Thursday, March 17, 2011

How To Choose Eco-Friendly Carpet Options

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All carpet uses some chemicals during manufacturing or installation due to the glues and padding needed to keep carpet in place in your home.  The trick is to choose flooring that is the most sustainable, both in your home, and for the planet.

Some carpet fibers are worse for the environment than others.  Carpet or rugs made from synthetic materials such as nylon, polyester, and acrylic is often maligned as the worst because those fibers are all made from petroleum based chemicals.

You can avoid a lot of toxic chemicals if you choose a natural fiber such as wool.   One little known fact is that wool is also naturally flame retardant, whereas carpet from man-made fibers is usually sprayed with chemical flame retardants that contain chemicals like as PBDE (polybrominated diphenyl ether), and naphthalene.

Wool also is self-sustaining because it is not produced in a chemical plant, but is grown on sheep all over the world.   Most wool is harvested once a year when the sheep are shorn.  Then the wool is washed with soap and water and spun into thread or yarn to be then turned into any number of warm and wooly things - from your favorite holiday sweater, to the carpet beneath your feet.   The people working to process wool are exposed to much less chemicals than the people who work to manufacture carpets made of petroleum based products such as acrylic.

Carpet Wagon cares about the health of the people who are part of the manufacturing, and distribution processes of flooring.  Call Carpet Wagon today to find out more about quality wool carpet or rugs that is better for you and for the environment:  1-877-57-WAGON

[ Image by epsos ]

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