Eco flooring is a viable choice considering the level of energy consumption involved in the production of non-eco friendly floorings (that is, synthetic carpeting). While it may not totally replace non-eco flooring or carpeting, you can use it where possible, to make your home more eco friendly.

Non-eco floorings can give off volatile organic compounds (VOCs) gas or fumes which can be hazardous to your health. They are also likely to end up in landfills which may be harmful to the environment. Landfills are dumps where wastes are disposed of. A lot of problems may occur through their use, some of these may be the release of methane from wastes (which is more damaging to the environment than carbon dioxide) and water contamination.

Some of your eco flooring choices include bamboos, wool carpets, jute, seagrass, coir, sisal, cork and sustainable woods.

Bamboos are grasses that look like woods. They grow very quickly, are renewable and hard enough to be used in construction. Wool carpets are anti-static green flooring made from wool. Jute is a vegetable fibre that can be woven into carpets. Seagrass is a plant. Coir is fibre from coconuts. Sisal is a plant with stiff fibre. Cork is made from the bark of the cork oak tree, it is renewable because the bark grows back after it has been scraped off from the tree to make corks.

Sustainable woods are woods produced under the condition that they will not be used up faster than their parent forests can keep up, which may lead to negative consequences for people and the environment. Sustainable woods are eco friendly because they came from trees that take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, creating a better earth; they are renewable too, through the sustainable methods used for conserving and preserving them.

Your best eco home flooring option may be wool carpets, these are 100% recyclable, can use natural backing, and can be bought untreated and do not need any toxic cleaning chemicals.

Each one of these green eco flooring options have their own pros and cons, you can use their strengths to determine the appropriate area in your home to fix them. Bamboos may not be used in laundry rooms for example because they cannot withstand too much moisture; you may therefore have to use them in rooms that are mostly dry. The costs of these floorings differ too, you should buy what you can afford and mix them by using different type of eco floorings in different areas of your home.

Eco floorings are renewable, reusable or recyclable. You may not need to use adhesives with some of them during installation or you may opt to use non-toxic adhesives or alternative methods of installation instead. Some eco floorings may not have been treated with chemicals from the manufacturers or you may get eco floorings treated with non-toxic chemicals for yourself. A lot of these floorings too can be cleaned with cleaning products made from plants.

When thinking of what carpet to use for your home, add eco flooring to your list.

If you are interested in learning more about ways to go green, save money and help the planet, visit www.FreeTipsForGoingGreen to receive a free green living tip delivered to your email inbox each day.

Author Bio: Byron Dixon is committed to green living, sustainable issues and environmental education. Visit www.FreeTipsForGoingGreen.com to receive one great free tip each day delivered to your inbox on ways to go green, save money and help the planet, or join www.EarthHuddle.com – a free online community for sustainable living.

Category: Home Management
Keywords: eco flooring, green flooring, bamboo, wool carpet, home flooring, jute, seagrass, coir, sisal, cork, sustainable woods, volatile organic compounds