Viewers React

27 Sep Viewers React

While consumer demand for natural products is growing, they are a must-have for people with chemical sensitivities

Kathy McDowell was upset to think she would have to stop playing with her grandchildren on the carpet in her family room. Every time she got close to the floor, the West Lafayette, IN, resident had a reaction that triggered respiratory problems.

When her doctor told her that the carpet had to go, McDowell persisted. She started investigating wool carpet and learned about chemical-free Nature’s Carpet – surprisingly close to home at Cline’s Carpets & Blinds.

“I love the carpet,” says McDowell, who has asthma. “I can get down on the floor with my grandkids. And the wool is easy to keep clean. It seems to breathe. It’s natural. It’s warm when it’s cold, and it’s cool when it’s warm.”

More than 60 percent of the people buying  Nature’s Carpet today have sought it out simply because it’s natural. The company’s “Dark Green” line is made of wool with no dyes, chemicals or synthetic backings. The remaining Nature’s Carpet customers are people who have sensitivities or allergy-like reactions to products that emit chemicals.

Cary Cline, owner of Cline’s Carpets at 350 Sagamore Pkwy. West, says that McDowell’s experience is more evidence of the growing need for retailers to understand and offer “green” products. CRI Green Label Plus Certification (www.carpet-rug.org) is one label to look for. It ensures that chemical emissions from the carpet have been measured and meet safety limits.

In addition to being made without chemicals, the Nature’s Carpet  “Dark Green” line not only helps the planet because it is completely biodegradable, but it clearly helps improve indoor-air quality, Cline says.

McDowell was so happy with the carpet in her family room, she had Cline’s Carpets install more of it in her guest room.

“When people have this need, we have something to offer them,” Cline says. “It’s rewarding to know that the steps your company has taken to learn about and offer such products have truly helped someone else solve a problem.”