According to the National Center of Healthy Housing, a healthy home is housing that is designed, constructed and maintained in a manner that is conducive to good occupant health. From air quality and sound control to comfort and wellness, experts say flooring can impact many of the attributes of a healthy home. Responding to end users’ heightened awareness of the connection between the spaces they occupy and their wellbeing—and to the booming international wellness real estate market, which the Global Wellness Institute says is now a $134 billion industry, expected to reach $180 billion in 2022—flooring manufacturers are rolling out cleaner products for healthier homes and living.
“Today, people spend, on average, 90 percent of their time indoors with the majority of that spent at home,” says Troy Virgo, director of sustainability, Shaw Industries. “So it’s no wonder people are increasingly focused on how indoor spaces can impact their wellness, whether through noise levels, the moods evoked through design aesthetics and choices in materials, or just the peace of mind that a clean space can evoke.”