Under the Rug

Allergens, dust mites, pet accidents and mold are defeated by new carpet installation methods 

It’s a mold inhibitor, not a cleaning product. But I wondered what it would do in the aftermath of a flood that left mold growing on my friend’s basement stairs. 

HealthinEx ™ is a component of an exclusive program  from  Carpet One Floor & Home. The company sprays the product on the subfloor before installing new carpet over it.  This substance isn’t like the antimicrobial agents we’ve all heard about, including bleach, peroxide and triclosans. The makers of HealthinEx say those other products promote new, chemical-resistant mold strains, and the products migrate away from the site promoting unintended exposure and pollution. 

“Instead, HealthinEx bonds to the subfloor, creating a protective barrier that traps particles, kills bacteria and inhibits the growth of mold,” says Ken Weisbacher, president of Carpetland Carpet One Floor & Home in Cincinnati, OH. “When you combine it with other elements of our Healthier Living Installation,™  which include vacuuming before and after the new carpet goes in, the homeowner is left with a much cleaner home environment.”

Before

 Carpet One also promotes the HealthinEx application as a way to rid mold that already  has taken hold under the old flooring that is being replaced. My friend’s stairs presented a testing opportunity. 

“There are many different types of mold and the more porous the surfaces the more likely you are only seeing a small portion of its growth,” says Arne Rotne, president of BioShield Services, LLC, which manufactures HealthinEx exclusively for Carpet One. “You may consider cleaning a large area of mold before using the HealthinEx  although the HealthinEx will do good job over time to reduce or eliminate the surface mold. Although mold may be dead, its discoloration may still be visible.” 

After

Carpet One Floor & Home, which has more than 1,000 locations nationwide, introduced Healthinex as part of its Healthier Living Installation (HLI) in January. This installation takes many steps to deal with debris, dust and bacteria that can be trapped under old flooring, and dislodged into the indoor-air environment when old flooring is removed and new flooring is installed. 

“From the word go, HLI was very well-received by our customers,” says John Taylor, president and owner of Taylor Carpet One Floor & Home in Fort Myers, FL, who estimates that 30 to 40 percent of his carpet installation customers are choosing HLI over traditional installation methods. “These customers are very health-conscious. We’re providing an installation process that’s much cleaner. That is very attractive to them.” 

 HLI follows these key steps to clean the air and floor of allergens and irritants: 

– The work area is cleaned with a HEPA filter-equipped vacuum before and after the new carpet is installed, and plastic barriers keep any airborne particles from making their way into vents and other rooms. 

– The company’s exclusive antimicrobial agent, HealthinEx  is applied to the subfloor, where it traps particles and kills bacteria, mildew and mold.

 – A premium carpet pad that blocks spills from seeping through is installed under the new carpet.

 Using a vacuum with a HEPA filter ensures maximum containment of dust and irritants that can trigger allergies and allergy-like reactions.  While some carpet installers will sweep up large debris from the subfloor before installing new carpet, vacuuming before and after installation is not the norm. 

Neither is the use of an antimicrobial surface treatment, and Carpet One readily points out that the health-conscious customers who are choosing HLI first question the use of HealthinEx chemicals in their homes. 

HealthinEx is different from other antimicrobial treatments because it uses something called Organosilane technology. The chemistry involves a quaternary ammonium salt , which is spliced to a silane molecule. This produces the product’s active ingredient — 3-trimethoxsilpropydimethylocadecyl ammonium chloride. The water-based, HealthinEx  solution  adheres to a wide range of surfaces and has excellent antimicrobial properties. Because there is no unfixed organic silane once the solution dries, there is no chemical off- gassing, no migration from the site, no odor and no residue that can be dislodged, according to the makers of the product. 

Consumers choosing this installation  find HealthinEx to be a far better answer than dealing with dislodged allergens and the potential health effects of infection and mold. According to the EPA, there are  50 to 100 common indoor mold types have the potential for creating health problems. 

HealthinEx is EPA-registered  and meets Indoor Air & Surface Quality (IASQ) standards used by the Healthier Environment Living Program – a group that certifies people in mold detection and abatement. 

The carpet pad used in this installation has CRI Green Label certification and contains an antimicrobial agent, in addition to being moisture-resistant. 

“The Healthier Living Installation program is desirable anywhere and everywhere a better flooring installation is wanted,” Rotne says. “Remember up north there are basements, and moisture management is critical. And there are different conditions in every corner of the country creating the need for healthier installations. Having the best surface coating working all day and all night,  24/7,  with a non- leaching, safe technology, creates the best results.” ©

– Nancy Kibbee is editor at www.naturalinteriors.com