Volatile Organics (VOCs) are coming to be recognised as a key environmental safety issue in the home and in the office. The problem is that our fondness for synthetic materials for furnishings has brought with it organic materials that are used in industrial processing (as solvents and softening agents, or left-overs from the manufacture of polymers). These are slowly released into the air in your home or office.
If this sounds a bit technical and remote, think again. If you have ever experienced a headache caused by lingering paint odor, or a strange smell in your newly renovated home or office, then you have been affected by VOCs in your environment. The bigger issue is that the long term effects of breathing in small organic molecules are not well understood, and problems may lie ahead.
Carpets made from synthetic materials are a particular and recognized source of VOCs. They can come from the synthetic fiber of the carpet itself, or from carpets made of natural fibers that are embedded in a synthetic backing (flip the carpet over and look at it - if it has a mesh with something that looks like glue or latex on it, then you have a synthetic backing).
Some manufacturers of synthetic carpet tiles have recognized the problem and are making creditable efforts to reduce VOCs. An example is the TacTiles product from InterfaceFlor. These kinds of products will significantly improve office environments over time. But for the home owner the real question is why introduce any synthetic carpet materials into the home at all? I believe that a more responsible choice is to use a good quality handmade carpet such as the ones that my company Torana supplies. We use no solvents, glues, resins or volatile organics at all. The only materials that go into our carpets are pure wool, non-toxic dyes ... and the soap and water we use to wash the carpet after weaving. The best way to eliminate something is not to put it in in the first place.
Aside from synthetic materials, for home use skip carpets from sources you don't know or don't trust, that may have used sub-standard dyes, pesticides or solvents in their manufacture. Buy good quality from sources you can rely on.
Read more about these issues on our website.
If this sounds a bit technical and remote, think again. If you have ever experienced a headache caused by lingering paint odor, or a strange smell in your newly renovated home or office, then you have been affected by VOCs in your environment. The bigger issue is that the long term effects of breathing in small organic molecules are not well understood, and problems may lie ahead.
Carpets made from synthetic materials are a particular and recognized source of VOCs. They can come from the synthetic fiber of the carpet itself, or from carpets made of natural fibers that are embedded in a synthetic backing (flip the carpet over and look at it - if it has a mesh with something that looks like glue or latex on it, then you have a synthetic backing).
Some manufacturers of synthetic carpet tiles have recognized the problem and are making creditable efforts to reduce VOCs. An example is the TacTiles product from InterfaceFlor. These kinds of products will significantly improve office environments over time. But for the home owner the real question is why introduce any synthetic carpet materials into the home at all? I believe that a more responsible choice is to use a good quality handmade carpet such as the ones that my company Torana supplies. We use no solvents, glues, resins or volatile organics at all. The only materials that go into our carpets are pure wool, non-toxic dyes ... and the soap and water we use to wash the carpet after weaving. The best way to eliminate something is not to put it in in the first place.
Aside from synthetic materials, for home use skip carpets from sources you don't know or don't trust, that may have used sub-standard dyes, pesticides or solvents in their manufacture. Buy good quality from sources you can rely on.
Read more about these issues on our website.
