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Home ยป Wellness ยป The complete guide to choosing a non-toxic rug

The complete guide to choosing a non-toxic rug

Published May 25, 2020. Last modified May 31, 2020 By Anne Marie 4 Comments

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Find out how to choose a non toxic, beautiful rug for your healthy home! Plus, learn how to care for your non toxic rug to keep it clean and new.

A Scandinavian style room with a terrazzo patterned non toxic rug from Lorena Canals.

An attractive area rug is a must-have in each room of my home. What can I say? Both my undergraduate and graduate degrees are in interior design. My homeโ€™s aesthetic is a priority for me.

But a healthy home is also a priority, especially with my daughter running around barefoot and playing on our rugs. Which is why 3 years ago when I was pregnant, I went on a hunt for beautiful, non-toxic rugs to decorate my home.

When I first started my search for creating a non-toxic home (you can click here to read more about how to create a healthy home!), I found area rugs to be a heavy hitter in the toxic burden of the average house. Honestly, healthy homes isnโ€™t a widespread topic on the internet these days, which meant I had to look at tons of resources, and even enroll in several healthy home courses from Parsonโ€™s School of Design.

Lucky for you, I did the research and am here to share my findings. This is a complete guide to using non-toxic rugs to make a healthy, beautiful home.

Are eco-friendly rugs the same as non-toxic rugs?

First things first, letโ€™s define some terms. Eco-friendly rugs are not necessarily non-toxic rugs, and vice versa. While an eco-friendly rug focuses on the health of our planet, non-toxic rugs focus on the health of the humans that come into contact with it.

Donโ€™t fall for greenwashing

โ€œEco-friendly,โ€ โ€œgreen,โ€ and โ€œsustainableโ€ are marketing buzzwords youโ€™ll likely come across when searching for non-toxic rugs. These are great qualities if youโ€™re looking to help our planet, but they donโ€™t necessarily indicate the rug is safe for your health. For your health, youโ€™ll have to search for non-toxic rugs first and then consider the eco-friendly aspect.

A non toxic rug from Lorena Canal with pink and orange tribal print. The rug is in a living room with a comfortable sofa with pillows and blankets.

What should I avoid in a rug?

Again, be careful about falling for marketing. A rug with only one safer component, like a natural material, might be marketed as non-toxic. This is how youโ€™ll find supposedly non-toxic rugs at big box stores for really cheap prices. But thereโ€™s a catch:

For example, I learned wool rugs require extra harsh dyes to color the fibers since wool is naturally stain resistant. Despite checking so many of the boxes for a safer solution, it had one factor that counteracted all of them, and it ended up contributing to the toxic burden of our home.

Youโ€™ll be able to make a much more educated choice if you know what to avoid. Here are the main toxic offenders to avoid in your rugs:

  • Materials like polypropylene (also known as olefin or polyolefin), nylon, and polyester. These three are synthetic materials that are created through chemical processes. Synthetic materials arenโ€™t necessarily always harmful but can transfer chemicals to the skin depending on how itโ€™s produced.
  • Flame retardant chemicals are incredibly toxic, not very effective, and almost always applied to the synthetic materials listed above.
  • Natural materials like cotton and wool can also be an issue. These materials often are sprayed with pesticides and other chemicals when not properly sourced.
  • The synthetic rubber backing of rugs and rug pads can contain endocrine-disrupting ingredients.
  • Many rugs use toxic, high-impact dyes to color the fibers.
  • Formaldehyde, a probable carcinogen and ear, nose, and throat irritant, is found in adhesives used to make many building products and furniture including area rugs.
  • Stain and water repellent treatments are often made from perfluorinated compounds (PFCs). This chemical is known to get into the bloodstream and has been found in human breast milk.

The affordable non-toxic rugs I use in my home

Yes, choosing a safer rug option can set you back a bit more. But it doesnโ€™t have to every time! By making smart design choices and choosing these more affordable non-toxic rug brands, you can keep your wallet happy.

Flor has non toxic carpet tiles that can be placed together to look like a seamless rug.

FLOR

These durable and stylish carpet tiles are odor-free, eco-friendly, and fairly affordable. Price ranges from $8-32 per tile. Youโ€™ll need 12-30 tiles depending on the size, so it can add up quickly if youโ€™re needing a larger rug. 

