You probably already know that carpet traps and holds just about anything bad in the air where you live, work and play.

So it might surprise you to hear theadvice in a press releasethis week by a carpet dealer in Canada. Carpets are good for indoor air quality, the release says. And the mutual attraction between carpets and dust, dander, pollen, and pollution particles is a good thing too.

“You can prevent particles and allergens from re-entering the air by trapping them in your carpet,” the release says.

That’s a note also sounded by the industry-sponsoredCarpet and Rug Institute, which proclaims on its website: “Unlike smooth floor surfaces that allow dust and other allergens to re-circulate into the breathing zone, properly maintained carpet actually contributes to improved air quality.”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in itssite for school indoor air quality, cautions that carpet “acts as a reservoir for dust, dirt, pollen, mold spores, pesticides, and other materials. However, the EPA concedes that meticulous maintenance of carpet with a vacuum cleaner with high-performance filtration and also periodic wet extraction cleaning will remove the allergens and other bad stuff trapped in carpet.

But, for asthma and allergy sufferers, other flooring options offer much better choices than carpet, saysAllergic Livingmagazine in its Summer 2011 issue.

The magazine spoke to “Green from the Ground Up” author David Johnston, who told the magazine, “Carpet and healthy houses are sorts of an oxymoron. You don’t want to use those two in the same sentence.” Formaldehyde-free laminates, hardwood, and tile flooring are the best choices for asthma and allergy sufferers, says Johnston.

Of course, IQAir would agree with the American Lung Association that regardless of which flooring option you choose or live within your home, a high-performance HEPA air-filtration system (such as theIQAir HyperHEPAair filtration system) will help you breathe more easily with any flooring option.