Reduction of environmental impact and improvement of overall performance can be achieved in each life cycle of a carpet, ensuring high quality carpet plays an important role in efforts to reduce your project's impact on the environment.
If sustainability and environmental impact is of any importance to you or your client, be sure to select a carpet manufacturer that has implemented sustainable processes like Cradle to Cradle and recycling systems.
Also keep in mind that the higher quality the carpet, the longer it'll maintain its appearance and the less need there'll be over time for disposal and replacement. You obviously also need to ensure the carpet you specify meets all international performance standards. In Europe, carpets should be tested and certified in accordance with the European standard for test and classification of textile floorings, EN , which rates carpeting on durability and longterm appearance retention.
Check that the carpet manufacturer you're dealing with uses thorough testing equipment in connection with all its product development activities. Most people spend the vast majority of their time indoors, especially in the winter months, so the indoor environments we live and work in play a vital role in our general well-being, health and productivity both at work and in our spare time.
Emissions of vapour from building materials and equipment, known as volatile organic compounds VOCs , are the major culprits in indoor climate problems. Once these allergens are captured in the carpet, they're unable to circulate in the air. Regular vacuuming will then remove these particles and allergens from the carpet, ensuring a healthier environment. Dust particles in the air indoors can also cause a number of symptoms such as irritation of the eyes and air passages, infections and headaches.
As with allergens, carpet binds dust, which can then be removed entirely with regular vacuuming and periodic steam cleaning. This makes carpet a particularly good flooring choice for projects where indoor air quality is important, such as schools, offices and hotels.
While open plan office environments are now popular for their ability to foster knowledge sharing, collaboration and flexibility, the downside can be noise levels that inhibit focused work. Carpets provide excellent acoustical benefits and reduce noise by absorbing sound, rather than reflecting it as hard surfaces do.
Due to the cushy backing and many soft fibres, carpets provide excellent acoustical benefits and reduce noise by absorbing sound, rather than reflecting it as hard surfaces do.
This is the case for all carpets, but of course, some are better at trapping sound than others. As acoustics is a key reason for why many architects and clients prefer carpets, some manufacturers even provide specialised acoustic backing for further dampening effect. Static electricity is often a problem causing considerable discomfort in indoor environments. Choosing a carpet that contains conductive fibres and is permanently anti-static resolves this problem, as any person walking on it'll not get a shock when touching an earthed object.
Instead, the person walking on the carpet remains below the limit of around 2kV kilovolt , the threshold generally acknowledged to be antistatic.
Big screen TVs, speaker phones, computers, and sound systems make our homes noisy places. Carpet helps to absorb these sounds. Adding a cushion pad beneath your carpet reduces noise even further. Carpet also works as a sound barrier between floors by helping to block sound transmission to rooms below. Carpet on stairs also helps mask the sound of constant foot traffic.
Although we might not normally associate carpet with improved indoor air quality, it does have a very positive effect. Gravity causes common household particles, such as dust, pollen, and pet and insect dander, to fall to the floor.
Carpet traps particles, removing them from the breathing zone and reducing their circulation in the air. Proper cleaning with CRI-approved vacuums effectively removes dust and allergens from the carpet and helps keep them out of the air we breathe.
A misperception is that people with asthma and allergies should avoid carpet in the home. Actually, the opposite is true. Studies have shown that properly cleaned carpet helps reduce symptoms and is the best flooring choice for those dealing with asthma and allergies. Carpet is recognized as one of the lowest emitters of volatile organic compounds among various flooring choices and interior finishes.
When carpet reaches the end of its long life, it is reused to make new carpet or is recycled into a variety of products, including roofing shingles, railroad ties, and automotive parts. With over industry members, CARE has helped divert over 4 billion pounds of carpet from landfills since the group organized in Benefits of Carpet.
The high end of any market is often a leading indicator for the masses and there are signs of life there. Wealthy homeowners have been buying handmade rugs in increasingly large sizes. Empire says customers who call in looking for hard surfaces are getting past their carpet hangups.
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