Area rugs are all well and fine, but when it comes to luxury
flooring, it’s hard to top wall-to-wall carpeting. Carpeting’s warmth and
comfort underfoot is why it remains the most popular home flooring. In the
interest of full disclosure, I should admit I’m not a big fan of carpeting in
the home. I run a take-your-shoes-off-at-the-door house, and I think reclaimed
wood is a great choice for the purely “green” home. That said, there are many
shades of green, and there is simply no denying the unrivaled extravagance of plush
carpeting underfoot when you get out bed in the morning, or when just want to walk around
barefoot.
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SmartStrand carpet comes in many different
colors, shades and designs. Photo courtesy of
Mohawk Flooring (www.mohawkflooring.com).
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The
trick is to find the greenest carpet possible. That’s a little more complicated
than it might appear at first glance. How eco-friendly and healthy a given
carpet is depends on the fiber, the nap (looped, cut, short or tall), the backing,
and the pad you use. All of these will affect, to one degree or another, the harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) the flooring off-gasses, how quickly the carpet collects dirt and potential allergens,
and how recyclable the carpet is when it comes time for a new floor covering.
Start with the carpet fiber. Wool is hands-down the most
sustainable, healthiest, and most eco-friendly carpet fiber. Unfortunately, left
untreated, it is susceptible to staining. Wool is also much more expensive than
synthetic-fiber carpeting, and far less widely available. The first place to
look is online, where you’ll find companies such as Eco by Design (www.ecobydesign.com, selling EcoChoices all-natural wool carpeting), and Earth
Weave Carpet Mills, Inc. (www.earthweave.com),
offering Bio-Floor™ carpeting that is all natural, containing no chemical
treatments.
However, most people turn to less-expensive, easier-to-find synthetic fibers. Triexta is quickly
becoming the synthetic fiber of choice for its durability, cleanability and
soft feel. Sold under the name SmartStrand from Mohawk (www.mohawkflooring.com) is formulated in
part with renewable resources such as polymers extracted from corn. The carpet
is also extremely durable and long-lasting. The same can be said of polyester
P.E.T carpeting, which is made in part from recycled plastic bottles. P.E.T
carpet is not, however, as nice underfoot as nylon or triexta.
Give just as
much consideration to the carpet’s backing and binding. Backings have traditionally been constructed with latex binders that produce 4-phenylcyclohexene (4-PCH), a nasty VOC. Ideally, the binder and backing adhesive should be a
natural or inert glue. The backing itself should be hemp, jute or other
natural material. Stay away from vinyl, PVC or SB latex backings, which can contain
potentially harmful chemicals, including styrene—a suspected carcinogen.
The pad
you use is as important as the carpet itself, in terms of comfort, longevity
and air quality. Some synthetic carpet pads feature a laundry list of
potentially harmful chemicals and VOCs. However, there’s really no need to
introduce these toxins into your home’s environment. Stick with
carpet pads made of felt or rubber. On the same note, avoid glued-down
installation methods. Tack-strips work perfectly for almost all wall-to-wall carpeting
installations.
When
shopping for carpeting keep an eye out for the Carpet and Rug Institute’s green
label (www.carpet-rug.org). The label indicates that the
product meets CRI’s standards for low-VOC emission and sustainability. It’s not
the be all and end all of certifications; the CRI is an industry organization.
Personally, I take exception with some of the CRI’s stances on carpeting’s role
in indoor air quality and its connection to related diseases such as asthma. But the
certification program was developed in tandem with the EPA, and the label is an
indicator that you’re shopping in the right direction.
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