How Your Carpet Ruins Your Skin

Carpets are made to make your room cozy. But when they’re not cleaned, they can negatively affect your skin. This is why it’s crucial to properly bathe to prevent skin irritation. Microscopic irritants can be living in the carpet that may have come from mold, dust, or animal dander. Pollen that gets inside your house through windows may also be the culprit. And when left unchecked, this may lead to future health problems.

Even the cleanest home can have house allergens. Regularly treating and cleaning your rugs or carpets is a good way to prevent the accumulation of contaminants. But sometimes, allergens and pollutants may exist in the fabric without you being aware. The next thing you know, you feel itchy or have a runny nose. So here are a few ways carpets can ruin your skin.

Itchy Skin

When carpets are left unclean, you can be left with itchy skin. This is triggered by dust mites. Fungi and bacteria can infect you when you’re walking barefoot on your carpet with cuts or openings on the feet. A regular cleaning schedule may help but won’t guarantee full prevention since dust mites can evade solutions by home cleaners due to their size.

As a fungal infection, this condition is contagious if left untreated. Itchy skin can even breed in open cuts, which can lead to chronic itching for an extended period of time. So in case you have this, here are a couple of things you can do to alleviate the itchiness:

  • Apply an ice pack or wet cloth to the itchy skin for about five to 10 minutes
  • Use a moisturizer that doesn’t have fragrances or additives
  • Apply topical anesthetics (with pramoxine), menthol, or calamine

Rashes

Dirty carpets can trigger skin asthma attacks which can act up as rashes. The toxins and allergens can develop this condition. Either way, dust and pollutants from the carpet can expose individuals to these triggering irritants. Even when the fabric gets treated, rashes can lead to nose and eye irritation due to the bacteria left on the fiber when the mites are killed.

When you have rashes, it’s important to keep yourself from scratching. Doing so can only make it worse and may result in an infection if done too hard. So instead of succumbing to the itchiness, you can do these instead to treat your rash:

  • Apply a cold compress or an ice bag over your skin
  • Immerse yourself in a warm oatmeal bath for 30 minutes and rinse off with a lukewarm shower
  • Use aloe vera or coconut oil and apply it directly on the rash

Eczema

When patches of skin become cracked or inflamed, this is a condition called eczema. Much like the first two conditions, this skin irritation can be triggered or get worse due to unclean carpets and dust mites dwelling in the fabric. Eczema can also flare up when your carpet accumulates pet dander molds and other toxins from cleaning products.

Because your filthy carpeting can exacerbate this skin irritation, it’s important to not only treat the eczema right away but also the fabric. For your skin, you can do these few tips to alleviate the flaring:

  • Taking baths in lukewarm water
  • Moisturizing everyday and applying moisturizer within three minutes of bathing
  • Applying a mild soap or a non-soap cleanser when washing the skin

Athlete’s Foot

Because of the irritants found in unclean carpets, skin irritations can lead to athlete’s foot. This is an annoying condition where the feet can have a scaly rash that causes stinging, itching, or burning. It’s a contagious skin irritation that can spread through the floors, clothing, and towels.

So when you’re walking on carpets or rugs when you have this, you can contaminate the fabric and put others at risk too.

Athlete’s foot is related to different fungal infections, so it can be treated using over-the-counter medications. Prescription for this condition is also available. But there are also other ways you can treat the condition and prevent it from occurring, such as:

  • Applying antifungal powder on your feet to manage infection for a week or two
  • Washing and drying your feet and toes daily (every morning and evening)
  • Changing your socks daily and not wearing the same shoes day after day

A Clean Carpet for Clearer Skin

When it comes to skincare, it’s always important to consider factors that aren’t easily seen. Taking care of your skin also means being mindful of your environment. Carpets and rugs are supposed to provide warmth and coziness, but it’s crucial to also maintain them properly as well. You won’t only get a nice looking design for your floor, you’ll also have a healthy environment at home that’s safe for your skin.


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