Wall-to-wall carpet has been a popular flooring choice for New Zealand homeowners for many years, particularly for those
living in the colder parts of the country. However, today’s consumer has more on his/her mind than colours and texture.
Homeowners, have their family’s health to consider as well, especially families with children that suffer from allergies
or asthma.
Internationally, New Zealand has a high incidence of asthma, with 1 in 7 children and 1 in 8 adults, reporting that they
use medication for the condition. The prevalence of allergies in New Zealand’s population is harder to quantify, but a
nearly two decades old study reported that of the 125,000 Kiwis who wore a medic alert bracelet, fifty percent were
allergy sufferers. The prestigious Mayo Clinic confirms that allergies and asthma frequently occur together.
Carpeting is capable of harbouring a plethora of allergens, such as dust mites, animal dander, dust, mould spores and
pollen, all of which can become airborne just by walking across the room. This can happen in the cleanest of homes.
Consequently, many homeowners considering an upgrade or new home purchase, are looking with favour on wood floors,
rather than carpeted ones. In many ways, wood floors are easier to care for and wood floors have much less ability to
capture irritants and allergens when compared to carpet floors.
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) maintains that hardwood floors are ideal for those persons suffering
from allergies and/or asthma.
In fairness, there are also those who believe that carpeting, acting as a trap for allergens, is a positive, because it
reduces the allergens that would otherwise be floating around in the air.
If you come down on the side of wood flooring as the best choice for your family’s health and well-being, there are a
growing number of retailers, such as Vienna Wood Floors, that offer a wide selection of sustainable hardwood flooring options.