Could dirty office carpets be costing you money? If your cleaning service skimps on carpet care, they might be. While it may seem far-fetched, studies show that improperly maintained office carpets can contribute to absenteeism and decreased employee productivity.

Just like they do in your home, carpets in the workplace contribute to the overall quality of your indoor air. Why does indoor air quality matter? Poor indoor air quality can be responsible for some very serious health effects including dizziness, nausea, headaches, fatigue, respiratory illnesses and inability to concentrate – not exactly a recipe for maximum productivity.

Individuals with weakened immune systems, allergies, asthma or other underlying respiratory conditions are particularly at risk, but anyone can be negatively affected by poor air quality. And not only can office air quality impact your employees’ productivity; it can also have a cumulative effect, contributing to more serious illnesses that could cause your employees to miss work.

While most commercial cleaning services focus on visible surface dirt, many ignore the dust, mold spores, bacteria and allergens that can be harbored deep within the carpet’s fiber. Each time someone walks across the carpet, those irritants are re-dispersed into the air. Following are just a few of the most common contributors to poor indoor air quality and their associated health effects.

Office Mold

Mold spores can be present in your office carpet even when no mold is visible. For some people, even a small amount of mold can cause health problems. Mold spores in the air can contribute to inflammation, allergic reactions or even infections – some of the most common symptoms associated with mold exposure are cough, nose and throat irritation, eye irritation and headaches.

Dust Mites

Although most people are aware of the potential health effects of dust mites in the home, most of us never consider the potential for dust mites in the office. Whether in your home or in your workplace, just one square yard of carpet can be home to over 100,000 dust mites. And unfortunately, vacuuming alone is not sufficient to remove them. Dust mites can cause allergic reactions such as eye irritation, runny nose, sneezing, coughing and skin problems. In some people, such as those with asthma, more severe symptoms can occur.

Other Allergens

Try as we might, we can never completely avoid bringing allergens from our homes or the outdoors into our places of business. While it’s not uncommon to remove one’s shoes when entering a home, not many offices take kindly to sock-footed employees. Allergens – like pollen and pet dander – are tracked inside on your employees’ shoes and worked deeper and deeper into your office carpet as your employees walk around. Continued exposure to these allergens can contribute to the development of chronic conditions such as asthma, bronchitis and sinusitis.

So what can be done to improve the air quality at your office? While regular removal of surface dust and allergens is important, deep cleaning your office carpets is also a necessity. If your office is on the ground floor, most experts recommend a professional cleaning every three to six months (more often in high dust conditions). If your office is on an upper floor, your carpets should be cleaned every six to 12 months.