Rugs Direct

How Area Rugs Affect Your Environment

Copyright © 2007 Rugs Direct^®

Guest author: Ron Neal

Over the years, a debate has taken place in the flooring industry over the impact its products have on the environment. In 2003, a group of industry researches and technical specialists met at the University of North Carolina to examine the science with regard to the positive or negative attributes of materials found in products like carpeting, area rugs and linoleum.

The panel looked at hundreds of studies in relation to how carpet and non-carpet materials contribute to environmental quality and whether there's a significant concern with toxic substances and allergens alleged to have commonly been found.

The intention of the researchers was to try and settle years of anecdotal evidence and set an industry standard to help buyers and sellers of flooring products. A good portion of the information reviewed came from the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Health Science Libraries, and other previously published industry experts.

A review of all of the literature led to one major conclusion: materials found in flooring "play a significant role to the quality of life indoors." It contributes to healthy design factors, safety, aesthetics, climate control, ergonomics and physical comfort. When maintained properly, carpeting and area rugs are not at all risks to public health.

While the group's conclusion was great news for the industry and the public, it's still necessary to examine flooring's impact on the whole environment, including the part played by rugs and flooring made from natural materials.

With so many types of area rugs available today, it's hard enough to make a style selection, let alone having to take health and environmental concerns into account. Keeping rugs clean and in good condition will go a long way in alleviating any concerns. Area rugs do have material differences, though. Here's a quick look at natural fiber rugs and other natural flooring:

WOOL RUGS
Water, water everywhere, so keep it away from wool. Water is one of the biggest enemies of wool rugs. Wool, popular in Oriental rugs, has a high moisture regain and is susceptible to microorganism attack. That may sound like the bad plot to a Hollywood horror film or an episode of Fear Factor. Nevertheless, keep something that requires water, like potted plants, off of wool rugs.

Water aside, wool's long, coarse fibers have the ability to maintain indoor air quality and, unlike synthetic fibers, can absorb indoor contaminants. Since discarded carpet accounts for a tremendous amount of waste – 4.7 billion pounds in 2002 according to the EPA – any rug that lasts longer, like a hand-knotted wool rug, is going to get the seal of approval from the Green Party.

JUTE RUGS
Once used primarily as carpet backing, Jute has made it to the big time. As a full-fledged member of the area rug and carpet family, Jute, which ranges from light tans to browns, is one of the finest and softest of natural floor covering materials.

Composed mainly of plant materials, Jute is a rainy season crop that grows best in warm, humid climates like parts of China and India. While it may grow in rainy weather, the Jute rug won't stand up to areas with high moisture levels. Unlike wool, jute is resistant to microorganisms, but the material will in fact deteriorate rapidly when exposed to moisture.

BAMBOO RUGS
Gilligan's Island no longer corners the market on bamboo flooring. You don't need to live in a hut to use this material.

Bamboo, which is also a trend in cutting boards and hardwood floors, has become a popular option for area rugs. And its environmental friendliness is obvious. No trees to cut down, no waste. Bamboo is technically a grass, and moreover a highly renewable resource. Maturing in less than six years, bamboo is harvested over and over from the same plants. Its strength combined with a natural beauty can add a contemporary touch to any living space.

SEAGRASS RUGS
Seagrass is not something you may have thought was illegal. You can't grow it in your backyard, but it does look great in the house. Created from tropical grass mainly imported from China, Seagrass, which only comes in a natural organic green color, is smooth to the touch and extremely durable and stain resistant.

SISAL RUGS
Sisal is another natural fiber that has recently gained popularity among designers. The material is derived from a cactus plant, grown in semi-arid regions liked Brazil and Africa.

Sisal is stronger and more durable than other natural fibers, making its staying power ultra-environment friendly. Water is not Sisal's friend, either. The rug should never be used in the bathroom or other moist areas of the house.

About the author:
Based in Los Angeles, Ron Neal is a free-lance writer, editor and owner of Writemind Media.  With more than 20 years of experience, including six at the Los Angeles Times, Mr. Neal has produced and edited hundreds of articles on a variety of subjects, including flooring, home improvement and area rugs of all kinds, including braided and sisal.

Article Source: Ezine

To shop for area rugs in thousands of styles including ecologically friendly materials, visit the online showroom at Rugs Direct.

