New rug safe?

[happycat]

I know carpets can sometimes have fumes bad for parrots, what do you guys know about new rugs? Are they safe?

 

[weco]

Generally, if they don't say they have been treated with Stain Guard, you're usually OK.....

 

[happycat]

By carpets being bad does it mean full room end to end carpet or are rugs considered?

Isn't the problem in the glue? The rug is on the ground and I want to make sure it isn't emitting fumes.

 

[weco]

By carpets being bad does it mean full room end to end carpet or are rugs considered?

Isn't the problem in the glue? The rug is on the ground and I want to make sure it isn't emitting fumes.

The only way that you can determine if a product is safe, without having it tested, is to rely on the product label and do further research from there.....without seeing that label, there is no way we could give you any kind of answer as there are companies that purchase scrap/excess carpeting, cut it into smaller pieces and bind them (sew bindings around the edges) to create area rugs and/or mats and you need to know about the original carpet these area rugs/mats came from..... That being said, we don't know how big this rug is and where it is used in your home, whether you're talking about a foot sized rug you might step on from a bathtub, shower or out of bed or whether it is an area rug that will cover a wood floor, linoleum floor, or some other surface.....

Small rugs, something like 3'x6' would probably not present a serious problem, but a rug that is 12'x12' and covers the majority of the room, has an unknown potential that could pose a problem, there is some missing information we need to know about your "rug."

One other thing I thought of.....there is the possibility you will never find out if your rug is dangerous or not because these "created rugs" may be from a "mat" company that keeps no records about where an individual rug comes from, so your question may not be answerable in the end.....

Good luck.....


After re-reading, I see I did not answer your specific question about the dangers/fumes coming from carpet glue, but in answer to that, not necessarily, it depends on the type of glue used, currently, many carpet adhesives, for home use, are water based and do not emit dangerous fumes.....

 

[Kiwibird]

I used cheap rubber backed rugs for years to catch poop under Kiwis cage so it wouldn't get on the carpet. Smell the rug, if it has an odor, let it air out in another room for a week or so until the new smell dissipates and it will be fine. That goes for anything that has a "new" product smell to it. Most decorative rugs are relatively small and don't pose the same issues as a full room or house carpeting does. If the rug is made of natural fibers and does not have a rubber backing, it shouldn't need to air out at all.

 

[weco]

I used cheap rubber backed rugs for years to catch poop under Kiwis cage so it wouldn't get on the carpet. Smell the rug, if it has an odor, let it air out in another room for a week or so until the new smell dissipates and it will be fine. That goes for anything that has a "new" product smell to it. Most decorative rugs are relatively small and don't pose the same issues as a full room or house carpeting does. If the rug is made of natural fibers and does not have a rubber backing, it shouldn't need to air out at all.

Actually KB, most mats that are cut from scrap/end rolls of carpet do not have foam backings and the ones that do are generally expanded PVC foams, but the unknown is whether any stain repellants were applied to the original carpet during or after its manufacture...and before mats were cut out of the carpeting.

If you need to brush up on how walk-off mats or as the industry calls them "mats" are made & what they're made from, you might want to contact the Carpet & Rug Institute, they can be contacted at: P.O. Box 2048, Dalton, GA 30722-2048, or Phone: (706) 278-3176 or fax if you're so inclined at: (706) 278-8835

I live just down the road; was associated with that industry for a number of years and would be happy to put you in touch with several of the world's major mat manufacturers if you'd prefer that, but the CRI people should be able to help you ! ! !


Oh, one other thing, looking at a mat manufacturer's product label, I'm pretty sure is not going to tell you whether its product contents are natural fibers or man made, which is what any re-purposed carpet mats are, so one would still be left looking for further information...just thought I should point that out, rather than disseminate erroneous or ambiguous information to the membership.....

 

[Kiwibird]

Ok. Let me be more "specific", I used cheap decorative "rugs" like these (whatever they may technically be called):

under Kiwi's cage for years without issues. I let them air out for a week when they were brand new and it was fine. The rubber backing did an excellent job protecting carpet from poop too. Mine were machine washable, leading me t believe they were likely not treated or else the treatment would have washed out after the monthly washings. I am assuming the OP is using a decorative rug in her room (such as what I was using) and not a remnant of carpet, mat or whatever. I got mine at stores like Ross and Big Lots in the decorative rug section, not a carpet supply house.