Durability. Wool fibers are naturally elastic. When crushed or stretched, they bounce back to their original shape. Synthetic fibers lose their shape more quickly. They flatten, pill or wear in high-traffic areas and beneath heavy furniture.
Stain-resistance. Our wool carpets derive their stain-resistance from the nature of the fibers. Wool repels liquids, the culprit in most stains. Spills usually blot up, and regular vacuuming removes dry dirt efficiently. However, wool does stain more easily than many synthetic carpets, which are often treated for stain resistance. Our wool carpets are free of these chemical treatments.

• Wool responds well to professional cleaning.
• Do not use water-based cleaners designed for synthetic carpets. The moisture can shrink the fibers and pull dirt back into them.

Flame-resistance. Wool fibers won't ignite if exposed to flame. They self-extinguish quickly, often leaving the carpet with only a small amount of ash that can be brushed away. It takes just a single cinder or spark to melt unsightly patches into many synthetic carpets
Air quality. Wool fibers have microscopic scales that capture and hold dust particles until they are vacuumed. This results in less dust in the air, a boon for people who suffer from allergies. Some studies have shown that wool carpet may also help purify the air by absorbing certain common indoor contaminants, including formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide. Wool takes in these contaminants far more quickly and completely than synthetic carpets do. Biodegradability. The disposal of old carpets creates billions of pounds of solid waste every year. Wool carpets are biodegradable and can be used as mulch. They also make a good protective layer underneath pond liners. The wool could be recycled, but we know of no company that's doing it.

Not all wool carpets are the same. We carry only high-quality carpets that also meet our standards for maintaining the health of your family and our planet. We group our wool carpets in two categories:

Ultra-pure wool. We offer a line that contains some of the purest wool carpets in existence. These carpets are safe enough even for many people with chemical sensitivities. The manufacturer, Nature's Carpet, take special care to ensure that no harmful chemicals are used at any stage of the carpet-making process.

• The carpets are free of moth repellents and other chemical treatments.
• The backings and adhesives are made from natural materials that don't off-gas.
• Most styles are free of dye.

Fine wool. Carpets in this category come from a variety of top manufacturers, including Bellbridge, Unique and Design Materials. In selecting which carpets to offer from these major manufacturers, we look for qualities that protect the environment, including the air in your home and the water where the carpets are manufactured.

• Discharge of dye can seriously degrade water quality near the manufacturing plants, so we generally select carpets that use little dye. But they are far from boring. Often, they use intricate weave patterns or tone-on-tone designs to create interest.
• All of these carpets have backings made of jute and latex. We steer away from adhesives and backing materials that can offgas smelly or toxic chemicals into your home.
• These carpets have been treated for resistance to carpet moths and beetles.
• Many of these carpets carry the trademark of Wools of New Zealand, which means the carpets meet all the quality standards of this marketing program. At least 80 percent of the wool must have been grown in New Zealand. That's significant because breeders there have focused on producing the long fibers needed for durable carpets.
• We carry a wide variety of styles, everything from a luxurious plush shag for a formal living room, to a tight looped-pile carpet for the kids' room, to a tough wool-sisal combination weave for the office.

Durability: Although plant-fiber carpets are not as durable as wool, they're not wimps, either. We've had a jute carpet in our showroom for nearly 10 years. Our customers walk all over it daily, kids play on it and sometimes spill things, we even run our forklift over it. It still looks almost new. The only spill that didn't wipe off was from an open can of Natural Deck Oil. (Perhaps that says something about the quality of our deck oil.)

• Sisal and sisal-coir carpets are generally considered the most durable.
• Regardless of the fiber, tightly spun yarns and tight weaves produce the most durable carpets.

Coir dries quickly and thoroughly, so it can be used in occasionally moist areas, such as screened porches. Avoid using sisal, jute and seagrass in these places, however. They can mildew.

Most of our plant-fiber carpets are backed by latex or a combination of latex and jute. Some have a urethane backing, which provides extra padding.

Stain resistance. Plant fibers absorb liquids and thus can stain. To reduce this tendency, some of our carpets have been treated for stain resistance. In some cases, you can request this treatment as an option when you order. Other carpets are sold untreated. We sell SisalGuard, an acrylic sealer, for home application. With or without a sealer, these carpets look good for years if they are vacuumed regularly and if spills are cleaned up quickly.

• Plant-fiber carpets can be cleaned by dry extraction methods, but not by steam-cleaning. As with other types of carpet, off-site cleaning is more thorough than in-home cleaning.
• To minimize worries about staining, pick dark or blended colors.

Biodegradability. Plant fibers are rapidly renewable resources, and carpets made from them are completely biodegradable. So are latex and jute backings.
Safety. When these carpets are used as area rugs, latex or urethane backings help protect against skids. But we recommend using an inexpensive rug holder with these carpets anyway. Besides the extra security, the pad protects the underlying flooring from scratches if the backing dries out and flakes off, which can happen over time, especially if the rug is near a heat source. Coarse fibers, such as coir, are especially prone to causing scratches.
Appearance. Because they are natural, plant fibers are not uniform. Slight variations in color and texture are normal in these carpets. For most people, this is part of their charm.

• Some of our carpets are dyed, mostly using vegetable dyes, but some do use synthetic dye. If exposed to direct sunlight, all plant fibers will eventually fade back to their natural color.
• Consistent exposure to sunlight will speed up the deterioration of any plant-fiber rug.
• All plant fibers expand somewhat in humid conditions. When dried, they contract.

While they share many qualities, plant fibers vary greatly in look, feel, durability and impact on your pocketbook. Here are the basics:

Sisal rugs are the most durable, so they’re good for high-traffic areas. They also tend to be somewhat scratchy. Middle to higher price range.

Jute is the softest of all the plant fibers, but is also less durable than most. Good for low- and medium-traffic rooms. Middle to higher price range.

Seagrass repels stains the best. It also tends to be the cheapest, and its highly textured weaves and darker color help hide stains well. It’s tough, has a more casual look and isn’t scratchy like sisal. Lower price range.

Coir is really scratchy and really tough. By itself, it’s good for casual areas with some exposure to moisture. Middle price range.

Paper is really soft and smooth, with a tidy, geometric appearance. It’s durable too. Higher price range.

Origin
The bottles are collected at recycling centers and packed into bales for shipment to plastics recycling plants. At the plant, the bottles are sliced and ground into chips, washed and blown free of paper from labels. The chips are shipped to a factory where they are melted and forced through molds that extrude thin fibers. The fibers are then spun and tufted as if they were virgin polyester.

The plastic that goes into our carpets is often called P.E.T. Its technical name is polyethylene terephthalate. On containers, it's identified as type 1 plastic in the recycling logo on the bottom.