Benefits Of Choosing Eco-Friendly Carpet Flooring
The benefits of choosing eco-friendly carpet flooring. If you are in the market for new flooring, you will come across the option of eco-friendly carpets. For some going natural with their rugs and carpets is a natural choice. After all, they do their bit for the environment by opting for sustainable carpets.
Others are skeptical simply because they don’t know what eco-friendly carpet flooring entails. Undoubtedly, sustainable carpets are good for the environment. But did you know they are just as good for your family’s health and home? Read on – Benefits Of Choosing Eco-Friendly Carpet Flooring:
Because that brand-new synthetic carpet is poisoning your indoor air! The big problem with synthetic carpets is the excessive use of dangerous chemicals throughout their manufacturing process. It all starts with using petroleum derivatives as the raw material for the fibers.
Synthetic fibers are dyed using harsh and volatile chemicals and then bathed in chemical compounds to make them stain resistant. The weaving and binding stage uses a synthetic adhesive called styrene-butadiene rubber. After this, some more volatile compounds are brought into the mix when attaching the padding to the front of the carpet.
The manufacturing process of synthetic carpets uses tons of resources, contributing to carbon emissions and environmental pollution.
When you bring this carpet home, you first have to put up with that obnoxious “new carpet” smell. In time, the odor becomes less of a problem. But where does it go away?
The stench is owed to using all the toxic chemicals mentioned above. In time, these chemicals release their volatile compounds in the indoor air, poisoning the environment in your home. But that is not where it stops.
Over the years, as synthetic materials degrade, they release these volatile compounds. However, by then, your olfactory senses are so used to the odor that you hardly notice it. But this does not mean the VOCs do less harm to your body.
So should you discard the idea of carpets and rugs? Not at all! Ecofriendly carpet flooring offers a realistic and sustainable solution to all the problems discussed above and much more.
Regarding regular carpets, your choices are limited to color and design. It would not be wrong to say that most synthetic carpets look the same and feel almost the same.
But with eco-friendly carpet flooring, you get a myriad of choices. For instance, the fibers used come from a variety of sustainable sources, such as:
In addition to 100% natural fiber products, you can also find eco-friendly carpets made from recycled synthetic materials such as PET and nylon.
The idea, in this case, is to reduce the burden on the environment by using synthetic products that have already been made. The backing of eco-friendly carpets is often caused by using recycled materials. Of course, some manufacturers stick to 100% natural materials even for this.
Whether you are interested in a rustic look or a plush feel, eco-friendly carpets are available in many textures, designs, and colors. Plus, they are offered in a range of sizes. So, you can use them for wall-to-wall carpeting, as area rugs, door mats, or runners.
Because these rugs are made from natural fibers, they have inherent dust and moisture-resistant properties. For instance, wool carpets absorb moisture in a humid environment and release it when dry.
Also, the absorbed moisture does not degrade the individual fibers thanks to lanolin, a natural wax. Similarly, jute carpets are extremely easy to maintain, often requiring no more than a round of weekly/biweekly vacuuming.
The primary benefit of choosing natural and sustainable carpets is that they often cost less than synthetic carpets. The rationale here is simple- They don’t call for the use of as many chemical products, nor are they as manufacturing intensive as synthetic carpets. So, they don’t cost as much.
They require very little maintenance and are sturdier than synthetic carpets. So you won’t have to spend as much on their upkeep. Also, you won’t have to replace them as frequently.
All-natural and sustainable manufacturing practices and raw materials are used to make these carpets. So, it is often possible to re-dye and mend them to give them a fresh look and new feel. Again, this adds to their lifespan and increases the ROI they offer.
Because these fibers naturally capture pollutants and allergens, they keep the indoor environment clean and pollution free. So, you won’t spend as much on air filtration, dehumidification, and anti-allergy meds.
If you buy your sustainable carpet from a reputable manufacturer, you could get a discount on your new carpet when it’s time to let the old one go. Because these carpets are made from natural materials, they can often be up-cycled/recycled, which allows manufacturers to offer discounts on new carpets under exchange schemes.
If you suffer from allergies or breathing problems or have immunity-related disorders, eco-friendly carpets can significantly help control indoor-air quality issues that lead to flare-ups.
Moreover, the environmentally friendly practices and resources used when making these carpets mean they also help keep the outdoor environment clean.
Finally, the materials used are frequently sourced locally or from economically backward areas. So, when you buy eco-friendly carpet flooring, you help the local economy. You also inevitably aid households that would have otherwise struggled to survive.
With so many benefits and options with sustainable carpets, why would you ever want to go for synthetic carpets? After all, none of us can afford to ignore the detrimental effects of our manufacturing practices on the environment. If we don’t do our bit now, we will only have ourselves to blame for the bleak future that awaits us.
This brings us to the question- Why not opt for eco-friendly carpet flooring when you can do so without compromising quality or aesthetics? Plus, don’t forget all those benefits!