New carpets are a well-known cause of environmental illness.
Synthetic carpets release poisonous gassed for quite a while after they have been installed.
If you are considering the installation of new carpets, I advise against it.
If you are stuck with new carpets, here are some things you can try to reduce the damage.
I suggest you ventilate your home as much as possible – keep windows open as much as you can (weather permitting). If you have central heating/air conditioning, the system should have a fresh air intake. Make sure it is open to the max and leave the fan running 24/7.
If you have any extraction fans (eg from the bathroom or kitchen) that exhaust to the outside, leave them on 24/7. Note that many kitchen fans do not vent to the outside (crazy I know, but common – go figure) – so check this before bothering to leave it on all the time.
Get an activated carbon filter for your home. Hardware stores often sell HEPA filters with integrated activated carbon filters. The HEPA filter does nothing against the gasses, it is the carbon filter you are looking for.
Sarah has left a comment suggesting that a photocatalytic air purifier is helpful in improving air quality (available from Amazon, follow link in this sentence).
Important Note: I don’t want to scare you but you have to know: new carpets can seriously destroy your health.
{ 37 comments… read them below or add one }
I am so worried that this is happening to me and my family. We just moved into an apt. with brand new carpet. After just one night, I developed a horrible sore throat. The next night, my son began to develop a very bad cough. I feel like I have mononucleosis-like symptoms. Now, my husband is feeling sinus problems, etc. We are having the air conditioning looked at tom., to hopefully rule that out. How do we know if we are having an allergy to the air conditioning vs. new carpets??? I am so worried about my child, but now after this move, we are flat broke. My little guy is 18 months. How long do we have to deal with this before his system is badly damaged??? I am hoping at least a week?
I am so happy to have found this website. I have been in my apartment with new carpeting for one month. After being in the apartment and itching (thinking it was insects) welping red blotches, conjestion, headaches, shortness of breath, I realized the common dedominator was the new carpeting. It took 15 days there before being taken to the hospital because my tongue was feeling funny and I couldnt breathe. The carpeting was cleaned and things got better for short time. I had to leave for days before returning. Then it became more severe only allowing me to be in my apartment for only a few minutes at a time. Management wanted to give me another apartment-with the same carpeting. O I could break the lease without any consequence. I have opt to the second and will be looking for a place without carpeting. I have had to stay with a relative and even her old carpeting has caused some iritation. I feel that my immune system has been compromised. Would like to hear from others who may have similar experience. Oh, the carpet installer never told me about the potenial from harmful chemicals, only that he didnt smell or see anything out of the normal and that carpeting wasnt made the same way as in the past.
I recently lost my job of 10 1/2 yrs. in part due to my reaction to new carpet. Workmen have been working during work hrs. in our ofc most of the past yr. w/o protecting us. I have had blood clots in my nose from sinus infections all yr. and migraines. On 6/23/11 when I had to keep going to my boss’s ofc & mailroom over new carpeting they were just laying, I started coughing & wheezing, could not catch my breath, and my legs felt rubbery & like I was going to pass out. I had to go outside to catch my breath. I was told I was a “disruption.” Apx. 9 yrs. ago they had to call paramedics for allergic reaction to antibiotics, in 2004 my reactions to perfume (sinuses/lungs/migraines) were so severe my bosses mocked me & told me to get shots. An attorney I was working for at the time told them they had to protect me, and I worked in a glass cubicle for years. I have also been breathing carpet/wallpaper/tile glue; dust from workers making people cough; and smoke from one of my bosses through the vents and in her office (in a non-smokng bldg). I have had this carpet reaction since the ’80s when I was in real estate & had to avoid homes with new carpet. The sad thing is people mock me because they don’t experience the same things I do. I have been to drs. over the past 40+ yrs. & no one has been able to help me except to give me steroid sprays for my nose.
I’m sorry to hear that you’ve lost your job because of your allergies.
Working in a supportive and healthy environment is very important. I hope you can find a better job.
Carpet sensitivities are caused by the chemicals. You can reduce these immensely by renting a carpet cleaner, and instead of the cleaning solutions (which make them worse) use a cup of borax and one cup of baking soda, and rinse out the cleaner each time you add water.
This also takes out the scotch guard, so you’ll have to be more diligent in cleanliness.
The carpet will be crispy for a few days, but this goes away quickly.
2nd: Close the windows. Turn up the heat to past 90 over night. This helps the carpets off gas. You might even want to do this for 2 nights. Then turn down the heat, open everything up.
This works!
Your suggestion to use borax and baking soda in a carpet cleaner is an excellent one! One can still expect off-gassing, but cleaning should help.
