Are your parents getting older? Are you wondering what you can do to help them remain independent? Here are some reasons why you should consider hiring a flooring service to install new tile or hardwood floors in their home:

• Cooling: If your parents retired to a warmer climate, a tile floor can retain cold better. This means that they could end up saving significantly on their summer cooling bills, if a tile floor is installed. A tile floor can also help retain heat in the winter, especially if sub-floor heating has been installed. However, an area rug can also be put down in the most-used living areas if cold is a concern.
• Sweeping: When it's time to clean up dirt, your parents will no longer have to wrestle with a bulky vacuum. Messes can instead be swept up with a broom or dust mop. 
• Washing: Carpets can get visibly stained and retain dirt simply through daily use. In order to get a carpet completely clean, one has to either hire a professional or rent a cumbersome machine. But if the carpet is replaced with hardwood or tile, your parents can easily get their floors clean with a wet mop. 
• Allergens: As people age, their immune system can become more sensitive to various allergens and irritants. A carpet will trap these allergens, potentially making an elderly person ill. Hard flooring is much easier to sanitize than carpeting, helping to make the entire household a much cleaner and healthier place.
• Spills: If a liquid is spilled on a carpet, it can soak all the way down to the pad. Because of this, it requires immediate attention and usually specialized cleaning products in order to successfully clean up a spill. If a liquid is spilled on a hardwood floor, it can be easily mopped up and requires little more than a paper towel or mop.
• Mobility: If the home is a split level house, with a step or two up or down between various rooms, removing carpeting can make it much easier to install a slight ramp on those steps. Should there arise a need to set up a hospital bed or patient lifts, these pieces of equipment will be much easier to move about on a smooth floor. Similarly, it may be easier to maneuver wheelchairs and walkers on a hard surface, rather than plush carpeting. Installing new flooring also means the ability to remove the thresholds or doorjambs between rooms, making it much easier for a wheelchair user to move around on their own.

For more information about your options, contact a local flooring company, like Andy's 5 Star Flooring Inc.