How Carpet Cleaning Triggers Kawasaki Disease?
Cleaning is significant to health, yet ironically can hamper your health.
Confused?
Well, carpet cleaning is one such instance.
Have you any clue about the diseases related to carpet cleaning? How these diseases spread and why?
If you have a vague idea, here’s something to brief you up about the same and a few tips to keep in mind while getting those woolen floor coverings cleaned the next time.
Kawasaki is a disease that mainly affects children below 5 years of age, causing swelling in the blood vessels, mouth, and skin.
Kawasaki is a pediatric disease that was first identified in Japan in the 1960’s. The name of the disease originated from Dr. Tomisaku Kawasaki, who first discovered it.
The disease is associated with cardiovascular complications among infants and young children.
The major and most perceivable symptom includes high fever, which does not respond to antibiotics.
While, conjunctivitis, cracked lips, and swelling are other visible symptoms of Kawasaki.
An outbreak of Kawasaki syndrome was recorded in Denver in 1982.
45% of the cases showed relevance with carpet cleaning, with the infants briefly exposed to newly cleaned carpets.
5 Symptoms to Lookout For
- High fever
- Red and rashy skin
- Red tongue
- Red eyes
- Peeling skin of fingers, palms, or feet
#ProTip
Consult a doctor in case you believe your child may have contracted the Kawasaki disease.
That said, prevention is always better than cure!
Just like every disease is preventable, so is Kawasaki.
Understanding its causes can prove beneficial at eliminating them from your daily routine.
5 Ways to Keep Kawasaki Disease at Bay
1. Don’t Expose Kids to Newly Shampooed Carpets
Carpet cleaning seems to be one of the major triggers for Kawasaki, though the scientific data seems debatable.
A study conducted by the Center for Disease and Control (CDC) states that, children contracted the disease after the families cleaned their carpets, most of whom had exposed their kids within 2 hours of having the carpet shampooed.
Immediate exposure to the cleaning agents, thus proves to negatively impact the health of children, in the form of kawasaki.
So, the next time you decide to clean the dirt off your carpet, ensure your child is kept away for at least 4 hours.
Furthermore, do not have your baby crawl on the newly cleaned carpet for the rest of the day.
2. Use Organic or Water-based Products
It may be tough to find a chemical-free product with the potential to do away with the stubborn stains and molds on your carpet.
When you buy a product from the market, you tend to use the concentrated solution as is, which in turn could leave a strong odor and chemical residue.
Ammonia, chlorine, and phthalates are the toxic chemicals lurking in most of these cleaning products.
Thus, diluting these products appropriately enough to decrease their toxicity yet work effectively, holds great significance.
3. Use Carpet Cleaning Products that Dry up Quick
Products such as sprays that are low in moisture are highly recommended for cleaning carpets, especially in humid regions.
If you live anywhere amid the sea, you need to make smart choices on your carpet cleaning methods.
Depending on the frequency of your cleaning, the level of cleaning required for your carpet, and the age of your carpet, you should invest in products as well as follow dry or steam cleaning methods accordingly.
It is important to know that equipment and products that leave a carpet damp for hours, are conducive to harmful bacteria and thus, illnesses.
Hence, it’s necessary to keep your carpet dry to avoid diseases such as kawasaki.
Besides this, you should ensure that the room with the newly cleaned carpet is well-ventilated.
This lowers the susceptibility to growth of molds and helps dry out your carpet faster.
4. Replace Your Cleaning Equipment
Are you still using an older and ineffective vacuum cleaner?
Your old vacuum cleaner may not only be a host to illnesses but also an incapable tool for deep cleaning.
The intensity and speed with which a vacuum cleaner functions, diminishes by the years, posing as a greater threat than solution.
Furthermore, you should know that vacuuming alone will do no good. There’s more to carpet cleaning than just that.
Sweating over the thought of investing in all those advanced equipment?
Don’t! Here’s why.
5. Opt for Professional Cleaning Over Self-cleaning
If you think you can clean your carpet by yourself just to save a few bucks, well good, but you should beware of the dos and don’ts while doing so.
As easy a task as it appears, its repercussions could take a toll on the health of you and your loved ones.
Professional carpet cleaning services in Baltimore, MD know what’s best for your carpet and your health.
These services know the exact rate of dilution of various cleaning agents, thus lowering the toxicity of chemicals.
They also rely on water-based products, wherever necessary. This is both, healthy and environmentally friendly.
Furthermore, when you have a professional come clean your carpets, you needn’t worry about the hassle of washing and drying.
The advanced equipment used by professionals, will dry out your carpet faster than you can expect.
Hire a Professional Carpet Cleaner Today
Professional carpet cleaning services help make your life easier.
If you care about your child’s health and the cleanliness of your carpeted home, contact Dri-Masters carpet cleaning service in Baltimore MD.
You can also follow their Facebook and Twitter handles for some amazing tips, tricks and hacks on carpet cleaning.