If someone decides to take your second suggestion, they should not live in the house during this process or they will make themselves much worse, as they will sustain a major does of gasses all at once!
I am so glad that i came across with this site. I was starting to think that i was loosing my mind trying to figure out the skin rash i developed since moving to my new apartment 10 days ago.Originally i thought the apartment have some sort of bug infestation, but after reading the other posts, i think the problem is the new carpet they installed a few days before i moved in. Besides the skin rash and itching, i also have sharp headaches, dizziness and nasal congestion. I’d like to breach my lease and move out. I am normally very healty and never experienced anything like this before 🙁
Unfortunately, after two weeks of new carpet in several rooms of our small stone house, I am suffering from itchy and red eyes, coughing, and nasal drainage. In Texas, we do have terrible cedar allergies also. So, I really don’t know if there is a direct correlation, but will get Dr.’s opinion in a.m. and perhaps a cortisone injection. Would never put a baby on new carpet.
Try to get as much fresh air from outside as possible.
we moved to a apartment 2 months.the carpet was bad and the landlord didnt believe us but the itch was awful.im on oxegen and my breathing is getting worse.my husband and i have many illinesses.landlord in stalled new carpet 3 vweeks ago.its the same kind of carpetthat was here.she said they could do no more.we are itching terrible.have to store our clothes in plastic bags.yellow fuzz is coming from rugs.it is on our furniture,bed–etc.we have to wash bedclothes everyday just to sleep.we have nine months left on lease.im on dialysis.airborn fuzz is worse when heat is running—–please help–we are at wits end–thank you
This was a helpful topic of conversation. I appreciate the information. Our son showed signs of being allergic to carpet as well. We had our come custom built and put capet in. -magine evrytime you put your son on the floor you see him break out in rash or hives and trouble breathing???? Babies are safest on the floor for playtime. Well he developed asthma and we ended up selling our home. We are in a rental now with hardwoods throughout and he is 2. What a great differece. Unfortunately our church has installed new carpets so we will be out of that for a while. When is it safe to return? The building is not well ventalated so – will be sending the pastor a letter soon.
I recently moved into a new construction home that has carpet in 3 rooms. Since moving in, I have developed contact dermatitis. I purchased two V-600 airpura filters ($1400) – stayed away from the home for several days with the thermostat on 90F heat – circulated air through the home with the windows open and using box fans. I am so fed up I am thinking about removing all of the carpet. If I had wood floors installed, would that off gas as well? Would it be worth installing carpet with low VOC’s, or would that be like starting over?
NH has just post that tey are going to go to the Mayo Clinic. I have been to the Mayo for Multiple ChemicalSensitivity and they simply told me that “there is no such thing”.
I have a documented case of severe chemical sensitivity and have lived secluded for the past 14 years now. The chemical out-gas from carpet can actually be lethal to some people, while others think it smells great. The best solution or test is to remove yourself from the exposure or remove it. In New Mexico we actually have MCS Task Force which provdes information and guidance for people with chemical sensitivity. Follow this link to get started with their information: http://www.chemicalsensitivityfoundation.org/pdf/Multiple-Chemical-Sensitivities-Brochure.pdf or go to the New Mexico state website where you can search links.
MCS is a growing problem in this country and needs to be addressed as long as we allow manufactures to introduce chemicals into our daily lives without controls.
I hope you find a solution, but your best start for medical assistance on MCS is not the Mayo Clinic but search the web for Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and read the results. You can also add your state name to the search and it will produce loccal resources for you.
Best of Luck
Rodger
Thanks for that Rodger.
The environmental health center of dallas is one of the best for this suspected illness. Dr. Rhea (sp?) has credentials a page long and his former partner who”s name I think is Dr. Johnson, are very we’ll known for their advances in this field. Just be aware of the things in your immediate surroundings, your diet, and things that may have changed in your day to day life. Most medical insurance providers are starting to cover some of the costs but the out of pocket expense can grow quickly. Do your own research in conjunction with a doctor, consult with them, and together make a planned course of action for the best treatment.. There is a fine line to when you start believing you are allergic to the truth.
My Mom has been doctoring and no one seems to have answers for her. Our next plan is to go to Mayo. We have been trying to think about all sorts of angles…medications changes, heart, foods, etc. I just realized that she had new carpet put into her bedroom two years ago. She hasn’t felt well for around two years…. Her symptoms are nausea, weak, just doesn’t feel good and can’t really explain it. If it is something with the carpet, what medical tests can be done to confirm this? Or rule it out?
