Dr. Michael Berry, in his book "Protecting the built

Environment: Cleaning for Health." says that most

indoor cleaning problems are related to dirty carpets, 

but this problem can be solved through maintenance

and restoration.

Carpets act like a sink to collect pollutants of all kinds

from indoors and out, according to Berry. As the sink

gets filled up (the carpets get polluted), it stores more

and more dirt, dust and contaminants. When the sink

is full, it needs to be emptied.

If a carpet is not cleaned on a regular basis, it can become

a breeding ground for biopollutants, Berry says. It is crucial

to regularly empty the sink and make sure that your carpets

are cleaned properly.

Berry says that the medical community recommends that

people remove carpets from buildings and homes, but

that is wrong to assume that all carpet will become

contaminated and affect peoples health.

Rarely do people clean their carpets in an effort to protect

their health, Berry says, but cleaning carpet regularly can

improve indoor air quality.

Some of the benefits of extracting pollutants from carpets

include: Reducing health problems from loose particles;

reducing cases of biologically induced illness; reducing

lifetime cancer risks; reducing complaints for building

owners and managers; and reducing liability for building

owners and managers.

             Adam Doling , Assistant Manager Editor

                                    Cleanfax