Eco Flooring – An Introduction

Eco Flooring – An Introduction

Article by Martin Aranovitch

Eco flooring is a viable choice considering the level of energy consumption involved in the production of non-eco friendly floorings (that is, synthetic carpeting). While it might not totally replace non-eco flooring or carpeting, you can use it where possible, to make your home more eco friendly.

Non-eco floorings can produce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) gas or fumes which can be hazardous to your health. They can also end up in landfills which could be harmful to the environment. Landfills are dumps where wastes are disposed of. A lot of problems may occur through their use, some of these may be the release of methane from wastes (which is more damaging to the environment than carbon dioxide) and the contamination of water.

Some of your eco flooring options include bamboos, wool carpets, jute, seagrass, coir, sisal, cork and sustainable woods.

Bamboos are grasses that look like woods. They grow very quickly, are renewable and hard enough to be used in construction. Wool carpets are anti-static green flooring made from wool. Jute is a vegetable fibre that can be woven into carpets. Seagrass is a plant. Coir is fibre from coconuts. Sisal is a plant with stiff fibre. Cork is made from the bark of the cork oak tree, it is renewable because the bark re-grows itself after it has been scraped off from the tree to make corks.

Sustainable woods are woods produced under the criteria that they will not be used up faster than their parent forests can keep up, which may lead to negative impacts on people and the environment. Sustainable woods are eco friendly because they came from trees that take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, creating a better earth; they are renewable too, through the sustainable methods used for conserving and preserving them.

Your best eco flooring option may be wool carpets, these are 100% recyclable, can use natural backing, and can be bought untreated and do not need any toxic cleaning chemicals.

Each one of these green eco flooring options have their own advantages and disadvantages, you can use their strengths to determine the appropriate area in your home to use them. Bamboos may not be used in laundry rooms for example because they are susceptible to too much moisture; you may therefore have to use them in rooms that are mostly dry. The costs of these floorings can also differ greatly, you should buy what you can afford and mix them by using different type of eco floorings in different areas of your home.

Eco floorings are renewable, reusable or recyclable. You may not need to use adhesives with some of them during installation or you may have the option of using non-toxic adhesives or alternative methods of installation instead. Some eco floorings may not have been treated with chemicals from the manufacturers or you may get eco floorings treated with non-toxic chemicals for yourself. Many of these floorings too can be cleaned with cleaning products made from plants.

When thinking of what carpet to use for your home, add eco flooring to your list.

To learn more about ways to go green, save money and help the planet, visit http://www.freetipsforgoinggreen.com to receive a free green living tip delivered to your email inbox each day.

About the Author

Martin Aranovitch and Byron Dixon run http://www.earthhuddle.com – a free online community for sustainability and green living and http://www.freetipsforgoinggreen.com – get a free green living tip delivered each day to your inbox on ways to go green, save money and help the planet.

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