I’ve not heard of any medical tests that help with this, but there may well be some.
Your idea to go to Mayo is a good one.
Mean while, if your Mom could live somewhere else for days or weeks at a time, that may help (I realize this could be impractical).
My son moved into an apartment with new carpet. One week into the apartment and he began shaking uncontrollably (not seizure-like) but did not have chills or fever accompanying the shaking. The next several days he had horrible headaches.
The new carpet is the only possible thing we could think of that might be a problem.
Have you ever heard of new carpet allergies causing these symptoms?
Thanks so much.
Everyone has their own unique set of allergic symptoms to different allergens.
If you really want to know, you’d have to get your son out of the apartment for a few days or longer and see if the symptoms go away.
I have had problems that are very similar to your son, but with old carpet. I was shaking uncontrollably, but could still talk, at the same time it also gave me a cramp in my calf so I ended up taking a shower and the shaking stopped almost immediately. I knew that that night I had been playing with our cat and I was crawling on the floor on the carpet for a good 15 minutes or so.
I had a similar issue a long time ago at my parents after I moved their old carpet out (with no gloves on) in the middle of the summer. At night I started shaking like I was cold and my teeth where chattering (it was 72 in the house) so I went to bed and covered myself up with blankets. I think it lasted about 3 hours. I later heard of people getting sick from moving carpet (old carpet) without gloves.
I wonder if that might be caused by latex – which is sometimes used in the carpet backing?
I just moved in to a new apartment 2 days ago. They put new carpet in for me because of my alllergies to pets. My first new night in my apartment I took took my shoe and socks off and went bare footed. Within 30 minutes my feet were extremely itchy. I told the landlord this morning of the problem and they had the carpet cleaned. I took off my shoes again and had the same problem. Now that I know the problem and after reading the other comments on this issue I need to see about getting out of my lease that I just signed, finding another apartment and moving all over again. Another problem is I’m asthmatic and I’m worried about the exposure to the chemicals on my lungs. What do you think? This is the first time I’ve every been aware of this sort of allergy or chemical sensitivity.
The chemicals from new carpets have been known to cause severe illnesses in people who were previously healthy.
Drag about moving but worth it for your health.
Hi ,
I have moved in many different places over the yeare , as I am waiting for a office of housing property. The place where I’ve lived at all have the same carpet , including now. It’s a grey dull carpet thats not that smooth at all. Every so many monthes ,I come in a red raised up rash on my legs or knees , This is worse when my body natrually heats up , such cold night turning the heater on , or summer. How would I know I had a carpet allergy , and how could I find out about the carpet. Help would be appreciated as I am very worried. Thank you
Kathy
Hi Kathy,
It isn’t so much that people have a “carpet allergy”, so much as an allergy to what carpets are made of.
There are many types of carpets.
New carpets can release nasty chemicals. Reacting to the chemicals is a chemical sensitivity, not necessarily an allergy.
From what you are saying, it does not sound like the carpets are necessarily new.
A common allergy is to latex, frequently used for carpet backing. Old carpets release this as a powder, as old latex breaks down. Heat could make it worse and also cause the dust to get picked up in air currents caused by the heater.
You might want to look further into a latex allergy.
.. I moved into this appartment about 3 years ago… And a month after I moved here, at first a ton of my hair fell out all at once each day for a month… And I knoticed that my feet burnt and got sores from the carpet, so I kept my shoes on all the time.. Then would take them off again to see I f my feet got sore again and they did each time…. My hair seemed to come out less when my feet wasnt on carpet…. So I have kept shoes on for about 2 years, and been to the doctor about my hair falling out, and told the doctors that I felt it was due to the feet on carpet… Then last week we got new land lords here, so I told her about the carpet doing that to my feet and she said she needed doctors note saying I had complaned and that it was the carpet….. So I talked to the landlord again this week and told her all my stories about what it does to me, and she took my doctors note and said to do reserch on net about this, so I have been doing that the past few days…. I was amazed I found stores same as mine, burning feet , sores on feet, hair loss…..Sickness… I found this under a carpet called berber…. I didnt know what berber was so I type in berber carpet and … Omg it was what mine carpet looks like also…. This past few weeks I was found to have thirod problems , spots on them…. And I found that it talked about that being one of the things it causes….
Can anyone help me getting this tested… To know what is in this and more information on sickness of this…. Please..
I am 51 years old, has had brest cancer a few years back and many other surgerys.. I dont need to be sicker… Please help me so I can see what makes me sick on this kind of carpets chemical…..
I cant afford to move, or id be gone, I need more information so I can get the landlords to change it for me…..
