Bedroom Rugs- A better choice for your floors than carpetingBedroom rugs can be a much healthier alternative to carpets in the room IF they are made of organic or natural fibers. It’s also helpful if they’re washable or can be dry-cleaned ( but only if using a healthier water extraction dry-cleaning method.) 
Remember when you’re sleeping at night, your body is in “repair mode”. It works to detoxify many substances within the body and makes necessary repairs it cannot make when you’re up and moving around. The less chemicals you’re exposed to at night, the less your body has to detoxify. This gives your body a great advantage. If your body doesn’t have to detoxify additional chemicals originating from objects in the room, you will be healthier.
· If they’re washable, they can be cleaned often thereby minimizing dust and dirt in the room. · If you do not have carpeting in your room, dust mite accumulations will be much lower (if the room is kept clean). These mites love carpeting and gradually increase and multiply over time unless the room is well lit and humidity is kept low, or you treat every so often for dust mite accumulations. (However, many of the chemicals used to treat them are not necessarily healthful.) The darker the room and the more humid it is, the more dust mites you will have sharing space with you! · Rugs are generally much less expensive than carpeting. · Bedroom rugs can add a nice decorative touch if they have a pattern or design.· They can easily be changed or replaced, especially if you want to do a
bedroom makeover.
· Rugs may slip on the floors. Try to choose ones with a slighty tacky backing for better adherance to the floor. Or there are mats that can be placed under rugs that will prevent rug slippage. · A rug may not cover as much of the floor in the bedroom as you might want.I have found that if you have a rug at least near the bed where you step in or out is nice. It keeps your feet from having to touch a cool bare floor and makes one much less cranky because it’s more comfortable! (You can also keep some socks or slippers nearby to make your feet happier.) · Some natural rugs may not be as durable and long-lasting as synthetic rugs. Cotton tends to wear out the quickest, but wool is extremely durable, even more so than most synthetic rugs. Jute is another good option,unless it will be exposed to a lot of humidity or moisture ( then it will grown molds, etc.) For any of these rugs, check out the chemicals used to process or dye it. Some jute rugs are produced without harmful chemicals. If they will not disclose this information, chances are harmful chemicals were used. · Avoid bamboo rugs (made into soft fibers) or recycled plastics made into fibers. These contain many harmful chemicals during and after processing which will continue to off-gas. Also avoid fire-retardants or stain-resistant chemicals added to the rugs.
Wool, organic cotton, or jute are the best fibers for a natural rug in the bedroom.The nice thing about wool is that there are beautiful patterns and colors available, so you have many decorating options available. The most important thing to check for is the carpet backing. Make sure it is not made of synthetic materials as this will defeat your purpose in trying to have a healthy bedroom rug. If you cannot live without the rug you’ve chosen, then apply
AFM SAFECOAT SEALANT
to the backing and top of the rug. This will seal out most chemical off-gassing until the rug is washed. Then it should be reapplied.
If you have or plan to purchase a non-organic rug, then give it the “sniff-test” first. If you notice odors from it, it’s most likely to be off-gassing undesirable chemicals and will continue to do so in your bedroom, and they may bother you or be harmful. An even better option is to try out the rug in your room for a night or two and see how you do. Do you notice any headaches, fatigue or increased allergy symptoms such as stuffiness, puffiness in the eyes or face, increased coughing or congestion, or asthma? If so, you should not have the rug in your room. Sometimes it takes longer to notice symptoms, but often you can tell in a short amount of time if you pay attention to subtle changes. Remember even some rugs that seem to have no odors, can still off-gas chemicals. Some rugs have less chemicals than others. That’s why it’s really important to know what’s in your rug, if you want to minimize chemical exposures.
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