If you’re among the many Kansas City residents who suffer from seasonal allergies, you know how challenging it can be to find relief. The spring and fall seasons, in particular, bring an influx of pollen and mold spores that can make life miserable for allergy sufferers. While you can’t control the outdoor environment, you can take steps to make your home a sanctuary from allergens. One effective strategy is to replace carpet with hardwood floors for allergies.

Understanding Seasonal Allergies

Seasonal allergies are primarily triggered by airborne allergens like pollen from trees, grasses, and weeds, as well as mold spores that thrive in damp conditions. In the Kansas City area, these allergens are especially prevalent during the spring and fall months. When these particles enter your home, they can settle into soft surfaces and continue to cause symptoms long after you’ve come indoors.

Carpet – The Worst Offender

Carpet, while providing warmth and comfort, can be a significant contributor to indoor allergen accumulation. Its dense fibers act as a magnet for various allergens, including pollen and pet dander, which can exacerbate allergy symptoms.

Pollen: Pollen, a common allergen during spring and fall, often enters homes on shoes, clothing, and through open windows. Once inside, these microscopic particles settle deep into carpet fibers. Regular foot traffic can disturb these trapped allergens, releasing them back into the air and prolonging exposure. Similarly, pet dander—tiny flakes of skin shed by animals—readily embeds itself in carpets. Even with frequent vacuuming, these particles can remain lodged within the fibers, posing a continuous challenge for allergy sufferers.

Dust Mites & Mold: Moreover, the structure of carpet fibers provides an ideal environment for dust mites and mold spores. Dust mites thrive in the warm, humid conditions often found in carpets, feeding on organic matter like skin flakes. Their waste products are potent allergens that can trigger respiratory issues. Mold spores, on the other hand, can develop in damp areas of carpeting, especially if spills are not promptly cleaned or if humidity levels are high. These spores can cause allergic reactions and other health problems when inhaled. Regular vacuuming may not remove all these particles, meaning that these allergens become permanent residents in your home, and are released back into the air every time you vacuum.

Why Hardwood Floors Are Better for Allergy Sufferers

One big improvement for allergy sufferers is to install hardwood floors throughout your home (or at least the areas that the allergy-prone people frequently enter). Hard flooring surfaces like hardwood do not harbor allergens. They offer a smoother surface that doesn’t trap particles, making it easier to maintain a cleaner, allergen-reduced environment. Regular cleaning of hard floors can effectively remove allergens, contributing to improved indoor air quality and providing relief for those with allergies. Plus, there are no odors from smoke, pets and food staying in the environment to cause reactions either. Why replace carpet with hardwood floors for allergies? Hardwood floors offer several advantages over carpet when it comes to reducing allergens in your home:

• Easy to Clean: Hardwood floors can be swept, vacuumed with a HEPA filter, or damp-mopped to remove allergens effectively.
• Non-Porous Surface: Unlike carpet fibers, hardwood doesn’t trap allergens, making it easier to maintain a low-allergen environment.
• Improved Air Quality: Hardwood floors don’t harbor mold spores or dust mites, contributing to better indoor air quality.
• Low VOC Emissions: Many hardwood flooring options have low volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, reducing the risk of chemical sensitivities.

8 Additional Tips for Reducing Allergens at Home

Besides switching to hardwood floors, there are other smaller changes you can make that will help reduce allergens in your home:

1. Upgrade HVAC Filters: Change the air filters in your furnace to HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter. These filters trap tiny particles reducing the amount of dust and other airborne allergens in the air.
2. Whole-House Air Purifiers: You can also purchase a central air filtration unit for your whole house.
3. Use Portable Filters: Place a portable HEPA filter unit in your bedroom where you know you’ll be breathing the same air for eight hours a day. Adjust your air filter so that it directs clean air toward your head when you sleep.
4. Clean Air Ducts Regularly: Have your air ducts cleaned to remove any dust, mold or bacteria that may linger there and get re-circulated throughout your home.
5. Upgrade Your Vacuum: Purchase a vacuum with a HEPA filter that can filter airborne and surface allergens. Ensure it does not have a beater bar as this can damage wood floors.
6. Maintain Proper Humidity Levels: Reduce the humidity in your home to less than 51% percent by using a dehumidifier and/or air conditioner. Keep indoor humidity between 30-50% to inhibit mold growth, mite, and allergen levels.
7. Reduce Soft Surfaces: Carpets aren’t the only surface where allergens can accumulate. Upholstered furniture, and heavy drapes can act like sponges for allergens trapping pollen, dust mites, pet dander, and mold spores, creating a reservoir of irritants that can exacerbate allergy symptoms. Choose leather or vinyl furniture and lighter drapery.
8. Use Allergen-Proof Bedding: Encase mattresses and pillows in allergen-proof covers to reduce exposure to dust mites.

