Page 13 - spaces4learning, Spring 2023

How Flooring Type Can Affect Your Indoor Air Quality
These days, most of us spend around 90% of our time indoors, which means the air quality of the spaces we frequent is paramount to our health. Studies have shown that poor indoor air quality can have a host of negative effects on our health, such as diminished cognitive performance and dull decision-making abilities.
The risks posed by poor indoor air quality cannot be ignored. Commercial facility managers must do everything possible to ensure that their business or facility operates in top shape. Not only should businesses have organized, regular maintenance staff members who use safe, nontoxic cleaning products—harsh chemicals can harm the air quality as much as germs—they should also consider foundational elements like flooring.
When commercial facility managers take the time to consider all their options and put time and care into creating an environment that is conducive to the health of those who work and visit their facilities, the result is happier, more productive, and more successful people.
One of the culprits of poor indoor air quality may surprise you! Did you know that certain flooring types can pose health risks? In addition, HVACs can compound air quality issues too. If germs, viruses, bacteria, and other microbes live in or on the floor, foot traffic can kick the microbe soup into the air. Unfortunately, all the HVAC system needs to do then is its job, which spreads these harmful elements around the building—even to spaces that may not have risky flooring types installed. This article will cover how flooring affects indoor air quality and why seamless, nonporous flooring types are the best choice when you’re looking to create a clean, safe business and/or facility.
How the Wrong Flooring Type Can Lead to Allergies and Sickness
Certain types of flooring—such as carpet, vinyl composition tile (VCT), tile grout, and certain types of quartz-filled epoxy—can pose serious risks to occupants. Many assume that carpeting harbors the most germs and bacteria, but surprisingly, this isn’t always the case. Carpet tiles indeed trap in their fibers airborne allergens and irritants, which can be detrimental to the health of those inside, but those same fibers also keep some of the contaminants and particulates out of the air. What’s more, spaces with carpet flooring have maintenance staff that provides scheduled vacuuming, which removes a percentage of particulates. Still, carpet flooring leaves something to be desired, especially as they have proven to induce allergies and asthma in many people.
Porous surfaces, such as tile grout and quartz-filled epoxy flooring, can harbor just as many germs, viruses, bacteria, and microbes as carpet, only these microbes do not get trapped in surface fibers. Instead, they are fed by well-meaning maintenance staff, who, by mopping, provide the microbes with the moisture they need to grow and multiply. Foot traffic moves these multiplying microbes into the air, which is taken into the HVAC system, spreading the microbes even further.
When comparing carpet cleaning to VCT flooring maintenance or mopping tile grout or quartz-filled epoxy flooring, the differences are downright disturbing. VCT flooring maintenance uses wax, which, when applied, is released into the air and spread throughout the building’s interior via the HVAC system. These particles can harm inhabitants’ respiratory systems and have even been linked to some cancers. The biggest risk that porous flooring poses is the false impression of cleanliness it sends facility managers, hiding the potential health and safety issues that can occur down the line.
Epoxy Flooring, the Safest Choice for Businesses and Facilities
Luckily for business and facility managers, there is a safe, easy-to-clean, and aesthetically pleasing option called epoxy flooring. Not only is epoxy flooring highly durable and sustainable but it’s a flooring type that supports health. Some epoxy floors (though not all of them) are 100% nonporous, which means they are entirely seamless and devoid of any crevices. With no space in the floor surface to hide, dirt, germs, and bacteria can neither fester nor spread through the air. To get such results, it is important to only use nonporous epoxy flooring, such as Everlast® Epoxy.
Other flooring types require waxing and toxic chemical cleaners, but epoxy floors are protected from contaminants, dirt, and liquid, making them ultra-easy to clean. They require no waxing, buffing, or mopping, which, as previously mentioned, often can do more harm than good. To keep an epoxy floor in optimal condition, all it needs is a daily sweep or vacuum, some cleaner concentrate, and a deck brush. In larger facilities, any excess cleaner can be swept into a drain, whereas type of flooring businesses can remove any remaining solution with a squeegee. The benefits of epoxy flooring are endless—in addition to the benefits already discussed, it also protects against mold and insects while also being odorless and completely slip-resistant.
The Company Leading the Epoxy Flooring Movement
Everlast Epoxy is a company that got its start by developing flooring solutions for restaurants, which are notoriously some of the most difficult environments to keep clean. They designed a new and improved epoxy floor, formulating it with antimicrobial additives. The EPA-registered antimicrobial additive stops bacteria in its tracks, keeping occupants safe even through years of continuous use.
If you are a commercial facility manager who is trying to determine the cleanest, safest, and healthiest flooring solution, consider epoxy flooring the clear winning choice—with Everlast® Epoxy offering the best in class.
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