off-gassing carpet: how concerned should I be about my infant?

[Anonymous]

We moved into an old house recently, and the upstairs carpet really needs to be replaced. It has become clear that although the previous owners must have had the house fumigated, someone at some point was a smoker, as the carpet gives off that unmistakable scent. I know new carpet gives off nasty gasses, but I don't know if the alternative (a truly disgusting carpet that isn't clean or smell-free even after several professional steam jobs) is any better. We have an 11-mo, and I'm just not sure if the gasses are potentially more harmful than the carpet. Thoughts?

[Anonymous]

oh, yucky situation. i would say that an off-gassing new carpet would be equally bad or worse than what's there now. i wouldn't put baby on the floor in the room, if possible...can you buy organic carpet these days, without all of those chemicals? maybe that's an option. or a temporary fix might be to cover the carpet with a large, "non-chemicalled" area rug...

[Anonymous]

Easy - replace the old carpet with low-emission new carpet or flooring. There are plenty of options; stop by a flooring store. For example, 'Flor' carpet tiles are low-emission and can be reasonably priced (depending on the pattern) and easily installed. Marmoleum or cork are good options too. Personally I prefer non-carpet floors with area rugs, since we have allergies.

They will NOT be as cheap as your standard carpet, but they will be much healthier. I agree that the formaldehyde, etc. in regular new carpets is not something you'd want a newborn exposed to.

[Anonymous]

Both Home Depot and Lowes offer anti-allergen low offgassing carpet styles. They are cost-competitive with other brands, their only downside is that because they are not treated as much, they do not last as long (7-10 years as opposed to 10-15). Home Depot's line is called Puresque, and is made by Mohawk or Shaws, forget which.

We installed about 2,000 SF in new construction and it's been fantastic so far, and no odor from day one.

[Anonymous]

Look for "green" carpet options that aren't made with synthetic fibers. 100% wool. Also look for a pad that meets green standards.

If it is an old house, you may have wood floors underneath the carpet that can be refinished.

[Anonymous]

We found hardwoods under our gross carpet. Grab a utility knife and do a little investigating!

[Anonymous]

Just put in hardwood floors.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, the best option would be hardwoods (hopefully you already have them) with a natural (for example, hand knotted wool, no glue) area rug on top of it.

[Anonymous]

If you go the hardwood route you can use water-based sealants (Streetshoe)...they are more expensive than traditional polyurethane, but have zero odor and wear better.

You could also try engineered flooring or cork, both of which are "greener" than other traditional flooring types.

For carpet, wool is great but VERY expensive...synthetics have come a long way, and some carpets even use recycled products.

Overall I find it so difficult to generalize - some carpets are much greener than hardwoods, and vice versa - all depends on exactly what products you get.

[Anonymous]

DO NOT PUT IN NEW CARPET unless you get totally non-toxic , green, all natural carpet with no glues and VOCs. Conventional carpets are loaded with off-gassing synthetics, formaldehyde, VOC's, etc. That is what gives carpet that "new carpet smell". I am not sure where you live, but there is a "green" home store in Kensington called Amicus Green that can give you a totally non-toxic carpet made of non-dyed wool with no synthetic materials. If you don't want to do this, then put in hardwood floors but make sure you finish them with non-toxic finishers. I would recommend going to a "green" home store like Amicus and they can help youi.

[Anonymous]

Trying to make a somewhat health conscious and water conscious choice for our basement flooring, cork seemed out of our price range so we settled on FLOR tiles. I deeply regret it. 6 months on they are still off gassing a chemically smell to the point I cannot be in the basement for more than a half hour and I am loathe to let my young kids down there. I can taste it in the air on my tounge. We keep the windows open and the humidifiers cranked. The smell is often pulled upstairs. We aired them out in the garage pre and post installation. I cannot recommend these. They are certainly not good for your health.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Trying to make a somewhat health conscious and water conscious choice for our basement flooring, cork seemed out of our price range so we settled on FLOR tiles. I deeply regret it. 6 months on they are still off gassing a chemically smell to the point I cannot be in the basement for more than a half hour and I am loathe to let my young kids down there. I can taste it in the air on my tounge. We keep the windows open and the humidifiers cranked. The smell is often pulled upstairs. We aired them out in the garage pre and post installation. I cannot recommend these. They are certainly not good for your health.

You sound a bit nuts / paranoid, or perhaps there was something wrong with yours. I have them and no smell from day one

[Anonymous]

Oh, good lord! Carpet off-gassing has been grossly exaggerated. Put in the carpet and open the windows for a few days. Your kid will be fine.