In May 2010, the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) in collaboration with The Healthy Facilities Institute (HFI) formed a “Healthy Carpet Workgroup” consisting of experts (end-user and scientific) who will discuss and report ways to keep carpet healthy in schools through better selection, cleaning and maintenance.
The Initial workgroup topic is: “Asthma and Allergies – The Role of Carpet Selection and Care”
Workgroup participation is through a listserve in which ideas will be shared with all workgroup members at the same time by email. All viewpoints will be considered for inclusion in the final workgroup report to be released at ISSA/INTERCLEAN North America in Las Vegas. Other workgroup discussions and conclusions may be published in articles and/or summaries, releases, progress reports, and communications in industry trade journals.
Survey questions asked of prospective workgroup members included:
- As it relates to asthma and allergies, carpets are healthier than hard floors because they trap dust and prevent it from becoming airborne (Always, Sometimes, Never)
- As it relates to asthma and allergies, hard floors are healthier than carpets because they are easier to keep clean (Always, Sometimes, Never)
- Clean carpet contributes to allergies and asthma (Always, Sometimes, Never)
- Carpet is a dust collector (Always, Sometimes, Never)
- Carpet is a dust releaser (Always, Sometimes, Never)
- Carpets release more dust into the air than hard floors (Always, Sometimes, Never)
- Hard floors release more dust into the air than carpets (Always, Sometimes, Never)
- The type of carpet is an important factor in its ability to be cleaned (Always, Sometimes, Never)
- The type of carpet is an important factor in its impact on asthma and allergies (Always, Sometimes, Never)
- Quality and frequency of cleaning determine how likely carpet is to contribute or not contribute to asthma and allergies (Always, Sometimes, Never)
Please view the survey results (100+ respondents) here:
