ResidentialHealth & Safety

Back to the Australian Carpet Guide

Installing carpet provides many health benefits not the least of which is the positive effect a properly maintained carpet has on indoor air quality

Indoor Air Quality

A major study by the German Allergy and Asthma Society found that wall-to-wall carpet reduces dust in the air by 50% of that found above hard flooring surfaces. More…

Carpets and VOC emissions

When compared to other building materials with significant indoor exposure, carpet is a minor contributor to VOC emissions. Approximately 90% of all VOCs discharged from carpet dissipate within 2 days of installation. More…

Slip Resistance

Wall to wall carpet and carpet tiles provide a safe, slip resistant surface and can help reduce the severity of slip and fall injuries, especially for those most at risk in the home – the elderly and children. More…

Acoustics

Carpet softens harsh sounds and creates a quieter and more productive indoor environment. More…

Thermal Insulation

Carpet is an exceptionally good thermal insulator and can help to significantly reduce energy costs in heating and cooling. More…

Please read on for a more detailed analysis

 

Indoor Air Quality



For allergy and asthma suffers, the critical issue is the amount of dust and allergens present in the air. In the past carpet has been unfairly singled out for its alleged association with dust and allergies.

However, those views are little more than urban myths.

A major study by the German Allergy and Asthma Society (DAAB) (ALLERGIE konkret 2/2005) found that wall-to-wall carpet reduces dust in the air by 50% of that found above hard flooring surfaces.

The researchers concluded that for particularly sensitive persons already suffering from previous damage to their airways, “the selection of a flooring material that binds dust and does not emit it to the air to be breathed is an essential preventative aspect”.

A properly maintained carpet traps dust particles, removing them from the breathing zone and, compared to hard surfaces, particles are retained within the carpet pile structure.

Fine dust concentration Particulates (µg/m3)
Fine dust concentration with hard floor covering 62.9
European Safe Limit Standard 50.0
Fine dust concentration with carpet floor covering 30.4

(Source: German Allergy and Asthma Society)

The German study backs up the views of Australian respiratory experts Marks and Abramson in their paper ‘House dustmite avoidance: Facts and fiction’ (Asthma Update 2001). Reviewing evidence of the effectiveness of the various dustmite exposure minimisation strategies and clinical evidence, Marks and Abramson conclude that removing carpet has not been demonstrated to reduce overall dustmite allergen exposure in the home and recommend against any drastic and unproven lifestyle modifications such as removing carpet.

It has now been proven that a properly maintained carpet has a positive effect on indoor air quality.

Interior designer Rochelle Morris, talks about the air quality benefits of carpet in your home


Close Transcript

Video Transcript

Have you ever noticed that you sneeze more when you move from a carpeted area into a room with hard floors?

Hi, I’m Rochelle Morris, an interior designer, and I’m here at one of Grollo’s display homes to talk to you about the amazing ability carpet has to clean the air we breathe.

We’re all hyper aware of the hazards of pollution these days, whether that be rubbish clogging our oceans or recyclable materials being dumped in landfills. Just as important, although far less visible, is air pollution within our homes.

As Australians, we like to think of ourselves as pretty outdoorsy people, so it may surprise you to learn that we typically spend about 90% of our time indoors. We don’t always think about the quality of the air inside our homes.

Several things contribute to poor air quality, such as dust suspended in the air and volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, released by normal household items such as perfume, deodorants and detergents. There’s really no getting away from them, but there are ways to reduce the amount we breathe in.

Carpet is actually one of the best ways to purify the air inside our homes. This is because materials such as timber and tiles don’t hold on to dust, so it spends more time circulating in the air.

Carpet, on the other hand, traps dust and VOCs in the pile and prevents us from breathing them in. This is particularly important for those suffering from allergies such as asthma and hayfever. In fact, arecent study has found that carpet can reduce the amount of dust in the air by 50% compared to hard surface floors.

This means that when you vacuum your carpet, you’re actually removing far more dust and particles from your home than when you vacuum timber floors.

And, as you can see, carpet is not only functional, it’s also incredibly stylish. Just look how it lends this bedroom a luxurious feel, both in the design and the texture underfoot.

Allergies are on the rise across the world, and more prevalent in Australia than anywhere else. Havingclean air in our homes is more important than ever, and carpet is one of the best ways to achieve this.

Close Transcript


VOC emissions

VOC emissions consist of a range of volatile organic compounds which at room temperature may be released from materials or products in the form of gases.

Some of the common sources of VOCs in the indoor environment are cleaning agents and polishes, cosmetics and deodorants, dry cleaned clothing, building materials (e.g. adhesives, laminates, caulking compounds, medium density fibre board), furnishings (e.g. furniture, drapery and floor coverings), office equipment (e.g. photocopiers and laser printers), cigarette smoke and air drawn from outside.

