Carpet Tiles and Area Rugs

Carpeting poses an environmental challenge on several fronts, from resources and chemicals used in production to air quality in the home, since carpets harbor allergenic dust mites and can release toxic gaseous chemicals used in glues and fiber treatments. Then there are waste-management issues as old carpet piles up in landfills.

One answer: Carpet tiles and area rugs, which can be shaken out or washed, can alleviate air-quality problems.

Product Picks

InterfaceFLOR carpet tiles are modular and can be tailored to any space. They come in fun colors and patterns that can be mixed and matched and easily taken up for cleaning in the sink. InterfaceFLOR includes fibers made from corn, while their Terra line contains 36 percent recycled and 8 percent renewable material. They will also recycle their old carpet tiles (from $5.99/tile, interfaceflor.com). Another company with a commitment to closed-looped carpet production is Milliken's Earth Square, which undertakes to keep carpets out of landfills by removing, cleaning or recycling existing carpeting for less than half the price of a new carpet (earthsquare.com, or 877-E2-RENEW for a quote). For area rugs, Earth Weave Bio-Floor rugs have hemp and cotton backings, and pure wool fibers, without dyes, pesticides or stain guards. These rugs are also biodegradable ($34-$45/sq.yd.; www.earthweave.com, 706-278-8200).

Resources
For more ideas, including all-natural-material rugs, see Carpet Product Report and "Carpets: Think Small" in GG #99 at thegreenguide.com/reports.