5 ways to reuse old carpets
This is a toughie. No matter how green you try to be, there comes a point where your throw rug/floor mat/living room carpet is too dirty, or too stained, or too out of style for you to keep using.But don't throw it out with the trash yet! If it's just dirty, clean it first! Just don't use a commercial carpet cleaner - they're known to contain perchloroethylene, which can cause nausea and dizziness if inhaled. Instead, if you opt to clean it yourself, choose one of the following brands: Bi-O-Kleen, Capture, AFM SafeChoice, NatureClean, SimpleGreen and Seventh Generation's Natural Citrus Carpet Cleaner. (To spot clean, use a mixture of equal parts water and white vinegar).
If you live in New York, check out Zen Home Cleaning, which uses only non-toxic cleaning products. Otherwise, check out ChemDry, which uses carbonated cleaning bubbles instead of toxic chemicals, or Zoots, rated one of the top 50 green companies in the U.S.
Okay, now that we've gotten cleaning out of the way - here's how to reuse your carpets so they won't end up on the landfill.
- Make a homemade scratching post for your cat by staple-gunning pieces of carpet onto a sturdy piece of plywood attached to a wooden base. Rub a little catnip on it to keep them interested.
- Give it to a friend! Clean it well, let it air dry, and ask around. I've given many old bathmats or bedroom rugs to friends moving into new apartments. Sounds gross, but as long as you clean them, they're like new (the carpets - not the friends).
- Cut them into pieces and use them as makeshift doormats.
- Lay it down in a garden or yard to kill weeds or unwanted grass.
- Lay it in the back of your car or van to protect the floors when you're carting around gardening supplies, old equipment, pets...
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-17-2008 @ 3:26PM
Momma Green said...
I used the old carpet in the attic. It helped with heat loss in the winter.
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4-18-2008 @ 2:17PM
Jeff@MySuperChargedLife.com said...
Great ideas! I especially like the idea of giving them to a friend. When that fails, we have also sold old rugs that still had life in them in garage sales. We make a buck and avoid trashing something that is still useful. Double win!
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