Are Floorboards Cleaner Than Carpet

Are floorboards cleaner than carpets? Recent events heightened everyone’s desire for cleanliness, both in personal hygiene and our surrounding environments. And one place that often gets overlooked is our floors. I’ve found that no matter how much I clean, home flooring doesn’t stay clean for long. But, choosing a cleaner flooring type can help. In this article, I’ll compare floorboards and carpets to see which is cleaner. But, I’ll also explain the best ways to clean both, in case you have both varieties in your home. Whether you’re building your dream home, renovating your current home, or if you’re just simply interested in finding out whether floorboards are cleaner than carpets, you’ve come to the right place.

Contents

• Floorboards vs carpets – which are cleaner?
• The best flooring for allergies
• How to clean floorboards
• How to clean carpets

Which is Cleaner? Floorboards vs Carpets

When it comes to which type of flooring is the cleanest, floorboards win that title tenfold. Believe it or not, carpets are some of the dirtiest places in our homes. Even if your household has a strict no-shoes-in-the-house policy!

The main reason as to why carpets are so dirty is because of the carpet’s fibers which trap in dirt, dust, and unwanted smells. That old saying “what goes up must come down” comes into play here, and everything that circulates its way through your home will eventually end up settled in your carpet.

Floorboards, on the other hand, don’t absorb dust, dirt, dead skin cells, and bacteria like carpets do, meaning you can simply run a vacuum cleaner over your floorboards and suck up all that disgusting and harmful dirt that no one, and we mean no one, wants in their home.

Flooring for Allergies

Now, we know that floorboards are definitely cleaner in the grand scheme of things, and with that information, you’d think that people suffering from allergies should switch out their carpets and lay down floorboards to reduce and potentially eliminate their symptoms. But, the opposite could, in fact, be true.

Allergies are caused by foreign substances, such as dust, pollen, and pet dander. These substances will simply lay upon the surface of your floorboards, meaning every time you walk along, you’ll disrupt the fine layer of allergens, which can ultimately trigger your allergies.

Studies have shown that well-maintained carpets can actually improve the indoor living environment for people with allergies. Those fibers that trap in the dirt, dust, and pollen may be unhygienic to the touch, but they’re actually preventing all those harmful allergens from making their way back up into the air.

You, of course, need to clean your carpet regularly as failing to do enhances your exposure to house dust mites, which in turn, will worsen your allergies. Regularly cleaning your floors, no matter whether you have carpets or floorboards, will significantly reduce your allergy symptoms.

How to Keep Floorboards Clean

Although floorboards are more hygienic than carpets, you still need to properly maintain and clean them to prevent any dirt build-up. Floorboards naturally have grooves, joints, and dents where dirt and dust can get into. Thankfully, however, you won’t require the help of a professional to thoroughly clean and sanitize your floors.

Your first step to cleaning your floorboards would be going over them with a hardwood floor vacuum, or at least one that has a specific setting. Your vacuum will remove any dirt that is sitting on the surface as well as any dirt that has made its way into the joints of your hardwood floor.

Next, go over your floors with a microfibre duster to remove any dry dirt the vacuum couldn’t pick up. And to finish, run a microfibre mop over the floorboards to remove any stains and the final remains of dirt.

You can apply a layer of polish or oil to protect the surface of your wood floors and prevent any bacteria from making its way into the wood itself. You’ll find that this layer also helps prevent scratches from appearing, limiting the amount of areas where dust can accumulate and keeping your floorboards looking brand new.

How to Keep Carpets Clean

If you have carpets throughout your home, you’ll need to be vacuuming at least once a week. More so if you have pets or children. Start off by vacuuming your carpet with the vacuum set to the highest setting. Go over high-traffic areas numerous times to remove as much dirt as possible. If you have pets, you can run a rubber edge squeegee over your carpet to lift up pet hair and other debris that usually gets nestled amongst the fibers.

For a deep, thorough cleaning of your carpets, you’ll need to purchase an at-home carpet cleaner, rent a heavy-duty cleaner, or hire a professional cleaning service. Carpet cleaners use a combination of cleaning solutions, scrubbing brushes, and suction to agitate and loosen any dirt that has wedged its way into the carpet fibers.

Are Floorboards Cleaner than Carpets?

To answer, are floorboards cleaner than carpets? Simply, yes, they are cleaner than carpets. However, both types of flooring require adequate cleaning regimes in order to prevent the build-up of unwanted and potentially harmful dust and dirt. If you clean your carpeted flooring once a week, for example, but neglect to clean your hardwood flooring, then over time, your carpet will be far cleaner than your hardwood floors.

Keeping a clean home all comes down to dedication; that is no exception for your flooring. If you’re willing to put in the time and energy to regularly and professionally clean your carpets, then they can be just as clean as your floorboards.

Floorboards vs Carpets

These articles will help you to decide whether floorboards or carpets are the right choice for your home:

• Are wide plank floors worth the money?
• Can you justify the expense of a wool carpet?
• How easy is it to stain a wool carpet?
• Are some carpets warmer than others?
• Does bamboo floor scratch easily?

References

• Sauerhoff, M. ‘Carpet, Asthma, and Allergies – Myth or Reality’, The Carpet and Rug Institute (2008)