The sad truth is the carpets that hold up best to traffic are the ones coated with toxins. And we don’t want those in a place where humans dwell.

If you do have a healthy wool carpet in your home, you can still clean it without harsh chemicals like perchloroethylene – which the EPA has linked to kidney and liver damage. Naphthalene, made from coal tar, is also considered a carcinogen that can harm the central nervous system.

Ask cleaning services if they simply steam to lift dirt or apply shampoos to loosen those hard-to-clean coffee and wine stains. Treatments like Oxi Fresh use an oxygenated method by applying less water and natural ingredients. Some cleaners also use citrus-based products that smell much better than standard chemicals. Just check and see if their products are plant-based chemicals (Biokleen, NatureClean and Seventh Generation’s Natural Citrus Carpet Cleaner) or made with synthetics.

Here are some natural ways to go for maintaining cleaner carpet:

1. For daily maintenance, have guests and family members remove shoes when entering the house if you have carpet on the first floor. Otherwise, remove shoes before heading upstairs. Obviously there can be exceptions, such as when you are entertaining. Guests often complain about taking off shoes for a more formal event. They may have holy socks or need the height so their pants won’t droop.

2. ehow tells us to spot clean with vinegar and water by mixing equal parts into a spray bottle and applying to the stain, then blotting with a clean, dry towel. For tougher stains, you can make a paste of baking soda and water and coat the stain. Let the paste sit for about 30 minutes, then wipe away with a damp cloth. For deeper cleaning, they suggest going with biodegradable cleaners like AFM Safecoat added to a rented carpet cleaner.

3. Do It Yourself recommends regular vacuuming to prevent dirt and pet dander from settling into your carpet fibers, and to sprinkle on some baking soda before your sweep to eliminate potential orders. You can even add spice, such as cinnamon or cloves, in the baking soda before you spread it. Also, let the baking soda sit on the carpet to lift stains and dirt at least 10 minutes before you vacuum.

4. For spot removal, use a clean dry cloth or paper towel to soak up the spill and blot the stain rather than rubbing it. Once you blot it, apply club soda or soda water to dissolve and lift, then blot up the liquid. You also can use hydrogen peroxide and vinegar mixed with water or rubbing alcohol to lift the stains. You might also try making your own spot cleaner with a teaspoon of liquid dish detergent and one to two cups of water.

In terms of cleaning fiber rugs, such as sisal, it is best to just use water or soda water. These can be the hardest rugs to maintain because many products don’t work very well to get out the stains.

Let us know if you have some other tried and true green methods of carpet cleaning!

Image: adriagarcia

Here are some ripe picks from the groovy grape file:

Fruitful Folds: Designer Dror Benshetrit should take pride in his Peacock chair exhibited at the recent ICFF 2009 in New York. Designed for Cappellini, no weaving, sewing or upholstery glue was applied to the comfortable lounge seat with a price tag too high to mention on our site. Hey, that’s art, kids.

Berry Soft: Avalisa hand-tufted New Zealand wool rugs in animal and abstract patterns: Dog, Wonder and Deer. Available in three sizes.

Grape Explosion: Tree Bomb purple wallpaper from Ferm Living. $115 per roll.

Juicy gems: from VivaTerra, gorgeous tones in on-trend shapes and textures. $98-119.

Purple is the New Black: Nouveau Organic Duvet and Pillows from Pottery Barn Teen, $32-$119 in twin and Queen sizes.

Upcycled Mashup: From Etsy, this felted wool pillow was a 100% cashmere sweater in a former life. $35 for the cover.

We have long sung the praises of Midwestern textile designer, Amy Butler, who introduced an exotic, Indian-inspired organic bedding collection of five designs this year. She even rolled out rugs to match!

The lovely and much needed bedding (still can’t find organic in many of my favorite haunts) includes 400-thread count sheeting, elegant embroidery and paisley flourishes woven without harmful dyes.

Among my faves is the Bucharest motif (above) with patterns found in Romanian embroidery and the flourishes of formal gardens. While modern and bold, the charcoal gray and ivory palette imbues the collection with understated warmth. The duvet would be at home in many environments – perhaps even yours.

Leave a comment here and you could be sleeping in the bedding soon as part of our decor give-away.

I would even repaint my master boudoir gray to complement this lovely duvet. Hey, that rhymes! Lemon yellow would work well as a backdrop, too, don’t you think?

Image: Amy Butler Design

She’s pushing petals again, that Amy Butler, introducing fabulously feminine and bold wool carpets that are blooming in late August. These are great handcrafted picks for perking up an existing space. You got the sofa, you got the pillows, you got the hot date. Now you need a flirty-perty rug, right?

The new line of 19 patterns in the Amy Butler for Chandra collection borders on the exotic with a modern scale and lively depth of field. If the motifs look familiar, it’s because we’ve shown you her similar bedding designs which smack of India chic. The organic bedding is sold at Bed, Bath and Beyond. The carpets complete the totality of the Butler bedroom.

“I had so much fun designing this line and learning about a whole new industry,” says Butler, otherwise known as the queen of Midwest modern style . “I even got to visit India to see rugs being made and meet the people who make it all happen – it was an amazing experience! I loved seeing each step in the process, the care and detail that goes into each rug is stunning.”

The rugs are 100% handmade from New Zealand Wool and semi-sustainable using no harsh chemical washes, the industry’s safest chrome dyes and natural latex adhesive.

Go to Butler’s site to see a slideshow of the rugs or order a carpet brochure.