While everyone is talking about outdoor air pollution, it’s necessary to remember that most people spend 80% of their time indoors. This includes the very important time we’re sleeping. People are now more conscious of indoor air quality than ever before.

Because so many home furnishings are produced from chemical synthetics, the Carpet and Rug institute, and the Carpet Cushion Council, entered into an agreement almost a decade ago with the Environmental Protection Agency, to initiate a voluntary program to lower volatile chemical emissions from carpet and carpet cushion. The CRI Indoor Air Quality Testing Program monitors products coming out of manufacturing plants. Although emissions are low to begin with, every possible technological step is taken to reduce them still further and reduce irritation to even the most sensitive customers.

To make sure your customers are getting products with low emissions, always recommend that they select carpets and cushions which display the Green Label. This is their assurance that these products are monitored in the Air Quality Testing Program.

However, a very small percentage of the population has such extraordinary sensitivity to inhaled substances that it is worth taking an extra step with them, to assure long-term customer satisfaction. In residential installations, recommend that any especially sensitive customer takes home a few yards of the cushion she has selected and lives with it for a few days, just to be sure there are no unusual reactions to the products, before you go ahead with the actual installation. This is cheap (but viable) insurance against complaints down the road.

Of course, we all realize that any floor covering product (and wall coverings and draperies, too) when it is first unrolled and installed, may emit some odor in the premises. This is usually not objectionable, but the key to preventing complaints at this critical time is adequate ventilation. Here are steps worth considering:

Be sure the home ventilation system is in proper working order before installation is scheduled.
Open doors and windows, during and after installation. If necessary, use window fans, room air conditioners, or other mechanical ways to exhaust emissions to the outdoors.
Operate any central ventilation system with maximum outdoor air exchange during the installation and for 48 to 72 hour’s thereafter.

(Source: Carpet Cushion Council)