JUST THE FACTS
CARPET IS COST EFFECTIVE
Carpet can be 65 percent less expensive to maintain than hard surface flooring. While buying and installing hard surface flooring appears less expensive than carpet in the short run, the true cost of labor, supplies, and equipment to maintain a hard surface floor over an average 22-year lifespan makes carpet a more cost-effective choice.
CARPET IN HEALTH CARE FACILITIES
Carpet creates a safer surface to walk on. Carpet reduces the chance of a slip and fall accident. Carpet has a cushioning effect if falls occur and lessens the chance of injury. A study of 225 hospital slip and fall incidents with older patients found that 17 percent sustained injury when falling on carpet, compared to 50 percent when falling on hard surfaces.
CARPET KEEPS ALLERGENS OUT OF THE AIR
Carpet acts like a trap, keeping dust and allergens out of the air we breathe. Simply put, what falls to the carpet (dust, pet dander, and many other particulates that we breathe) tends to stay trapped in the carpet until it is removed through vacuuming or extraction cleaning. Unlike smooth floor surfaces that allow dust and other allergens to re-circulate into the breathing zone, properly maintained carpet actually contributes to improved indoor air quality.
REDUCES NOISE
Many offices today have open workstation designs where phone conversations and frequent employee interactions can be distracting. Carpet helps increase employee productivity by absorbing sounds. Adding cushion separately or an attached cushion carpet reduces noise even further. Carpet also works as a sound barrier between floors by helping to block sound transmission to spaces below. Plus, carpet on stairs helps mask the sound of constant foot traffic.
SAVES MONEY OVER TIME
The sum of the initial cost of carpet, plus the maintenance costs over the total time of the life of the carpet is usually less than hard surface flooring. Plus, cleaning carpet is less labor intensive. A survey of commercial buildings that had maintenance programs for hard surfaces and carpet demonstrated that carpet costs less to maintain. The study found that hard surface floors require two and a half times more cleaning time than carpet, and cleaning supplies were about seven times more expensive for vinyl floors than for carpeted floors. While upfront purchase and installation costs are more expensive for carpet than hard surface flooring, carpet expenditures prove to be more cost-effective over the full life cycle of the product.
MEETS GREEN BUILDING STANDARDS
Carpet systems that meet or exceed CRI’s Green Label or Green Label Plus programs can contribute one full Indoor Environmental Quality Credit to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) ratings of the U.S. Green Building Council. Similarly, the Green Guide for Health Care awards one point to healthcare facilities that install Green Label Plus carpet. Furthermore, Green Label carpet is also used as a specification standard for the American Lung Association’s Healthy Home program, the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) and the state of California.
SUMMARY
No argument, that was a lot of “facts”, kind of like trying to get a sip of water from a firehose. I hope you found some of it helpful and eye opening, most especially the cost savings of carpet over hard surfaces – when it is properly specified, designed and maintained. Let me know if you have any questions regarding this article so I can get the answer…“just the facts” for you.