Talking Dirty: What Germs Are Lurking In Your Carpet?

Carpet germs: even though you cannot see them doesn’t mean they don’t exist. In fact, they are probably lurking beneath your feet right this moment. Even if you get that old vacuum out every week, your surface cleaned carpet is still harboring much more of the nasty cooties than you think. And when we say “nasty,” we mean 200,000 bacteria per square inch nasty. (In case you’re wondering that’s about 4,000 times the amount of bacteria in your toilet – GAH!)

It’s not just one menacing germ, either. You’re looking at hundreds of thousands of different bacteria species happily inhabiting the same floors you snuggle on, or stretch out on to watch tv, or face plant on when you fail to level up, or (cringe) possibly even eat dinner on?

Communities of E. coli, salmonella, staphylococcus and more make their beds deep down in the threads of your carpet and, every time you walk on or disturb the carpet, you disrupt these sleeping monsters, which causes some to venture close to the surface.

Here are some other nasty nuisances you should know about:

  1. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: Also known as MRSA, this penicillin-resistant germ is the Godzilla of the bacteria world. And for those of you with athletes in your home: these germs can be everywhere !
  2. Campylobacter: Most prominent in the winter, these bacteria can compromise the immune system (especially in kids and the elderly) and cause diarrhea, cramping, abnormal pain and fever.
  3. Norovirus: Also known as the Norwalk virus, this nasty germ can cause symptoms that mimic food poisoning or the stomach flu. It has the ability to survive in your carpet for up to six weeks and can become airborne when walked or rolled upon.
  4. Fungi and Mold: As the cause of severe allergies, all types of fungi and mold can invade your home and camp out in your carpet and your bed.
  5. Enterococci: Inside our bodies, enterococci are normal bacteria. Outside our bodies, however, they can cause serious infections like UTIs, bacteremia, bacterial endocarditis, diverticulitis and meningitis.

Thankfully, we are smart, resilient humans and together with the help of modern cleaning tools, we can take these germs down without the drama of an all-out sanitation war! Here are four ways to consider ridding your home of these dreadful, dirty devils.

  1. Hire a company to do a wall-to-wall deep steam-cleaning at least once a year. This is a pricy solution, but the heat will destroy even the most deep-set germs.
  2. Consider purchasing machine-washable area rugs for high-traffic places in your home. Wash these rugs once every month or so to keep germs away.
  3. Vacuum regularly and keep your carpet dry. If you live in rainy or damp conditions, consider placing a fan in high-traffic areas or places in your home that tend to remain moist due to lots of foot traffic.Install a CentralVac in your home. This investment will ensure you’re able to quickly destroy germs before they have a chance to make themselves at home. Because this built-in vacuum has ports throughout your house, you’ll never have to worry about lugging that pesky old vacuum from room to room. Better yet, with a central vac you won’t think twice about cleaning your carpets regularly. Especially since the filters will trap these dreaded nasties without releasing them back into the air!

With central vacuum parts accessible in every room, keeping your carpets germ-free is easier than ever.