Wood Floor Installation Experts

Since 2003, SVB Wood Floors has been serving the Kansas City metro area, including Overland Park, with top-quality hardwood floor installation and refinishing services. Our commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction has made us a trusted name in the industry. It is our attention to detail and our unwavering effort to keep up with the latest technology in our industry that sets us apart from the competition. We provide only the highest quality hardwood flooring services.

Our Exclusive 5-Step Hardwood Floor Installation Process

You don’t get a reputation for being the best by accident. We have spent decades perfecting our wood floor installation process. Every step ensures that your floors not only look great, but that you are happy throughout the process. Our craftsmanship is second to none and our customer service is the icing on the cake. Here is a look at our wood floor installation process:

1. Free In-Home Design Consultation We begin by understanding your vision and recommending products, colors, and finishes that suit your decor, lifestyle, and budget.
2. Sub-Floor Preparation: We inspect and prepare your sub-floor to ensure a smooth and durable wood floor installation.
3. Dustless Sanding: Using the state-of-the-art Bona Atomic Dust Containment System®, we eliminate 99.8% of airborne dust, protecting your home’s air quality.
4. Custom Hardwood Staining: We create custom stains to achieve the exact color you desire, enhancing the natural beauty of your wood floors.
5. Three-Coat Finish: We apply three coats of an environmentally safe, durable, and fast-drying topcoat, ensuring long-lasting protection and beauty.

Dustless Sanding – A Healthier Refinishing Option

Even our dustless sanding process contributes to a more allergen-free home. Whether you get new wood floors or refinish your existing wood floors, they will have to be sanded. While necessary, sanding can be very messy. But at SVB Wood Floors, we’ve been in business long enough to know that you can’t avoid the sanding, but you can avoid the dust. That’s why we use the BONA Atomic Dust Containment System.

BONA Atomic Dust Containment

We use the Bona Atomic Dust Containment System (DCS) with all of our wood floor installations and refinishing. There are other systems out there, but not all dustless refinishing systems are created equal. We did our homework and chose the BONA system. Traditional sanding methods can release significant amounts of dust into your home, aggravating allergies and requiring extensive cleanup.

BONA® sanding tools actually trap and contain dust while sanding, preventing it from free-floating through your home or business. It captures dust at the source, transporting it to a containment system outside your home. The BONA system reduces airborne dust by 99.8% – the only dust left in your home is what’s already there. Not only does this reduce allergens, by leaving no dust in your home or ductwork, it also means there is no need to vacate your home during the process. An added bonus is that it produces a flawless finish without airborne contaminants.

Customers Love Our Dustless Refinishing

Our clients consistently praise our professionalism, attention to detail, and commitment to cleanliness:

“Great company to work with! Very impressed with every aspect of the process. It was nice to be able to stay in our home while the work was being done. Dust was not an issue at all, nor were fumes. Most importantly, the floors look amazing!”

— Brandi, Lee’s Summit, MO

“My home is nearly 60 years old and still has the original oak floors. SVB recently refinished the floor in the living room and hallway, and now it looks brand new — way better than I ever expected. There was no dust (as advertised) and no mess left behind. All the employees that I met are very nice people — professional and friendly. Thanks, SVB. You are a class act!”

— Elaine Schendt

If you suffer from allergies, replacing your carpet with hardwood floors for allergies might be a great choice for you. Call SVB Wood Floors and get our dustless sanding plus amazing customer service. Book a free in-home consultation and let the experts at SVB Wood Floors help you choose the right floor for you. Give us a call at (913) 359-4157 or (816) 448-8400 to book an in-home consultation online.ha