Are you planning on installing new flooring in your home? If so, you may be considering installing carpeting. After all, with practically 70% of floors in the United States covered in carpet, it is the most base form of flooring in the country. Still, there are some drawbacks to using rug in your home, particularly if you are environmentally friendly. Fortunately, there are a few steps you can take to help you take greener rug options.
Exploring the Harmful Components of Carpeting
Renewable Energy
Although rug can no ifs ands or buts look attractive in the home, there are some drawbacks to installing it. One problem with rug is the fact that many types of rug are made with a range of different petroleum products that can be harmful to your health. Some of these include:
- Acrylic
- Polyester
- Nylon
- Polyurethane
- Sb Latex
- Polypropylene
- Polyvinyl Chloride
In expanding to the petroleum products used to make synthetic carpets, they often comprise other chemicals that can be harmful when inhaled. These comprise chemicals such as:
- Antistatic Treatments
- Fire Retardants
- Fungicides
- Stainproofing Additives
Not only are these chemicals and petroleum products unhealthy for you to inhale, they are also harmful to the environment.
Maintaining Your Carpet
Another downside to installing rug is that it takes more effort to verbalize than other types of flooring. In order to keep the rug finding clean and attractive, it needs to be vacuumed on a quarterly basis. In addition, in order to avoid the improvement of mildew and mold, rug must be shampooed a few times per year. Not only does the process of maintaining a rug require using a great deal of energy, your indoor air quality can also be compromised by the toxins that are collected in the carpeting.
Finding Greener Options
If you want to install carpeting, but you are finding for a greener way to do it, you should hunt for rug that bears the Green Label Plus label. If you can't find a Green Label Plus rug that suits your style and budget, however, there are a few other things you should keep in mind when shopping for carpeting. These include:
- Avoid rug that uses adhesive or that has been treated with many different chemicals
- Choose rug made from renewable fibers, such as corn leaves, wool, sea grass, sisal, cotton, hemp, coir, or jute
- Use rug tiles rather than wall to wall rug so you can replace just one quadrilateral if it becomes damaged or stained
- Use tacks when installing rug rather than glue
By following these straightforward tips, you can still enjoy the attractiveness of rug if that is what you select to have in your home, but you can cut your carbon footprint while also holding you and your family healthier.
Green rug Tips