfoot.
If this is definitely something you’re after, then we strongly suggest looking for a carpet that doesn’t absorb dust or other contaminants, such as high-pile and density rugs. On top of this, you should avoid laying them in high-traffic areas where allergens may be regularly tracked in or kicked up.
In terms of the best anti-allergen carpet materials, wool and nylon carpets are considered the most hypoallergenic, naturally preventing mould and allergens from building up within their tufts.
Allergy-free flooring tips
Above all else, however, remember to pick an option that’s easy to clean to reduce the chances of any residual dust triggering your allergies. Carpet tiles, for instance, can be vacuumed or replaced with relative ease to help with this.
Lastly, if you feel a full carpet might be too much for your allergies to handle, but you still want that carpet aesthetic, then you might want to consider purchasing low-pile rugs to put over your floor. That way can benefit from the antiallergen properties of engineered wood or laminate while enjoying the softness of a carpeted surface.
Hopefully, you should now have a much better idea of what you can do to reduce the potential for allergies to stick to your home flooring. Of course, it’s not always possible to refit your flooring outright, but if you’re looking for high-quality materials on a budget, then the Flooring King range is for you!
