Natural carpet flooring – What you need to know about it

Are you thinking about renovating your house? Then the choice of flooring is certainly something you have already thought about.

What types of carpet fibres are available?

A carpet is a textile floor covering typically consisting of an upper layer of pile (upright loops or strands of yarn) attached to a backing. Carpet fibres can be classified into natural (bio-based) fibres and synthetic fibres. Only about 10% of textile floor coverings are made of natural materials such as wool and goat hair, wool-synthetic blends, sisal (made from the agave plant), coconut, seagrass, jute or cotton.

Around 90% of textile floor coverings are made of synthetic fibres such as polyamide, polyester or polypropylene. They are used because they have the technical properties necessary for hotels, offices and public institutions. So far, these high technical requirements (flame and moth protection) can usually only be achieved with massive chemical retrofits that harbour health risks.

What are the advantages of natural carpet flooring?

Natural fibre carpets improve the indoor climate particularly well. They balance humidity and ensure a comfortable indoor climate. According to scientific studies, wool carpets can even absorb and neutralise indoor air pollutants such as formaldehyde. Wool absorbs up to a third of its weight in moisture and has a natural protection against staining due to the residual fat (lanolin) contained in the yarn.

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