Question from daisianne
Hi Debra,
We are considering buying wool carpeting for our upstairs to replace very old synthetic carpet (looks about 30+ years old and we know there is lead in this house from testing we have done). I know you will say the best choice is to put in hardwood floors, but the floors are in very bad shape and would cost a fortune, and we are concerned about noise level since the third floor tends to echo throughout the house.
So, carpeting it must be. Yet we cannot afford Earthweave carpeting. I have found some discount wool carpeting in our price range. The customer service rep assured me that all their carpets meet or exceed the Carpet and Rug Institute Green Label standards, but that most carpet does contain mothproofing chemicals.
So.. my question is, given that the most non-toxic choices are out of our price range, what choice would be less toxic to our infant and ourselves: new synthetic carpet, wool carpet with mothproofing, or leaving the old synthetic carpet which may contain lead dust?
My intuition is the wool carpeting with mothproofing, but I’d like your opinion.
Thanks!
Debra’s Answer
I would probably go with the wool carpeting. See if you can find out what type of mothproofing was used before you buy the carpet. There are different types with varying toxicity.
