Reduce Asthma Attacks With Oak Flooring
Whether you are in the exciting process of building a new house or remodeling your current home, there are a lot of great reasons to install oak flooring. Some people make the choice based on the overall warm glow that oak seems to permeate throughout a dwelling. Others love the distinctive grain patterns that display so prominently, especially after staining.
Oak, maple, ash, beech and the other hardwoods that fall mid-range on the Janka Scale, which rates the relative hardness of the wood, are extremely popular choices. That they are not so soft that they won’t stand up to wear and tear nor so hard that the beauty of the grain is lost, make these ideal for both home and office. Appearance and durability have always topped the list of prime motivators when it comes to flooring. Nevertheless, there is another reason for installing wood floors that may well be the most important of all.
It is estimated that almost 20 million people in the United States, alone, suffer from asthma. Environmental pollutants and seasonal factors have long been credited as being triggers for the attacks that are symptomatic of this chronic lung disease. More recently, it has been determined that allergens found in the home can be just as guilty. Commonly included on the list are dust mites, mold, pet dander, pollen and insect droppings. Hard as it may be to accept, most, if not all of these are found in virtually every home.
The key to controlling asthma attacks is to remove the irritants. However, that is next to impossible when carpeting is present. Many homeowners have come to the realization that their best recourse is to remove the carpets and replace with a surface that can be thoroughly cleaned, such as wood or tile. Studies have documented the difference it makes for those with any sort of breathing issue once carpeting has been replaced with hard surface flooring.
Is there anything more frightening than the feeling of not being able to breathe? A sudden asthma attack, brought on by seemingly harmless and practically invisible particles, can be more than scary. Untreated, it can be fatal.
Fortunately, the good news is that ripping out that carpeting and replacing with oak or one of the other varieties of hardwood flooring will go a long way in reducing the frequency of reactions. This is true whether you choose to install solid planks, engineered wood flooring or the reclaimed oak that has become so popular.
Realtors will tell you that wood floors are an excellent way to increase the market value of your home. Now you can be confident that they are also an investment in the health and well being of your family.
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Tagged With asthma, engineered wood flooring, Janka scale, reclaimed oak
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2 Responses to “Reduce Asthma Attacks With Oak Flooring”
My son when younger had frequent asthma attacks that were very bad when he was between 4 and 6 years old. We were advised to get an extremely efficient hover and if possible get rid of as much carpet as possible in our home. We replaced all our down stairs carpet with oak flooring.Within a few days we notice that as long as he stayed downstairs his breathing was ok. As soon he went upstairs where the carpet remained, which was less then 12 months old, he ended up with breathing problems.
The way my allergist explained it to me, consider that you spend approx 8 hr/day in your bedroom–young children longer–so if you only put hard flooring in one room, it should be the bedroom. We were lucky to have resources to have our main floor and upstairs carpets replaced by oak floors when we moved into our current house and it made an enormous difference for me. My asthma symptoms lessened almost immediately!