Question from HG
Debra,
I was wondering if there is any way to test whether my carpet is still off-gassing. We have carpet in our apartment that is approximately 15 months old. After learning about the harmful effects of carpet off-gassing I decided to start looking at new apartments to rent. We live in Miami and have found that the majority of apartment units in our neighborhood are either fully carpeted or are partially carpeted, and the other primary flooring option seems to be marble (rather than hard wood which is what I wanted). Our only concern regarding marble is that we have a newborn baby and I am concerned about her slipping and hitting her head on the marble floor as she learns to crawl and walk. Therefore, I am trying to weigh the harm of carpet off-gassing against the harm of possible slips on marble. Do you know if there is any way we could find out if our carpet is still off-gassing or if it might be safe to remain in the apartment that we are currently in? Any insight would be much appreciated.
Thank you!
Debra’s Answer
I don’t know of a do-it-yourself test for carpet outgassing. It usually has an odor if it is outgassing, but the odor could diminish and it could still be outgassing.
Also, there is something called “olifactory fatigue” which means that your nose can stop smelling an odor, but it can still be present. So you can’t really rely on your nose in your own living space. Your nose would be more reliable if you were away from your home for a few days.
Readers, anyone know of an outgassing test for carpets?
There are indoor air quality specialist who can come in and measure with instruments, but this costs thousands of dollars.
I would say, offhand, that your carpet is still outgassing after 15 months. It takes years, depending on the carpet and the conditions.
I’m 82, an I have no allergies,(that I knew of) but just 3 months a go I started playing Bridge in a new building, built just for the local bridge club. Well the 1st month I was fine, then I started getting headaches that a couple aspirins helped, I could not smell anything in the Bridge center, so I never thought about what causing my headaches. My wife told me several times that my clothing smelled weird? (and she is allergic to many things, and has a great nose!
Now, the last 7 times I’ve played, my headaches got real bad, ( I took aspirins and Ibuprofen, (no help) I was dizzy, I mean real dizzy, it affected my game concentration, an I wasn’t walking table to table or the bathroom in a straight line. After the game I took my dizzy headache home it lasted hours, last night it lasted all night!
A few players have commented on the smell, or slight headaches, but none bad enough to quit or complain seriously.
This group that play here, and the directors are great, and I will not report this, but I’m sure I’ll have to quit, but I’d like to recommend something to the directors that they can do to solve this, if “they” do I will be able to come back!
Respectfully
Robert Sleadd
There is a product called Carpet Seal that will block fumes from synthetic carpets. I used this myself many years ago when I had to work in an office with a carpet and it worked really well. It’s easy to apply and clear so you don’t even know it’s there.
Please tell them about how the carpet is affecting you and offer this solution. It will be good for everyone who comes in the building.