Is wall to wall carpeting really making a comeback?
The WSJ is wrong about W2W. Designers should nip this trend in the bud
The Wall Street Journal tells us about The Return of Wall-to-Wall Carpet: Why Americans Want This Soothing Luxury Now. Antonia van der Meer writes:
BROADLOOM, the cosseting wall-to-wall floor covering that cognoscenti refer to as W2W, is climbing out of basements and rec rooms. With its reputation rehabbed, against considerable odds, carpeting is once again finding its way into bedrooms, family rooms, dining rooms and even the occasional bathroom.
Has its reputation really been rehabbed? There have definitely been improvements, and a reduction in volatile organic compounds, flame retardants, and stainproofing chemicals that were toxic. van der Meer notes:
The industry has recognized concerns about indoor pollution and the toxins that synthetic or treated carpeting have historically emitted. “The largest change in the last 20 to 30 years has been disclosure,” said Jordan Zambrana, a biologist with the Indoor Environments Division at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C. He says you can find lower-emitting, safer materials. Look for: Green Label Plus, Cradle to Cradle Certified, NSF 140 and NSF 332 labels. He also recommends natural, untreated fibers such as wool, a popular choice.
Studies confirm that carpets emit fewer VOCs than they used to. They note: “carpets may emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can cause smell and irritation of mucous membranes, especially in sensitive individuals. However, tests of new carpets indicate that emissions have been reduced and have a shorter duration.”
But it’s what happens after the carpet is installed that really matters. A 2019 report, Ten questions concerning the implications of carpet on indoor chemistry and microbiology, should give pause to anyone listening to the Wall Street Journal, which shows carpeting mostly in bedrooms, but also in living and dining rooms. (Kitchens may be a bit too extreme, even for the WSJ.)
The 10 Questions study notes that even if the WSJ promotes natural wool carpets, “over 95% is made of synthetic fibers, including nylon, polyester and olefin. The use of polyester has seen a dramatic increase in recent years and has overcome nylon as the dominant material.” All of the above are made from fossil fuels. The backing that holds it all together is made from PVC, urethane or latex. 85% of carpet in the USA sits on urethane bonded foam underpad. When installed they emit VOCs, but also semi-volatile organic compounds, or SVOCs including PFAS, Triclosan (an antibacterial) and organophosphorus flame retardants. Because there are so many fibers, the surface area that can react or emit gets huge, up to 300 times that of an uncarpeted floor.
There are the creatures that grow in the in the carpet.
“Biological components of dust are theoretically as diverse as the complex ecology of outdoor environments, and include microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, algae, protista) as well as pollen, dust mites, pet dander, and arthropods. Next-generation sequence-based technology applied to indoor environments has revealed that the fungal communities within carpet dust reservoirs are composed of a vast array of fungi, representing a much more diverse pool than previously estimated. Because the mass of dust is greater per unit area of carpet than it is for hard, smooth surfaces, the presence of carpet increases the potential for our exposures to these biological agents.”
The 2019 study doesn’t mention another little creature that is terrorizing a lot of people these days: bedbugs. The WSJ shows W2W in bedrooms, but an exterminator’s site advises:
“Due to the small size of the bedbugs, they can easily hide within the fibers of your carpets and lay their eggs there. If your carpet is partly torn, bedbugs can use those holes and tears to hide beneath it. As long as the carpet fabric is coarse enough, these bugs will lay the eggs and secrete a sticky substance that allows the eggs to stick firmly on the carpet.”
There is dust that accumulates and is resuspended into the air every time anyone walks on the carpet.
“Ultimately, carpets are a complex reservoir system that act as both a source and a sink for dust in the indoor environment. Deposition rates of particles into carpet are higher than solid floors (the “sink” effect). Airborne particles are deposited and stored in carpets, altering the balance and type of pollutants (including particle-bound SVOCs) present in the carpet over periods of years to decades.”
The study notes that a lot more research is needed, in particular, “It has yet to be determined what fraction of PM10 mass inhaled throughout the day can be directly attributed to floor dust resuspension.” It doesn’t even get into the dangers of PM2.5 or the more recent concerns about ultrafine particles. However, other research indicates that the bigger PM10 particles resuspend more than the smaller ones. And who breathes in the most particles?
“Some recent studies focused on particle resuspension and exposure induced by infants’ crawling and children’s walking. A study that used a robotic infant showed that an infant would receive a nearly four times greater respiratory tract deposited dose of resuspended biological aerosol particles than an adult in terms of per kg body mass.”
And what are the kiddies breathing? We have a big rug I inherited from my mom in our living room on top of the wood floor that might as well be W2W, and I am sick at the thought of the emissions that came from pets and grandchildren that are in that rug, getting resuspended all the time and feeding all those bugs and fungi. It’s beautiful, it’s wool with jute backing, but it has 50 years of the sink effect and who knows what’s in it.
Most of the studies I have referenced are from before the pandemic, which seriously increased the level of concern about air quality (see Air is the new poop.) PFAS and particulates are on the radar like never before. Carpeting is probably worse than we know.
I have long complained about carpet, and often suggested sustainably harvested wood flooring or linoleum as my favourite floor coverings. I don’t think wool or other natural materials are significantly better or healthier; they may not have the VOCs, but often have chemicals for mothproofing, and face all the same challenges of bugs, fungi and particulates.
I do hope that the WSJ is wrong about W2W becoming a trend; it’s clear that wall to wall carpeting does not belong in a healthy home.
After years in residential remodeling and tearing up many a w2w I cannot unsee how disgusting they are. I can also say from that experience they also tend to be the largest contributor to lingering odors as well. We’d pull a carpet out and come back after lunch and notice the place didn’t smell any more.
The only carpet we’ve got at home is 5x8 rug in the living room. It’s small enough to take out a clean regularly. It’s all I ever want.
agreed with all of that lloyd! and you barely even touched in my biggest gripe with carpet, how hard it is to clean; i can mop a tile floor, and both linoleum and wood floors can be cleaned as well, with a bit more care. carpet, on the other hand, can barely even be hoovered effectively.
if you want the soft, sound absorbing flooring, get a cleanable floor and put a rug on it, they're easier to clean than carpet, and can be replaced easier if things do go very wrong.
tldr; carpet