Hardwood flooring - a healthy choice if you have dust allergies

One of the most common allergies these days is dust. A study in England showed that 10 per cent of the general population, and 90 per cent of people with allergic asthma, are allergic to dust mites.

In the U.S., studies indicated that at least 45 per cent of young Americans with asthma are allergic to house dust. If you have carpet in your home, dust can be even more of a problem for your allergies because dust and the tiny, microscopic dust mites trapped by carpet fibres, remain unseen and aren't always removed during vacuuming.

What's a good alternative? Hardwood — It's a hard-surface floor and doesn't trap dust fibres and mites that can set off your allergies. It's also a timeless classic that adds value to your home.

When you have a dust allergy, you need to vacuum or dust every week or as dust becomes visible.

Hardwood floors are easy to care for with simple vacuuming or dustmopping.

You have two choices in hardwood flooring. You can install "conventional" hardwood, but these floors tend to gap during dry winters. Then there's the "new generation" of hardwood floors, guaranteed to be dust and gap resistant. These floors also can be easily unclicked and lifted to check underneath the floor for mould and mildew and then clicked back into position.