Safavieh

This popular brand offers a range of non-toxic options in beautiful styles, but youโ€™ll need to do some searching. Here are some ways to choose a non-toxic Safavieh rug:

  • Filter the rugs by natural materials like wool, cotton, and sisal. Be sure to double check your selected rug, because I found that some synthetic rugs still snuck in even when filtered.
  • Contact Safaviehโ€™s customer service team to fully vet a rug youโ€™re considering. Be sure to ask if they use any fire retardants or stain repellents on the rug.

I chose this one from Safavieh and have been super happy with it! It works best in a lower traffic area since itโ€™s cotton. Cotton wonโ€™t have the same durability or natural stain resistance as wool.

Hook & Loom

This brand offers simple, affordable choices like large jute rugs. These are perfect on their own or, as one of my favorite interior design tricks, layered beneath a smaller, more complex rug. My favorite way to layer Hook & Loom rugs is with a Lorena Canal rug on top. 

A colorful, playful non toxic rug in light blue, peach, yellow, green and tan in a room with a white chair, tassle shoes, and disco balls.

Lorena Canal

Donโ€™t let this brand fool you, itโ€™s not just for kids! While they do have plenty of adorable kid friendly options, they also have simple and mature styles for kid-free spaces.

How to care for your non-toxic rug

So youโ€™ve made the leap and purchased a non-toxic rug–yay! Here are some tips for keeping your new investment safe and secure:

Use a rug pad

A rug pad is essential to prevent slipping and to help maintain your rug. Avoid toxic options found at most stores and spring for a felt or wool one like this one. Alternatively, choose a 100% natural latex pad like this one.

Donโ€™t use the vacuum brush roll

When vacuuming your rugs, be sure to use the โ€˜hardwoodโ€™ setting. Using the brush roll is usually unnecessary, unless itโ€™s shedding or seriously dirty.

Remove shoes at the door

Only walk on your rugs with bare feet or house shoes. This tip is twofold: youโ€™ll also limit the pesticides and pathogens youโ€™re tracking into your home!

Palm printed non toxic carpet tiles placed together to form a rug in a living room.

What if my rug isnโ€™t completely non-toxic?

Sometimes a 100% non-toxic rug just isnโ€™t in the budget. Totally fine–as I say, itโ€™s about progress, not perfection. If you can find a rug thatโ€™s even slightly safer than a conventional rug, thatโ€™s better than nothing. And if you can still only use your conventional rugs, no worries–hereโ€™s some tips for what to do if your rug isnโ€™t totally non-toxic.

Allow it to off-gas

Off-gassing, or the emission of chemicals from a toxic item, can contribute to health issues and cause irritation. For this reason, I suggest allowing your rug to off-gas outside in the sunlight as long as possible. This keeps the off-gassing emissions out of your home and helps speed up the process so the chemicals are diminished faster.

Absorb some of the chemical odors

A great way to get rid of that noxious, chemical-y smell is sprinkling baking soda on your rug and allowing it to absorb the smell overnight. Vacuum in the morning!

Yellow and cream angular stripped non toxic carpet tiles placed together to form a rug in a dining room.

Whether you choose a large area rug or a small hallway runner, itโ€™s important to your familyโ€™s health that you go with a safer rug. Rugs are some of the biggest toxic offenders in a home and can off-gas for years. 

Luckily, there are tons of non-toxic rug options out there. Choosing a safer rug that fits your budget is an important step in making your home a healthy one!

Anne is a certified Integrative Nutritional Health Coach and Interior Designer who is passionate about whole home and body detox, as well as personalized nutritional therapies tailored to the individual. She's the creator of several online programs and ebooks including Ditch Your Nutritionist, Autoimmune Accomplice, and Detox Your Life.

When she's not creating content for her wellness business and website Grass Fed Salsa, you can find her snuggled up to her daughter GG, her husband James, and their pups Cohen and Kiki.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Camz

    January 22, 2022 at 11:50 pm

    Where is that green sectional couch from? It looks so comfy judging by the size of the cushion!

    Reply
  2. Tina Evans

    October 7, 2021 at 9:42 pm

    Thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise. We need to purchase some rugs and Iโ€™m allergic to formaldehyde.

    Reply
  3. Vanessa King

    May 20, 2021 at 9:40 am

    I’m not a rug or blanket. I’m Hella Lottafun! ๐ŸฆŠ๐Ÿ’๐Ÿ—๏ธโšช๐Ÿ’šโšซโ™Š๐Ÿ‘๏ธโ€๐Ÿ—จ๏ธ๐Ÿ’Ÿ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ

    Reply
  4. Whitney Shook

    April 11, 2021 at 11:13 am

    This article is so helpful! I share it with everyone who asks me where to buy non toxic rugs!

    Reply

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