How to Choose Non-Toxic Environmentally-Friendly Flooring

Last Updated on 23 February 2022 by Lily

5 Points You Should Check Before Buying Healthy Eco-Friendly Flooring

These days, there are all sorts of flooring options to choose from and many companies produce environmentally friendly flooring for eco-conscious customers like us. That is great, isn’t it? But it can be tricky as some brands have claimed that they are eco-friendly, but actually, they are “greenwashing”. Why do they do that? Sadly some brands do it in order to sell the products.

However, there are a few ways to recognise if the flooring is genuinely eco-friendly or not. So today’s article will be about how to choose non-toxic environmentally-friendly flooring for your home.

Why Should You Consider Environmentally-Friendly Flooring?

There are a few reasons why you should choose eco flooring instead of non-environmentally-friendly flooring. Firstly, obviously choosing eco flooring from sustainable brands will be able to lessen the impact on the environment.

Secondly, environmentally-friendly flooring is usually made to last-long quality. So you won’t have to change it again and again and again. And that means it is kind to your wallet as well!

Thirdly, sustainable flooring is made of non-toxic natural materials. So unlike synthetics flooring, it will maintain your home environment healthy and you do not have to worry about the possibility of toxicity to you and your family’s health. Basically, there are no reasons not to choose environmentally-friendly.

So whether you are planning on remodelling your current house or building a new home, why not choose eco flooring to make a proper green healthy house? Let me tell you how you can choose truly sustainable flooring!

How to Choose Non-Toxic Environmentally-Friendly Flooring

Before you decide the one for your home, there are 5 things you should check. If you are not sure about any of them which I will share now, you should ask a company and be clear before you purchase it. If the company is genuinely committed to sustainability and selling truly eco-friendly flooring, I am sure they are happy to give information about what you asked for.

♯1 . Materials of flooring

The first thing you should check is what materials are used to make the flooring. What are the most sustainable flooring materials? Well, there are two eco options. One of the most eco-friendly flooring materials is reclaimed wood. Reclaimed wood is up-cycled wood from old barns, households, shops, or warehouses. Depends on the company, but it has a vast range of styles and finishes to choose from. So same as clothing, if you can use flooring that already exists, that is the most eco-friendly choice you can make. You may find your flooring from companies such as Reclaimed Flooring.Co or Reclaimed LTD.

Another eco option is renewable natural resources such as bamboo, cork, or hemp. These natural materials are incredibly easy to regrow and are very durable. However, you have to dig a little deeper. I will explain in the next section.

♯2. Where the materials of flooring made and come from

Renewable natural materials that I just mentioned above can be easily replanted or recreated, but it doesn’t mean it is sourced or produced in an eco-friendly way. Being said that there are some brands that illegally harvest natural materials which is still a serious problem these days. Or some brands may use natural materials but don’t use renewable energy in production. Or some brands may use sustainably sourced materials but these materials are from overseas which cause carbon emissions in order to send to the manufacturer.

To make sure you are choosing the most truly environmentally-friendly flooring, you can look for third-party certifications that ensure if the manufacturer sourced materials sustainably from local, and use of renewable production.

Even If you chose reclaimed wood flooring, it is the same thing. You should check where these reclaimed wood come from.

♯3. Longevity of flooring

Long-lasting quality is an important point when you choose flooring for your home. Environmentally friendly flooring made of natural materials is durable and made to last for many years. So you do not need to replace it as frequently. That means you won’t have to get new flooring any time soon and also you won’t create any more wastes and pollutions.

♯4. Life cycle of flooring

Even if you install durable environmentally-friendly flooring, eventually the life of flooring will come to an end and you will have to replace it with a new one. The important question is can the old floors be recycled? Or be repurposed? Obviously, the answer has to be “yes”. Because if it cannot be recycled, it will end up in the landfill which isn’t ideal. So make sure when you buy environmentally-friendly flooring, choose floors that can be recycled.

♯5. Toxicity of flooring

This is one of the most important things to check for you and your family’s health. You should avoid a high level of VOCs materials including adhesives and finishes. VOCs is toxic and it can off-gas harmful chemicals in your home which can be a high health risk for your family.

Choosing eco floors and products that contain no-VOCs or low-VOCs is the healthiest flooring option.

Final thoughts on How to Choose Non-Toxic Environmentally-Friendly Flooring

Now you know how to choose non-toxic environmentally-friendly flooring. I will be sharing what flooring options you have as an eco-conscious consumer in the next article.

Want to create your space more sustainable? Let me help you! Here is my E-Design service info. Check it if you are interested in it!

Japandi Design

AIvolution Interior Design

5 Points You Should Check Before Buying Healthy Eco-Friendly Flooring

Why Should You Consider Environmentally-Friendly Flooring?