All About Braided Area Rugs

Copyright © 2007 Rugs Direct^®

Braided area rugs were born out of necessity, and if there is such a thing as an All-American floor covering, it would have to be the good old oval braided rug!

Unlike the palaces and country homes of the wealthy in Europe, with their fine, hand-woven works of floor art imported from the Middle East, homes in the American colonies had hard, cold, wooden floors. The entrance, or mud room as it was called, got – you guessed it – muddy. The obvious answer to the colonists was to braid straw mats and place them strategically in the home. Not only did they help prevent muddy boots from soiling the floors, but they also did a good job of insulating and cushioning those cold, hard floors from one's feet.

According to Michelle Stenson, a noted authority on braiding rugs from Abington, Massachusetts, in the early 1800s New England became a center for woolen fabric mills. This made wool more readily available and it was soon used to braid area rugs. These became preferable to the older straw mats because they were more durable, could be cleaned and quite frankly, were much more attractive. Most were homemade, because it was still far too expensive to import a pre-made rug from Europe or the Orient.

In those early days of braiding area rugs, there really was not much thought given to designs, patterns or colors. According to Stenson, women used whatever wool was available – often cutting up old clothing – so the patterns tended to resemble quilts of the time with a patchwork of colors and patterns all mixed together. They even had a description for this: the “hit-or-miss” pattern. Most all of these rugs had a strand of black wool that ran through the entire rug. This wasn’t by design, but was because almost all pants, suits and coats were made of black wool at the time, so black wool was more readily available than any other colors.

Eventually the braiding of area rugs became much more of an art form. Jan Jurtz, who collects antique braided rugs in Tilton, New Hampshire, notes that flowers and concentric circles became popular early on. She also has samples in her collection that demonstrate how precise variations in color and shading became more prevalent, and that much more attention began to be paid to the design of the rug’s border.

Braiding remains a popular hobby in America today, and to “braiders” there is nothing more satisfying than displaying an original piece of rug-art with its intricate interplay of patterns and colors. But major advancements in the technology behind machine-made braided rugs have made this popular style available – and affordable - to those of us without the time, skills or patience to painstakingly create our own!

As a side note, the mathematics behind creating a braided area rug is quite fascinating. For example, you typically start by calculating the length of braid needed for one square foot. In a rug that uses spacing of one inch and three strands per braid, this comes to 24 yards per square foot.

The next step is to calculate the area of the rug itself. Without resorting to integral Calculus, I’ve determined that a 5’ x 7’ oval rug is 29.63 square feet. After one more simple multiplication problem, we discover that a rather typical oval braided area rug uses a whopping 711 yards of fabric. Imagine - over seven football fields of fabric for one moderately sized area rug!

Colonial Mills, Inc. (CMI) is one of the largest manufacturers of popular braided area rugs. Their headquarters is in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. CMI has taken the traditional method of braiding area rugs and moved it into the 21st Century. The quantity of collections, designs, sizes and shapes they offer makes it possible to use braided rugs to decorate any room in your home. Here are some specific tips offered by the company:

• Rug size is important; the size should allow a furniture grouping to fit completely on or completely off the rug.
• When placing a room-sized rug on a hardwood floor, select a rug that allows 8” to 10” of wood to be exposed around the rug’s perimeter.
• Define groupings with an area rug. When a rug touches all furnishings in a grouping it pulls them together.
• When determining placement of rugs, ensure safety and that the edges will not be tripped over in high traffic areas.
• For a rug that is to be placed underneath a dining table, add 24” to 30” per side to the table’s dimensions so that the chairs can be pulled away from the table without moving off of the rug.

CMI also offers valuable tips on the specific care necessary for a fine, braided area rug:

Cleaning
Vacuum your rug regularly using the hard surface attachment. Do not use the beater bar on a braided rug. Remove spots with any dry cleaning fluid. Periodic professional dry cleaning is recommended.

Maintenance
If any of the threads that hold the braids loosen or break simply sew them together with a needle and strong thread. Trim loose ends with scissors; never pull them out of the rug. Reverse the rug twice a year to achieve twice the wear.

Padding
Floor padding is strongly recommended to prevent yarn color dye transfer and provide comfort, safety, and durability.

Laying a New Rug
Due to tight packing for shipment, a new braided area rug might not initially lay flat. Starting from the center, work any wrinkles out with hands or pole, but be careful not to stretch the fabric.

