Carpets and Rugs

Healthy Child Healthy World
Last Updated: Tuesday, July 10, 2007

A great place to begin "childproofing" your home is your carpets and floors. Since our children are naturally low to the ground, the floor becomes the primary play space for young children.

Yet, carpets and rugs, like sponges, tend to both soak up and release pollutants.

• Carpets and their pads are havens for dust mites, which have been shown to contribute to and worsen allergies and asthma.
• Other pollutants, such as pesticides, animal dander, lead dust, and chemicals from cleaners and other household products, can sink into the fibers.
• Synthetic carpeting contains many chemicals in its adhesives and glue strips, the underlay or rug pads, and additional chemical treatments from stain- to moth-proofing.
• Many of the chemicals used in carpets are volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which vaporize, or "offgas", easily into the air. Some VOCs found in carpets include benzene, styrene, toluene, xylene, and formaldehyde.

Although offgassing from carpets decreases significantly several months after installation, carpets can emit these fumes for as long as five years. And, old or new, carpeting continues to absorb allergenic dust and toxic cleaners.

Safeguarding Against Rug "Burn"

The best way to avoid the pollutants associated with carpets is by removing the carpets.

"We had a wall-to-wall carpet in our bedroom and on our stairs, and I had it ripped it up when my daughter was diagnosed with asthma at two and a half," says Patty Arlotta, a mother of two in Bronx, New York. "Her symptoms have [now] greatly improved," Patty says of her asthmatic child.

Floors made of wood, ceramic tile, cork and other materials can be cleaned easily and frequently. They do not "trap" dust and particles as do carpets and rugs. If a softer cover is desired, floors can be covered by washable rugs.

Many families can't give up carpets altogether. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce the risks associated with carpets.

What to Look for in a New Carpet

• Purchase carpets made from natural fibers. Organically grown wool, cotton, hemp, jute, ramie or goat hair costs are sound options. Organic fibers are grown with no synthetic chemicals.
• Purchase carpets made with undyed or vegetable dyed fibers.
• For minimal chemical offgassing, buy carpets with no or little finishes, such as stain repellents.
• To avoid hazardous adhesives, choose a backing-free, flat-woven dhurrie or kilim.
• Purchase untreated wool or camel’s hair felt pads rather than synthetic foams, foam rubber, latex, or plastic underlays that contain hazardous chemicals.
• Allow time and space for offgassing for all newly purchased carpets. Ask the company to air it out in its warehouse for at least three days before delivery. And, for at least 72 hours after installation, open windows to disperse VOCs.
• Don’t rip out carpets when pregnant or if you have asthma, as this will release plenty of dust and VOCs into the air. Keep asthmatic children out of the home when carpets are removed!
• Before laying down new carpet, vacuum floors. Clean both sides of carpets and pads.
• Tack carpets down rather than gluing. Or use low-VOC or water-based adhesives.

Keeping Carpets Clean and Safe

• To control allergens from dust mites that live in your carpets, vacuum at least twice a week. Use a strong suction machine, preferably one with a HEPA (High Energy Particulate) filter, or one which traps dust particles down to at least 0.1 micron size. Avoid anti-dust mite carpet sprays or powders that contain tannic acid. Tannic acid is a skin and respiratory irritant that "neutralizes" dust mite allergens, but does not kill them. Also avoid carpet treatments containing benzyl benzoate, which kills mites, but is an eye, skin and respiratory irritant.
• Do not expose synthetic carpets to direct sunlight or temperatures above 80 degrees F, as they emit more fumes when heated up.
• Carpets harbor allergenic mildews or molds in humid environments. To prevent excess humidity, don’t steam clean dampened carpeting, and, avoid wall-to-wall carpeting in bathrooms and kitchens.
• When cleaning, use mild cleaners instead of detergents containing solvents. You can even steam clean without detergent. (Make sure the carpet dries thoroughly.) AFM makes a gentler carpet cleaner.
• Keep children out of the house for at least four hours after carpets have been cleaned by any method. This can help reduce the risk of Kawasaki Disease, which may be linked to carpet cleaning.

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