Natural Rugs

Today, more than ever, Earth's inhabitants are striving to become eco-friendly and looking for ways to help the environment, reduce, reuse, recycle, and curb energy expenditures, while reducing the cash outlay for home improvements. A simple way to be eco-friendly is to use natural rugs and carpets in your home, instead of their synthetic counterparts.

The use of green home decor products and techniques has made a niche for such products in the marketplace. While jute rugs and bamboo window shades have been available in the past, they are now more sophisticated pieces of home decor, catering to the generation trying to make a difference environmentally. Just some of the types of natural rugs available are:

• Seagrass. The least expensive—and most versatile—of the natural floor coverings, seagrass rugs are woven from seagrass into a latex-backed floor covering. The seagrass is grown in India and coastal China in paddies, where the fields receive a cyclical flooding of seawater to encourage growth. While most seagrass rugs have a green hue, the colors range from sage to olive green. Seagrass rugs have a scent resembling hay, but the odor dissipates over time. Seagrass rugs are strong, non-absorbent, stain resistant, rigid, anti-static, and can withstand heavy traffic.
• Mountain grass. Because the grass is grown in the mountains, the rugs made from the grass are called mountain grass rugs. Typically, mountain grass rugs are brown-hued, running the gamut of Earth tones in the color range. Mountain grass rugs are rigid and hard, have definitive textures and thicknesses, and various weave patterns.
• Sisal. Sisal plants produce a very strong fiber, stronger than hemp, jute, or flax. Most often, sisal fibers are not dyed, so the rugs appear with the same colors as the natural plants from which they are woven. Sisal fibers can be bleached, but they can also be dyed, proving a versatile decor item.

There are many other types of natural rugs, and some are fashioned from jute, hemp, bamboo, and wool. If the rug is made from 100% natural fibers, it is considered a natural rug. Keep in mind that most natural rugs have latex backing to prevent slippage. Also, most natural rugs do not perform well in a humid or moist environment, since they tend to grow mildew and mold. You can prevent mold and mildew buildup by spraying with an antibacterial spray, and keeping the rugs clean.