Carpeting in rental....

[awallrising]

I had to leave my gorgeous toxin-free house & move into a rental with old carpeting. The carpeting is super old & was professionally cleaned.  More toxins.  I was thinking about getting new carpeting but more toxins (my 1 yr old spends a ton of time on the floor).  I have super cheap rent & was going to split the cost with my landlord.  After doing a little research, I just can't do the carpet.  What are my options? I can't live with filthy old carpet & don't want to poison my kids, my dog & myself with new carpet.  Any ideas on a less toxic solution?

[Shantimama]

What about inexpensive throw rugs you can wash and air out yourself? If you can't remove the old carpet, at least your baby will mainly only have contact with the throws you have put down yourself.

Do you know what is under the carpet? Are their wood floors underneath that your landlord would consider refinishing and splitting that cost with you?

[awallrising]

I asked the landlords about what's under the carpet (it's a 100 yr old house)...they put subfloor in over the hardwood many years ago b/c the floors were creaky.  Darn!  I was originally thinking area rugs but the rooms are pretty big & I thought it would look crappy.  Maybe that's the best solution though.  

[willfulmama]

Could you maybe rent a steam cleaner and use a vinegar/water solution? We have a carpet cleaner and use diluted vinegar all the time without any problems.

[awallrising]

The carpeting has already been cleaned & it's still filthy...it's not coming clean so I wanted it replaced.

[willfulmama]

I was just thinking of a way to remove the toxins so that at least you feel better about safety of the carpet if it ended up staying. What about bamboo?

[talia rose]

AFM Safecoat makes a 3 Step Carpet Sealing product line. Step 1 you use in a steam cleaner as a non-toxic shampoo that sucks some of the chemicals out too. Step 2 you apply with a garden sprayer to the still wet carpet and then take a stiff bristeled broom and work it into the backing. This seals the glue (most toxic part) from offgassing. Step 3 you wait until carpet is dry and use that garden sprayer again to apply to carpet fibers. It forms a membrane and prevents offgassing. We have used this ourselves several times and had many of our customers use it as well.....
 

[StrongBeliever]

What kind of subfloor? When my parents remodeled, they painted the plywood subfloor... This was supposed to be temporary, but it never was changed. It worked great, and over time got this neat antiqued look. If the subfloor is halfway smooth and solid, finding a really eco friendly durable paint should be easy.

Aside from that, Marmoleum is all natural linoleum. Pricey, but beautiful. It does off gas VOCs, but if I remember right the signifigant portion of off gassing is done in the first 6 months after manufacturing. Could be by the time it is installed with you the off gassing is nil?

[awallrising]

Remember, I am in a rental.  I had Marmoleum in my old house, which is beautiful but I would not buy it again until they fix some probs with it (scratches very easily, requires top coat & polishing, many seams that are horribly visible, etc). I certainly would not put it in a rental.  I'm seriously thinking about asking them if I can rip out the carpet.  I'd rather subfloor with throw rugs than the nasty filthy carpet that is there.

I was not aware that Marmoleum off-gassed VOCs.  Regardless, I would not use it again & certainly not in a rental.

Originally Posted by StrongBeliever 

What kind of subfloor? When my parents remodeled, they painted the plywood subfloor... This was supposed to be temporary, but it never was changed. It worked great, and over time got this neat antiqued look. If the subfloor is halfway smooth and solid, finding a really eco friendly durable paint should be easy.
Aside from that, Marmoleum is all natural linoleum. Pricey, but beautiful. It does off gas VOCs, but if I remember right the signifigant portion of off gassing is done in the first 6 months after manufacturing. Could be by the time it is installed with you the off gassing is nil?

[chel]

Just had a friend that painted her subfloor. Looks so nice.