Is this sanitary or safe to keep around?

Is this sanitary or safe to keep around?
So have these nice oriental rugs from overseas. But, they're in the unfinished basement, in the workout area.

I vacuum them and steam clean them occasionally. However, they get filthy quick since people workout there.

They're about 20 years old too.

Anyways, I was doing a push up, and inhaled near the carpet, and ugh!

I don't feel like constantly vacuuming the area. It'd be like standing under a tree with a leaf blower.

So, contemplating just going bare floor, or even getting some sort of plastic or rubber workout mats.

Or, should I just leave the carpets?

Being 20 years old, are they safe to keep around?


Answers:

Love Life:  get them cleaned, put them upstairs somewhere and get padded floors for the w/o area
2011-10-27 11:40:47
Halia:  Have them professionally cleaned and use them in another area in the house. No matter what you use, you'll still have to maintain it, but I would check out some workout mats. I have the interlocking foam mats and I take them to the car wash occasionally to clean them-works well.
2011-10-27 12:01:14
Beulah:  It is a shame to waste nice rugs like that. Get them steam cleaned and take them out of the basement. 20 years is not old for a good carpet. I might even use them as wall hangings instead of on the floor once they are clean. Get workout mats with for the workout area.

Beulah
2011-10-27 12:07:05
June smiles:  Keep the carpets! once a week, bet a big man to help take them out to the yard, hang them from something and beat the hell out of them , takes much beating, but you'd be surprised. Then a daily vacuum and maybe a mist of Febreze.
2011-10-28 08:55:51