While installing a rug, one of the most common factors you need to go through is choosing the right fabric. Though wool rugs are the best option in quality, cotton rugs are also a great option.
But when the cotton rugs are made up of natural fabric, they can get toxic due to chemicals to keep the cotton free from pests. But that does not mean you cannot get non-toxic cotton rugs at all. You just need to be a bit careful and know specific details to get one.
Which rugs are non-toxic?
When talked about toxicity, mostly rugs made up of natural fibers such as wool, cotton, silk, and jute should be toxic. But now, chemicals and pesticides are used while gathering these natural fibers to protect them from pests. Thus, even the rugs made up of natural fabric are no more non-toxic.
So, are actually non-toxic rugs available?
Yes, rugs that are made of organic forms of these natural fabrics are non-toxic in nature. When the wool, cotton, silk, and jute are gathered, stored, and processed without chemicals, the rugs made from them are non-toxic.
Are cotton rugs toxic?
When cotton is grown, it attracts many pests that may damage them, yielding lesser amounts of cotton. To protect them from such damage, often chemicals and pesticides are sprayed on the crops of cotton. Thus, what is produced from these crops is toxic cotton.
When this toxic cotton is used in the rugs’ manufacturing, it results in toxic cotton rugs.
Thus, yes, there are high chances of cotton rugs being toxic.
What is the healthiest rug to buy?
Though pesticides are used for natural fabrics, it is still better to buy rugs made up of natural elements such as cotton, wool, seagrass, bamboo, jute, coir, and sisal.
But suppose you wish to remove the toxicity part absolutely. In that case, you should always prefer to get a rug made up of organic raw materials. Most of the time, when a rug is made up of organic raw materials, it is mentioned by the dealers. Also, organic, non-toxic cotton rugs are more expensive than the usual cotton rugs.
If it is about the healthiest rug option, it should surely be the organic wool rugs.
What is the best non-toxic rug?
Even though the rugs made out of natural fabric are far better than the synthetic fabric, these may have some toxicity due to the use of pesticides during the processing of the raw materials. In such a case, it is always better to choose rugs made up of organic materials.
In several rugs made up of non-toxic natural materials, the wool rugs are considered the best. But this again depends on several situations. In a hot and humid country, making use of woolen rugs can be a tricky thing. Likewise, washing and taking care of the woolen rugs can be quite daunting. Hence, for such environments, organic, non-toxic cotton rugs can be the best non-toxic rug.
Is polypropylene rug toxic to humans?
Polypropylene cannot resist change in temperatures and fumes out more than 40 different chemicals. Many of these chemicals are volatile organic compounds, such as benzene, which are very toxic to the environment and humans. Many humans may face such problems as headaches, irritation, and others due to these chemicals. Thus, polypropylene rugs can be very toxic to humans who are sensitive to them.
Are synthetic rugs toxic?
Rugs made up of synthetic materials such as polypropylene, polyester or nylon are toxic in nature. These fabrics are processed using chemicals.
When you install a synthetic rug, you can notice a strange smell that fills in the room. This is because the synthetic fabric reacts with the air and fills the environment with chemicals that can get toxic for humans and other live elements.
Is polyester rug toxic?
As mentioned in the above section, synthetic materials are toxic. Polyester is mostly made up of petroleum or other oil chemicals. Thus, it releases several gases in the environment that can be very dangerous. Suppose there is no window or open area around. In that case, the entire room can fill up with the polyester rugs’ hazardous gas and can cause several dangerous health hazards.
You should never install polyester rugs if you have kids or even pets at your place as they get exposed to it the most.
Do rugs have formaldehyde?
Some synthetic rugs may have formaldehyde, but today, most of the rugs have a smaller or even zero quantity of this chemical.
Rugs made of natural fabrics do not have this particular chemical. Rugs that are entirely handmade or woven are absolutely free from formaldehyde.
Do polypropylene rugs cause cancer?
Most synthetic rugs such as polypropylene are exposed to treatments through insecticides, stain protectors, and fire retardants. The use of several chemicals during the process can be highly hazardous to the health of many individuals.
Also, in many polypropylene rugs, the latex mix contains the substance styrene that is very much potential in triggering cancer in humans and animals.
Are Ikea rugs non-toxic?
The brand Ikea has banned using several volatile chemicals in the manufacturing and processing of their rugs. They claim to pay attention to the look of the rugs and the comfort and safety factor.
Ikea is known to offer handmade rugs and is made from organic natural fabric materials such as cotton to keep the rugs toxic.
Are Safavieh rugs non-toxic?
Similar to Ikea, Safavieh is also known to manufacture rugs out of organic fabric options. The rugs here are handwoven, and again, they do not use chemical dyes for coloring. Though there are also many other materials being used for making rugs at Safavieh, choosing the natural fabrics will always help you get Safavieh non-toxic rugs.
The usage of chemicals and artificial products have increased quite much today to higher yield and faster production. But yet now, the quality of the rugs made up of natural products cannot be matched by the synthetic rugs. Also, these natural rugs made up of organic raw materials such as cotton are non-toxic. Thus, these non-toxic cotton rugs offer you a healthy environment along with a great look and comfort in your living room.
