Turn Green, Do Your Share: Facts About Eco-Friendly Area Rugs

Eco-friendly home decorating is one of the latest trends this season. An awareness of environmental pollution and global warming has sparked a concern around the world. Global warming occurs when there are too many greenhouses gases such as carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, methane and nitrous oxide. The result is that more sunlight is let in and it slows down the loss of heat from the Earth's surface and cause global warming.

A good example of eco-friendly home decorating products are area rugs made from natural materials such as wool, sisal, jute and bamboo.

Wool is the most eco-friendly material for area rugs. Sheep constantly grow wool. In fact, they have to be sheared at least once a year in order to be comfortable during the hot summer months. Wool shearing is not painful to the sheep. Wool is a naturally renewable resource. This is important because it has little effect on the environment. Chemicals are not needed to grow wool and only small amount of land and water are needed to develop the resource. Wool is durable, beautiful and versatile. A wool area rugs resists stains and is color fast. Wool area rugs come in many patterns, shapes and designs.

Bamboo rugs are another natural-made, eco-friendly products. Bamboo is the fastest growing plant hence, using some to make area rugs will not exactly diminish our planet Earth of this useful flora. Like wool, it is a naturally renewable source of area rugs. Bamboo rugs are in shades of green, from its natural color, and are also durable and versatile decors to use.

Jute is also a plant fiber grown in India and Bangladesh. Growing this plant doesn't use too much fertilizers or pesticides, so it's naturally healthy and environment-friendly. Area rugs made of jute absorb color fast and act as shields against UV rays, heat and sound.

Sisal is another sustainable resource that once harvested grows back quickly. It is a natural fiber from the "Agava Sisalana" cactus plant found in Brazil and Africa. There is very little harm to the environment.

Recycling carpets can also be considered eco-friendly and two manufacturers are leading the way. Mohawk runs the world's largest plastic bottle recycling plant; they purchase approximately 25 to 30 percent of recycled plastic bottles in the United States. The recycled carpet is then made into polyethylene terephthalate carpet and rug material. This is then transformed into products made up of 100% post-consumer content such as new area rugs. Shaw is another manufacturer who recycles rugs and carpets and creates new carpeting.

Area rugs can be considered eco-friendly or not depending upon the material used. The best materials are those that have little impact on the environment while simultaneously being a renewal resource. Bamboo, jute and sisal are all materials that produce beautiful and durable carpets while leaving little carbon footprint in their wake.

Lucky for you decorating with natural rugs has been made so much easier with these bamboo pile rugs.