Rugs for allergy sufferers 

A rug is considered a chic design object and conveys textile warmth. But is a rug also suitable for allergy sufferers, if you or your children have a house dust allergy? Absolutely! Especially for allergy sufferers, a hand-woven sheepskin rug brings numerous advantages and is a sensible investment for many years to come. In order for you to smoothly select a suitable rug and keep in mind the ideal rug cleaning advice, we have prepared some tips for you.

The reason: mites

Mites are present in most households and are almost impossible to avoid. The small arachnids, which are not visible to the naked eye, are annoying roommates and love high levels of humidity and warm temperatures.

There’s no secret about it: we all tend to sweat a little at night and the sweat seeps into blankets and mattresses. Therefore, mites usually spread from the bedroom into the entire household and are real pests for your nose if you suffer from allergies.

Allergic reactions

Are you an allergy sufferer yourself or does one of your family members struggle with a house dust allergy? Allergies to dust mites are not uncommon.

By the way, you are not allergic to the animals themselves, but to the mite’s droppings, which when dry can cause unpleasant reactions such as itching, sneezing and even shortness of breath. The dropping decomposes, mixes with the house dust and is constantly stirred up by daily movement. The dust settles on your floor coverings such as laminate, parquet, vinyl or even on the rug and then really gets your allergies going.

Rug Yes/No?

Contrary to popular belief, allergy sufferers do not have to avoid rugs at all. Would you have thought that more dust is detected on smooth floors such as parquet or vinyl than in apartments with rugs? The rugs act as dust catchers: binding the dirt and any mite excrement, thus prevent the dust from settling across the entire home or floating around the room’s air.

In any case, it is recommendable to implement thorough rug cleaning, to keep your living space as dust-free as possible and to enjoy a pleasant, clean air for any room. A house dust allergy should no longer present itself as a problem for you or your children.

Good to know:

Regularly going over the rug with the vacuum cleaner is particularly important, the easiest way of keeping it clean.

The better cared for a rug is, the less interesting of a nesting place it will be for the infamous arachnids, and the easier the daily life of any allergy sufferer becomes. Of course, this type of care also applies to all other floor coverings.

To choose a suitable rug that will give you many years of pleasure and is optimal for you as an allergy sufferer, it is worth investing some time. Pay attention to the material, the structure and the conditions in your household!

The choice of a suitable rug, that will give you many years of pleasure and is optimal for you as an allergy sufferer, is worth investing some time in. Pay attention to the material, the structure and the conditions in your household!

• As a suitable material for a rug we recommend sheep's wool, sisal (natural fibre from the leaves of the sisal agave), jute but also synthetics.

• Sheep wool is not only good for an indoor climate, but also has a moisture-binding effect and has the natural ability to repel dirt.

• Rugs should by no means be treated with chemicals, as this can also cause respiratory problems. Especially with synthetic rugs, it helps if you look for the German "Blue Angel" seal, which guarantees that no questionable substances were used in their manufactur

An essential criterion for the rug purchase is the surface structure. The smoother and shorter the pile height, the easier it is to clean. A short pile rug or flat weave rug is an ideal floor covering for an allergy sufferer, as it has a pile height of 1 - 15 mm (approx. 0.04 -  0.60 inches).

In contrast, unsuitable floor coverings are high pile rugs or flokati with a height of 2 to over 10 cm (approx. 0.80 -  4.00 inches), which are considered a real mite paradise, absorb more household dust than other types of rugs and are more difficult to clean.

Which rooms in your home need a rug? In a child's room, for example, you should by no means do without rugs. When your child plays on the floor, a lot of dust is stirred up, but textile fibres are designed to prevent this.

Do you have underfloor heating? Underfloor heating systems usually get along well with rugs. The warm, rising air changes air currents in the rooms and prevents excessive humidity. Tip: rugs made of wool are suitable to further support the regulation of humidity in the room.

As an allergy sufferer, it is important to clean your rug as often as possible - preferably daily - as more dirt can reside there. To remove any dirt from the rug, it is recommended to use a vacuum cleaner with an allergy filter (HEPA filter), which can catch even the smallest dust particles and filters them out of the air.

In terms of fine dust filters, we recommend class 13 filters for cleaning carpets and rugs, which catch almost 100% of dust particles. The stick vacuum cleaner should also have a mechanical brush head to remove the finest dust particles from the rug in the shortest possible time.

When buying vacuum cleaner bags, look for an antibacterial coating inside, which will put an end to the proliferation of mould, mites and bacteria. The bag should be changed every four to six weeks. In Europe / Germany the TÜV Nord test mark also provides information about the quality.

Here are a few useful tips for everyday use:

• Vacuum the floor covering daily if possible

• Air out thoroughly several times a day

• Damp mop smooth flooring at least every two days

• Do not use too many cushions, soft toys and decorative items that are difficult to clean

A house dust allergy does not disappear easily, but rugs and allergy sufferers make a better team together than you might think. So, you can confidently spice up your laminated floor or parquet with rugs.

When you choose the right rug, pay attention to regular hygiene measures and rug cleaning, nothing will stand in the way of a pleasant feeling of well-being. You won't be spared from cleaning the rug regularly, but you will notice how the well-being of any allergy sufferers in your family increases.

Take the time to research, because a rug is a good investment that should make you and your loved ones happy for a long time.