YOUR INDOOR ENVIRONMENT
During the 1960's and 1970's much of our nation's focus was on the pollution of
our outdoor environment, but recently our focus has shifted to pollution of our
indoor environment.
Concern for fuel economy in the early 1970's led to
changes in construction techniques and building design to prevent the loss of
temperature-controlled air from buildings. Airtight structures keep air inside,
but they also prevent the flow of fresh air from outside. Research by the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined that our indoor environment
has two to five times more pollutants than outside air.
The quality of our indoor air has become more
important to us in recent years in that the average American spends over 20
hours a day inside a closed structure. We spend 90 percent of our lives indoors.
Heightened consumer health awareness has placed an emphasis on improving the
quality of our indoor environment.
Carpet plays a vital, positive role in indoor air
quality. It acts as an environmental filter, trapping and holding impurities
from the air we breathe. The EPA and carpet industry findings indicate that with
proper ventilation of new carpet, carpet itself does not contribute negatively
to indoor air quality, but the buildup of soil in carpet does. Upholstery fabric
also harbors soil and contaminants. According to Michael A. Berry, Ph.d., former
Deputy Director for the EPA Environmental Criteria and Assessment Office, the
single leading cause of poor indoor air quality in built environments today is
poor maintenance. Carpet and upholstery must be cleaned to remove trapped
contaminants before they overflow and are released back into the indoor air.
For a healthier indoor environment, the Institute
of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) recommends:
* Vacuum frequently A vacuum cleaner with a high
efficiency filtration bag removes soils and bio-contaminants from carpet and upholstery and reduces the release of
respirable particles into the air. These bags are now available for most
models of vacuum cleaners at retail stores that carry vacuum cleaners and
accessories.
* Periodically have carpet and upholstery
professionally cleaned. Thorough cleaning removes soil and pollutants to improve indoor air quality. Contact your local
IICRC Certified cleaner.
* Control the sources. Entrance mats halt
tracked-in soil and contaminants. Tobacco smoke, which is trapped in carpet and
upholstery fabric, is a major source of indoor pollution.
* Increase fresh air flow. Our ancestors knew
what they were doing when they opened windows to air buildings.
*Clean for health. Carpet and upholstery
fabric hide soil. Don't just clean for appearance when the accumulation of
soil becomes visible.
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