This carpet was put in here new for me the week I moved in… I watched them put it down in the house….
And today found out it came from a (cardens) store… Where the get old carpet
Ty so much .. .. Missouri
im feeleing very ill have breathing problems since laying new carpet now with onset of winter and us of warm air conditioning i feel generally unwell very tired most the time and feeling worse had heart check its ok chest xray its ok stress test its ok i told that chemicals can be used not only but on importing into country.
what is best way to see if its cause of sickness thankyou ljs
The best way is to live somewhere without new carpets.
If this is not practical, you can try putting plastic sheeting over the carpet to reduce chemical release, and keep the windows open a bit to get air circulation.
I don’t know of an easy way for you to find out or deal with the problem unfortunately.
What ever you do, do it soon!
Best of luck.
My daughter had this same problem; putting large area rugs made of organic fibers in her room, the living room and runners in the hallway has helped quite a bit. I also got a charcoal filter to fit on my canister vacuum’s air out take, and raised her bed higher off the floor.
Thanks for sharing your solutions to this problem.
You might also consider a charcoal filter that runs continuously, filtering the air in a room. Examples that you can get from Amazon: Charcoal filter for central air or Honeywell 18155 SilentComfort Permanent, True HEPA Air Purifier. There are lots of other similar options available.
Make sure you use a vacuum
Make sure you use a vacuum cleaner with HEPA filtration. Lower your central heating thermostat.
HEPA for dust, not toxins
Chris,
Having a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter is important for dust, but will not help with new carpet toxins.
Lowering the heat may help a little bit.
I don’t think it will help enough to protect your health against new carpets.
The most important thing is to choose carpets that have low toxicity.
It is also important to make sure the building is very well ventilated.
Carpet allergy
We moved into an apartment two months ago which had new carpet installed. My wife has been experiencing itchy welts on her skin since we moved in. I would like to know if these may be caused by toxic chemicals in the carpet and if cleaning would solve this problem?
New carpets containing toxic chemicals
Hi Davie,
Sorry to hear about your wife’s problems.
It very likely could be caused by toxic chemicals in the new carpet. This is an all-too common occurrence.
Cleaning the carpet is likely to make things worse, not better. The toxic off-gassing will continue, and you’ll have added more toxic chemicals to your home with the cleaning agents.
You have three options:
1) Move out
2) Remove the carpet
3) Stay where you are and risk worse health problems.
This may sound stark and harsh. But that’s the reality (unless of course, your wife’s reaction is coincidental with moving, but many others have had their health destroyed by new carpets).
Good luck. Drop us a line and let us know how things go.
ALLERGY TO SYNTHETIC CARPETS
Hi
I think I might have taken allergy to all my synthetic carpets in my flat since I moved in over two years ago. It started a month after I moved in as it started off as a normal cold and then a cough which was very long-term like one year and a half then it calmed down for a few months before starting up again. It went away for a while again and now its back (October 2009).
I have had many tests done like chest x-rays, blood tests for diseases like anaemia, etc but they all came back negative. I even had blood tests to see for allergies but carpet fibres weren’t included. does anybody think i should go back to my GP and get that done? This is the only thing i can think of now that i am suffering from as it ruins my lifestyle – i can’t enjoy myself properly without coughing and spluttering.
Chemical sensitivity
Hi Sandra,
Sorry to hear about your health problems.
The problem with new carpets is usually the chemicals they release, not the fibers.
After two years, the chemicals should be long gone.
The problem could be that the chemicals you were originally exposed to have sensitized you to other substances, such as dust, mold, certain types of food etc.
Of course it is possible that your symptoms are not allergy-related, and it could be a coincidence that they started when you moved into your apartment.
If it is allergy-related, take extra care to keep the dust down and look for mold problems in potentially damp areas like in the bathroom and under the kitchen sink.
Also consider getting tested for a variety of food allergies.
Hope you’re able to sort things out.
Sandra:
Sorry for your suffering. I’ve been there.
I had wall-to-wall Kodel synthetic carpeting installed in my home in Maryland. When my forced-air heating turned on, fumes came out of the rug. I developed breathing difficulties and rapid heartrate. My allergist said it was probably the formaldehyde coming off, or a reaction to the dye in the carpet, or to the padding underneath. Bluish dyes present the most allergic responses, he said. (My carpeting was blue-green.)
I had to move out of my house while the installers pulled it out. The company (Sears??- it has been 33 years since), reimbursed me for the rug, not the padding, which I used later, for area rugs, which could be sent out to be laundered.
Never again will I install wall-to-wall carpeting!
Good Luck!
LeeSue