In order to have a healthy home maintaining indoor air quality is a must. One of the best ways to improve your homes health even on a tight budget is to think about your flooring choices. There are many healthy flooring choices to choose from, many of which can actually be easier to maintain or at least cheaper to maintain. For most of us still carpet is the main flooring used throughout the entire home. Carpet is relatively cheap and quick to install, sometimes it is even very easy to install. Carpet looks nice and is soft to walk on or lay on and does not get scratched or dented like many other flooring materials. It is also one of the most colorful flooring options around, available in hundreds of styles and colors. However carpet is the least healthy flooring option you have. It traps dust, dander, allergens, dust mites, odors and stains and can very readily grow mold. Also vacuuming it and scrubbing it is a constant chore and still will not remove many of the allergens, stains, dirt or odor causing substances that may be trapped in the carpet fibers. Carpet can be a real health hazard in your healthy home, however there are ways to get the same comfort and look without it being such a health hazard. The best way is to cut down on the amount of carpet in your homes, keep it out of places like kitchens, bathrooms, living rooms, family rooms, and even your basement. Carpet in high traffic areas or areas prone to moisture or high humidity can not only be a pain to maintain, but can also become a real health hazard because such places tend to attract dirt, dust mites, stains, allergens, mold and odors. If you still want some carpet in those rooms then consider area rugs or carpet tiles which can be taken out and cleaned or thrown in the washer. These are much better ways to keep your healthy home a healthy home.

In high traffic areas consider using flooring such as ceramic tile, stone, or concrete. Besides being easier to clean they’re not as susceptible to mold, stains, odors or allergens and dust mites cannot survive on them. Also ceramic tile, stone and concrete all will last as long as your house does and require very little maintenance to maintain there natural beauty. Other flooring options for high traffic areas include hardwood, laminate or veneer, vinyl or linoleum flooring, however although they are not as susceptible to mold, stains, odors or allergens, they can be a little harder to keep clean because of foot prints and finger prints and over time they will wear more. The nice part in the case of vinyl or linoleum is they can be cheaper to replace, but the time and effort involved in removing them and prepping for the new floor can sometimes make up for the cheap cost of the product. With hardwood or veneer if the floor surface gets worn to much it can be sanded and refinished. With hardwood or veneer they should last the life of your house or at least your lifetime, however that doesn’t mean that they won’t need repaired or replaced over your lifetime because of damage. The beauty of hardwood or veneer flooring can’t be beat especially in living rooms or great rooms, but to protect them in higher traffic areas you may want to use area rugs or inset other materials in those areas, such as ceramic tile, stone, concrete or linoleum.

A growing trend in kitchen and bath design today is to use hardwood, veneer or laminate flooring in rooms such as bathrooms and kitchens. While this is a very beautiful choice it can also be costly. In high humidity environments or areas that are prone to moisture your environment can actually destroy or degrade your floor. Even as tight as you can get the flooring pieces together they will never be completely free of voids or be solid, so there is always a chance that water or liquid of some kind can find its way into one of these voids and begin to rot or warp your floor. Also even as good as the factory applied finish is, if installed in a high humidity environment over a period of time it can begin to dull and even destroy the finish on your floor, leaving it unsightly and prone to rot and mold and other types of damage. In a high humidity environment such as a bathroom or laundry room I recommend using ceramic tile, concrete or stone. These flooring choices will not be susceptible to moisture and will not be destroyed or degraded over time by the humidity in these environments.

Making a healthy choice does not mean having to sacrifice beauty or comfort or living in a sterile environment. No matter what room or material it is the final choice is up to you.