How Dirty Carpets Might Harm Your Health

How Dirty Carpets Might Harm Your Health? Despite giving an elegant look to your home and a warm feel to your loved one’s feet, carpets can be very dirty. Though they might appear clean, they are a hiding place for many bacteria, fungi, mold, pesticides, and mildew. All these toxins pose a significant risk to your health and that of your family members. Exposure to such toxins becomes greater in children who occasionally play on the carpet. It is, therefore, necessary to clean your carpet regularly. This article gives six ways that carpets might harm your health.

How Dirty Carpets Might Harm Your Health – Weaken your immune system

The work of the immune system is to fight bacteria and toxins, all of which helps to maintain a healthy body. However, living in dirty surroundings causes a lot of stress on your immune system, and this, in turn, affects your immunity. When you don’t clean your carpets regularly, they accumulate a lot of bacteria, which lowers your immunity. This means that you are more prone to illnesses. For example, microbes such as mycotoxins hide in carpets, and they weaken an individual’s immunity. In return, these mycotoxins cause illnesses such as respiratory diseases, allergies, and stomach infections.

How Dirty Carpets Might Harm Your Health – Skin problems

Stepping on dirty carpets might lead to skin problems like asthma and athletes’ foot. One contacts athlete’s foot once they step on dirty carpets barefoot. The person might have openings, wounds, and cuts on their feet through which the bacteria on the carpet can get through. Skin asthma, on the other hand, is due to the dirt and dust in the carpet.

How Dirty Carpets Might Harm Your Health – Respiratory issues

Dirty carpets usually attract dirt, molds, bacteria, and fungi. When people inhale these substances, they can develop respiratory problems and flu. Bacteria and fungi that inhabit in carpets can also attract dust mites. Dust mites feed on the fungi and bacteria; thus, their presence causes them to breed in large numbers. When these mites die, their remains are left on the carpet, which in turn causes eye irritation and also rashes. Additionally, dust and dirt on carpets cause asthma attacks.

Abdominal related problems and fever

Dirty carpets can result in abdominal issues like diarrhea, stomach flu, and abdominal cramps. Bacteria that breed in dirty carpets are the cause of such abdominal problems. These bacteria include;

Campylobacter, this bacterium is mostly found in winter when carpets get a dump. The bacterium causes abdominal cramps, severe diarrhea, gut pain, and fever. It mostly gets in the human body when one eats contaminated food and beverages. You can avoid this bacterium by cleaning your carpets regularly.

Norovirus is another bacterium that lives in carpets and causes stomach flu. Furthermore, the norovirus bacterium is airborne and thus transmitted as people talk or walk on it.

Salmonella-Surprisingly, you can also find salmonella bacteria on carpets. This bacterium is seen to cause abdominal cramps, fever, and diarrhea. Though salmonella does not cause much harm in young adults, it is hazardous to older adults and kids. It takes a maximum of 72 hours to start identifying the symptoms of this disease that salmonella causes. This disease stays for a maximum of 7 days. You can get rid of this bacteria by removing your shoes while stepping on your carpet and also by cleaning your carpets regularly using a vacuum cleaner.

Causes kasawaki syndrome

This disease mostly occurs during late winter and the first phase of spring. It comes about when you breathe in bacteria and chemical toxins found in dirty carpets. This syndrome may cause disability or even death. In most cases, it affects children below two years. Though researchers have not identified the origin of this disease, studies have shown that its main cause is dirty carpets. You can reduce this disease by cleaning your carpets regularly.

Causes hypersensitivity pneumonitis

House structures usually contain moisture, which encourages the growth of mold. This is why you can find molds growing on your carpets. During the summer, molds grow at an even accelerated rate on walls, carpets, doors, and other surfaces. These molds cause the disease called hypersensitivity pneumonitis. This is a disease in which lungs inflate as a result of inhaling molds, fungus, chemicals, and dust. Some of the symptoms of this disease include fatigue, headache, weight loss, and coughs.

To the naked eye, carpets might look harmless and comfy but they can inhabit millions of toxins that are harmful to your health. To keep yourself and your family free from health issues related to having dirty carpets in your home, it is very vital to clean them thoroughly and regularly.