While we are all spending so much time at home we wanted you to know if the flooring you have is suitable and healthy for your family. So we have put together an easy guide to help you select healthy flooring options.
Floor selection
- Choose a solid, hard floor surface instead of carpets. Carpets can contain a variety of nasty chemicals and trap pollutants in your home. Hard surface flooring is the best bet for those with allergies and asthma, because it’s easy to sweep and mop, and it doesn’t attract dust mites or mould.
- Make sure the floor you choose is formaldehyde free or has no added formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is a known human carcinogen and serious home air pollutant.
- A good formaldehyde free choice would be floating laminate flooring that won’t require any adhesive. Pick a laminate printed with water-based inks containing no VOCs (volatile organic compounds). Makes sure they are manufactured with non-VOCs and iso-cyanine free glue. Note: Most laminate (with more than 0.01 parts per million) of urea-formaldehyde are usually inexpensive with toxic resins used as the binder. Look for these words; NAF (no added formaldehyde), NAUF (no added urea formaldehyde), or ULEF (ultra low-emitting formaldehyde)
- If you choose vinyl flooring make sure you select vinyl tile that has a click system installation method and is virgin vinyl is manufactured from of virgin materials.
- With real hardwood flooring, you know exactly what you are getting, solid wood all the way through the plank and it’s easy to install without adhesives. It’s naturally sustainable and formaldehyde-free.
Floor installation
When installing flooring, make sure you select products that use a nail-down or interlocking click system instead of glue. The click installation uses no harmful VOC emitting glue and is safer for your family. VOC ‘s lower the indoor air quality.
Or if you have chosen solid wood, make sure to select low-VOC wood stains. Seal with water-based finishes or choose a pre-finished floor.
Maintenance and care
Dirt can stain and scratch the surface finish, so, use a good walk on/off mat, plus regular vacuuming or damp mopping is important. Never leave the floor wet and clean up spills promptly because water can damage the surface, as can harsh cleaners. Choose a floor that offers easy maintenance with little use of chemical cleaners, remember not to leave any residue on the floor surface, this acts as a dirt catcher.
We recommend regular sweeping and vacuuming once a week for all our laminate and vinyl flooring ranges.
Stay home safely, for more information or advice. Contact a sales representative in your area. Visit our distributors page.