What Are The Bacteria & Germs Hiding In Carpet?

What Are The Bacteria & Germs Hiding In Carpet? Carpets can be an integral part of your house. It provides warmth, comfort, and coziness besides enhancing the aesthetic value of your house.

But regular cleaning and maintenance of the carpet are very important to ensure better health and cleanliness. Though carpet can appear to be clean and perfectly healthy, it may not be completely clean.

The untrained eyes cannot detect the hidden bacteria and germs in the carpet. Even the trained eyes will need specialized tools to see them. These microorganisms are so small that they are not visible by naked eyes.

But these unwanted microscopic intruders can be quite infectious and harmful for health and the environment.

Why carpet cleaning is important?

You might have heard a lot of times that carpet cleaning is important. In fact, it is mandatory to clean the carpet thoroughly even if it appears to be clean already. Why? According to the experts, a carpet can hold up to 200,000 bacteria in each square inch.

This statistic concludes that a carpet can have four thousand times more bacteria than that of a toilet. As the carpet is exposed to continuous footfall, shoes carrying soil, food and drink spills, and more, it has more dust and dirt along with germs and bacteria.

Hence, it is very important to clean and disinfect the carpet every now and then.

What is hiding in your carpet?

Before you go on cleaning and disinfecting, you must have an idea about what type of bacteria or germs are hiding in your carpet. Read on to know more about these:

Molds & Mildew:

Molds and mildews are fungi that can grow in your carpet and remain hidden. Though molds can be visible they may not be visible at first. They can be present deep down inside the fibers of your carpet. The molds and mildews grow because of the wet conditions.

When the water or moisture content is high, mold can grow in your carpet. Mold can eject spores in the air which can cause some serious health issues like breathing problems, headaches, runny noses, etc.

This can be dangerous for people having asthma or COPD. It can also cause several skin diseases and allergies.

Bacteria:

Carpets at your home or anywhere can be a breeding ground for all types of bacteria. These bacteria can feed on the cells of your dead skin of living people and pets at your home. The presence of bacteria in your carpet can cause a lot of health issues and illnesses.

While some can be minor issues, some can be fatal or serious too. Some of the common types of bacteria found in the carpets are:

• Salmonella: This is a common bacterium that spreads in your carpet just by tracking animals’ or people’s feces. This bacterium can cause some health hazards like fever, cramps in the abdomen, and diarrhea. Elderly people and young children are most at risk.
  
• Campylobacter: This is another type of bacteria that is commonly found in damp moist carpets. Campylobacter grows in an environment where the moisture content is very high but they need a little bit of oxygen to exist. This bacterium can cause dysentery syndromes, diarrhea, and many more health issues.
  
• E Coli: Among all the types of bacteria, this is the most notorious of all. Many people take this bacterium very lightly but this can cause a lot of issues such as fever, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. In some cases, it can cause severe issues like kidney failure, bloody diarrhea, and dehydration.

• Germs: Germs can find their way into the carpet in various ways. It can be from pet dander, dirt and dust, soil, foods, and drinks spilled over the carpet, and many more. The germs can enter your carpet and can thrive for a long time there. Sometimes, this can be a reason for poor indoor air quality, allergens or pollens in the air, and some health issues.

What Are The Bacteria & Germs Hiding In Carpet? – Conclusion

This is all about the bacteria and germs on the carpet. As these bacteria and germs can get fatal and hazardous for the health of your family and as well as bad for the environment, it is important to clean the carpet on regular basis.

It is not possible to clean the carpet thoroughly at home. You need expertise tools and solutions. Hence, calling a carpet cleaning and disinfecting professional is the best idea.