Carpets and VOC’s

As part of the manufacturing process, carpet passes through a finishing oven at 150°C to 170°C. This drives off most of the volatile chemicals including solvents in adhesives and raw materials, leaving a product with a low VOC content.

When compared to other building materials with significant indoor exposure, carpet is a minor contributor to VOC emissions. Approximately 90% of VOCs discharged from carpet dissipate within a few days of installation.

In addition, carpet has a purifying impact on indoor air quality by absorbing VOCs e.g. formaldehyde, and trapping particulates present in indoor air.

Note: During installation of new carpet, the area should be adequately ventilated.


Slip Resistance

Flooring and stairs can be a risk factor for slips and falls in buildings. And the most common hazards are hard slippery surfaces that do don’t absorb energy impacts when falls occur.

Most injurious falls occur in the home and those most at risk are the elderly and children.

Carpet is slip resistant because of the product’s piled surface. This is confirmed by the results obtained from commissioned testing carried out by independent laboratories. 60 carpets were tested in accordance with the requirements of Australian standard AS 4586:2013 – Slip resistance classification of new pedestrian surface materials. All carpets tested achieved P4 or P5 slip resistance ratings. For dry surfaces which is the majority of carpet installations only a classification of P3 is required (other than ramps steeper than 1:14).

Carpet, with or without underlay, can also reduce the severity of slip and fall injuries because the surface provides greater impact attenuation than hard flooring.

Wall to wall carpet and carpet tiles provide a safe, slip resistant surface option.


Acoustics

Carpet softens harsh sounds and creates a quieter and more productive indoor environment.

Carpet is the only method available for eliminating excessive noise generated by floor impacts such as noise produced from footfalls and also helps to reduce sound reverberation to acceptable levels. While there are other sound absorption alternatives such as acoustic ceiling tiles and panels, they do not reduce floor impacts and for this reason cannot achieve the same overall reduction in noise levels.

Noise attenuation is yet another reason why carpet is an excellent floor covering choice where functionality and fashion are important.


Thermal Insulation

Carpet is an exceptionally good thermal insulator.

The insulation value of carpet is similar to fibreglass insulation and can be up to ten times higher than that of other floor coverings. Further increases in thermal insulation are obtained when carpet is installed over underlay.

Carpet can help to significantly reduce energy costs in heating and cooling, and hence greenhouse gas emissions, when there is a temperature differential between the indoor air and that under the floor. Uninsulated floors account for 10 to 20% of heat loss from a home.

A carpeted floor feels warmer underfoot and does not require the heating that a room with a smooth surface may. This will add further energy savings.

The greatest benefit from a carpet is obtained when as large an area as possible, preferably wall to wall, is covered. This is because the reduction in heat loss is proportional to the area carpeted.

Interior designer Rochelle Morris, talks about the Slip Resistance of carpet in your home



Close Transcript

Video Transcript

Our homes are our sanctuary, and we want them to be safe places for our family.

However, all homes contain many hard surfaces, and therefore many opportunities for hard landings.

Hi, I’m Rochelle Morris, an interior designer, and today I’m going to share with you the safety benefits that carpet can bring to your home

In our busy modern lives, falls can and will happen. It may surprise you to learn that many falls that cause injury occur in our homes, but there are ways we can lessen the impact of these falls.

So now, I will take you through this beautifully designed Grollo display home to demonstrate how carpet can be used stylishly to make your house safer.

We’re all aware of the hazards of staircases but I think you’ll find this one a great example of how stylish and safe they can be. The selection of carpet they’ve used here, is bold and luxurious, but also functional, providing a thick padding to cushion any slips or falls, this is especially important when excited, energetic children are about.

Not only does carpet cushion falls, it can also prevent them.

This is due to its textured piled surface, which has a much greater slip resistance than a smooth polished surface such as gloss tiles.

This is particularly important in the bedroom, where we might be getting up at any hour of the night and may stumble a little in the dark, or as we come out of our deep sleep.

The living room of any home is such an important place. It’s where the family spends a lot of time together and, especially with young ones, where lots of time is spent on the floor.

When your kids are first learning to crawl or walk, a little tumble on the carpet will see a lot fewer tears (if any) compared to a fall on a hard surface.

Likewise, family activities such as playing board games, reading or even a little wrestling match with the kids is much better suited on a plush carpeted floor.

We all want our homes to be visually appealing and have spaces we enjoy being in, but we also want them to be safe and comfortable and carpet has the potential to give us the best of both worlds.

Close Transcript

Further information

Click here to find more information from a carpet Manufacturer, Retailer or Product & Service Suppliers

Find a Store that is a Carpet Institute member or that stocks carpet and underlay from an Institute member.

Store Locator

Find a Store - Carpet Institute Store Locator