This article was written for Blue Hippo Flooring.

The jungle of rug may inflame your allergies.

More than 50 million Americans have allergies.

Carpet can be a culprit.

Think about it. Where does all the stuff we drag in on our feet go? Or that stuff the dog drags in? Or that chip we dropped? Because of gravity, it goes down. Into the carpet, crushed into the pad, forever to stay.

Ten years is a common life span of carpet. By the end of that time, your carpet will have doubled in weight. Yep, you heard that right. In addition, we track 1.5 pounds of dirt into our homes each year. It’s also the home of mites and mold. If you’re not saying “gross!” right now, then … well you should be.

Animal urine, spills and other stains sink through the carpet, into the backing and pad and stay there. You can’t remove that contamination with a wet vac, a steam cleaning or an industrial strength Dyson. In fact, you could suck out the color before you remove the offending elements.

A wood or tile floor will not only add value to your home, it may alleviate allergy systems and give you a fresher breath of inside air. Those surfaces are easy to clean and will outlast your stay in your home.

This story’s personal for me. One of my children was suffering from indoor allergies. Our pediatrician recommended removing our carpet. We replaced it with a wood floor and – voila – the allergies dissipated. I can’t guarantee this result for others, but it definitely made a difference in my home.

Regardless, getting rid of pounds of carpet gunk and the coffee you spilled seven years ago has got to make a difference in the quality of your life and health.

I’m not a doctor, I’m a floor guy. So if you want to read some other sources, here are some resources from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America: