Adios to the atchoos: How in-floor heating benefits allergy sufferers

Around 3.6 million Canadians report suffering from allergies, which can cause a wide range of symptoms costing millions of healthcare dollars each year.

One of the most common allergens is the house dust mite, which infests 90% of Canadian homes and is invisible to the human eye.  Dust mites feed on human skin flakes that accumulate in carpets, soft furnishings, bedding and clothes.  

Dust mite allergies are present all year round and can cause unpleasant symptoms including blocked nose, coughing, dry mouth, skin rashes and sleep problems related to respiratory discomfort.  Dust mite allergy can also exacerbate conditions like asthma, making sufferers more prone to attacks.

Having hard floors in the home is one way to minimise problems linked to dust mites because there are fewer places for dust and mites to accumulate.   Combining tile or laminate with in-floor heating offers an even better solution, by making it practical to have hard floors in dust-prone rooms like bedrooms, without compromising on comfort.

Reduced air movement

But there’s another way that in-floor heating can benefit allergy sufferers, making it a preferable alternative to forced air systems – and it’s related to the way dust mites travel.

Dust mites are extremely small and light – too small to see without a microscope.  They spread throughout our homes on our clothing and possessions, but also using warm air currents to drift from room to room.  Most people are not allergic to the dust mites themselves – rather to their droppings.  These microscopic particles remain in the home even if the mites themselves are eliminated, and also spread around via moving air.

With conventional forced air systems, there’s a lot of air movement in the home – as with any convection-based system, air currents are required to distribute heat throughout the room.  As well as circulating dust that accumulates in the heating ducts, these systems stir up the air in the home, which allows dust mites to spread and increases the chance that the inhabitants will inhale or come into contact with the mites and their waste.

With radiant heating systems, there are no ducts, and the in-floor heating system warms the air gradually without displacing any dust, so mites find it harder to spread.  Coupled with hard floors and fastidious cleaning, it’s possible to dramatically reduce the dust mite burden in your home and minimise any allergic reactions.  Additionally, in-floor heating doesn’t dry the air out, resulting in a more comfortable heat that’s less irritating to the respiratory system.

To find out more about the health and practical benefits of a CosyFloor in-floor heating system, get in touch!