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August 18, 2010

Werner Braun: A partnership for improved health

No one likes going to the doctor. This is a proven fact in my family, as I bet it is in yours. And now that I think about it, people avoid going within 10 feet of a medical facility. Why is that? Why do we all avoid the doctor, especially when sometimes we need to go?  

Think about it — what if we avoided our homes like we avoided the doctor? The deadly thing is if your carpet is not properly cleaned, mold and allergens could be invading your home, and more importantly the health of your whole family.    

I know what you are thinking: tell me something new about carpet. We here at the Carpet and Rug Institute never stop looking for ways to improve the quality of your household, especially when it comes to the carpet that lines it.

What if I told you we were pairing with doctors in your neighborhood to bring information on how to properly clean and maintain your carpet, letting you breathe easier and make even fewer visits to the doctor’s office?

Breathing easier and fewer doctor visits, is it possible?

The Carpet and Rug Institute introduces the 60-day Point of Care Campaign “Breathe Easier with Carpet.”

Not all patients know all the facts about carpeting and how to properly care for and clean their carpets. Our goal is to increase the awareness of carpet’s health benefits, and provide physicians with brochures on how to point patients in the right direction for carpet cleaning products and vacuums that are in the Seal of Approval (SOA) program.  

The 60-day trial will include a pre-campaign physician questionnaire, a free carpet cleaning for the doctor’s office, waiting room brochures and exam room posters, discount carpet cleaning coupons for patients, website with names of certified carpet cleaners in your area and post-campaign physician questionnaire.

We want to help keep you healthy through education. For example, did you know that carpet along with many other household building materials have unwittingly become some sort of evil contributors to the rise of so-called “toxic mold’’? People who tell you to rip up carpet and replace it with some other kind of flooring because of mold problems are not doing you any favors. The problem isn’t the carpet; it’s the source of the moisture.

Mold can be a real problem for allergy and asthma sufferers and for small children and elderly adults. It reproduces by releasing huge quantities of spores — microscopic, seed-like structures that produce even more mold. Some of those spores are small enough to remain airborne for extended periods, unless you trap them with high-efficiency vacuum filter bags or air conditioning filters.  

So what should be done about mold?

Think “clean and dry.” Keep things clean, keep them dry, and mold can’t grow in the first place. Keeping your house clean and free of mold usually requires only normal maintenance and regular cleaning. “Clean and dry” are today’s healthy home catchwords.  

Mold can be prevented by preventing conditions needed for an ideal growing environment. Always remember: no moisture, no mold. Roof leaks or plumbing mishaps can turn small drips into big problems over time, so find the source of your moisture and get it fixed immediately.

What blows my mind is that so many families still have to rip out their carpet years before it is worn out. Through this program, we want to eliminate the unnecessary waste of your carpet and money, and educate everyone with the help of your local health care providers.

The bottom line: No one likes wasting time in a doctor’s office or throwing away their hard-earned money. So encourage your local doctors to join the 60-day campaign. That way, we all can be “clean and dry” and you can keep your whole family “breathing easy.”

Werner Braun is president of the Dalton-based Carpet and Rug Institute.

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