Originally most all braided area rugs were oval in shape. Occasionally, depending upon need, people would weave a circular one. For a long time, that was pretty much it. But today, innovative manufacturers such as CMI, are making rectangular braids, square braided rugs and even shapes such a hearts, half-ovals (also called “hearth rugs”) and long hallway runners. The design possibilities have opened up tremendously, so if you are partial to traditional American braids, you no longer have any limitations as to where you can place a braided area rug.

Rugs Direct has over 330 braided rug collections available in their online showroom. To explore some of the exiting designs that might go perfectly in your home, please click here.

Rugs Can Survive Children & Pets

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Children and pets - two of the greatest joys in life, right? Yes, we agree! But they also represent the greatest danger to the wellbeing of your home's beautiful area rugs. More than sunlight, more than water damage, more than years of foot traffic. Kids and pets are the sworn enemies of expensive area rugs!

OK, maybe it's not that bad. But animals and children are prone to accidents and usually don't have much conception of the ramifications of their actions on your home's furnishings, especially those placed on the floor. Mud on my shoes? Need to run through the living room to get to the back door? No problem here.

As gross as it may sound, there is no single substance on the face of the Earth that is worse for an area rug than - yuck - pet urine. It stains. It's highly acidic and corrosive. And it smells horrible. It's almost impossible to get out of a rug completely, and as a result, the pet assumes this is now an OK place to relieve itself if there are no better alternatives. It's a vicious cycle and your area rug is the ultimate victim, not to mention the potential damage to the wood floor underneath.

Quite bluntly, the best way to deal with pet urine on an area rug is to carefully avoid it in the first place. There are products available at pet stores that supposedly will keep a pet from using your furniture and rugs as a personal lavatory. These are considered "training aids" and are not a permanent solution. Most have to be reapplied every 12 to 24 hours to remain effective. Simple Solution, available from Petco for about $10 a can, is one product that seems to work for some people. Of course stories abound of pets who assumed their owners were spraying these types of products to help them FIND suitable places to go instead of the other way around!

Sometimes it works to sprinkle an ounce or so of moth flakes under the rug along the edge to deter a dog from showing too much interest in your floor covering. However, please be certain you use something that is non-toxic and will not harm the animal if it ingests a small amount. Dogs will eat anything. Don't run the risk of poisoning yours just to protect an area rug.

As for cats, one of the best ways to help them lose interest in your rug is pretty low-tech. Get a spray water bottle or squirt gun and zap them every time they get too close to your nice rug!

If despite your best efforts your pet manages to soil your rug, you should clean it as quickly as possible with a mild detergent and water. If the stain is allowed to set and penetrate the rug's fibers, you've got a much more difficult cleaning problem on your hands. You'll probably need a product such as Tomlyn's See Spot Go (yes, that's what it's called), again available at most pet stores for around $10.

But let's back up a bit. What can you do before you buy your rug that will take into account the fact that there are pets and/or children living in your home? Surprisingly, there are many!

First of all, you should only consider wool or it's synthetic counterpart, olefin. You'll want the increased "wearability" of these materials and you'll find they are much easier to clean than most other fibers. In fact, wool is naturally stain-resistant and the fibers hold dirt high, making it much easer to vacuum. If you have children or pets, buy a wool rug.

Color is something else you should consider. A multi-colored wool rug will hide dirt and stains much better than a light, solid-colored one. If you must go with a solid color, remember that dark colors will show lint, dust and pet hair more than light ones; but a light color displays dirt better. One strategy is to buy a rug that closely matches the color of your pet's coat if, in fact, you have a shedding breed. Don't use this as a substitute for regular vacuuming! But it certainly will help turn it from a daily to a weekly task - especially during shedding season.

Another thing about households with pets and children is that they often tend to be somewhat noisy. There is a direct correlation between the ambient noise in the home and the square of the sum of the number of children under the age of 10 multiplied by the combined weight of all of the dogs and cats in your domicile. It's a scientific fact. You can look it up. The best way to cut down on this noise? A nice, plush, thick area rug placed on top of a super-absorbent rug pad. Get them both at Rugs Direct.

A little careful planning prior to purchase, combined with regular care and maintenance, sprinkled with emergency intervention when necessary, can result in your beautiful area rugs surviving childhood and pet ownership for many, many years. Good luck!