Carpets Today Are Earth-Friendly – Just Ask Abbey Carpet

Business: Abbey Carpet & Floor in El Cerrito

Name: Avel Martinez, 34

How long have you been in business here? Ron (Codron) has owned this store for 38 years in July.

What should locals in El Cerrito know about your business? That we’re locally owned and run, and have been for 38 years. We offer the service of a smaller store with the buying power of much larger stores. Because Abbey Carpet is part of a nationwide chain, we can negotiate better pricing.

What do I not know about carpet that I should know? (laughs) It really depends on what you know about carpet. A lot of people believe that carpets, especially the synthetic carpets, give off toxic gases. That’s not true. They haven’t used any of that stuff since the late ‘70s, early ‘80s. Everything now, all of the carpet that’s made now, is green label plus. That means that it meets and exceeds the indoor air quality standards by a certain percentage. All of the carpet companies—they’ve gotten into recycling, trying to produce the carpet so that it’s better for the environment, re-using materials and everything like that.

All in all, the carpet industry has gone a long way. Especially in this area, people are really concerned about green and natural products. We have the wool carpets that are offered, but also the nylon—the synthetic carpets—are also made in an environmentally friendly fashion.  

What would your tips be to somebody to take care of their carpet? Vacuum. Clean up any spills that happen. Vacuuming is really, really a big part that a lot of people don’t think of.

Daily? No, just once a week, depending on traffic, depending on how much it’s used, what happens in there. Vacuum it once a week—that should be fine and extend your carpet’s life for quite a few years.

Do you offer everything from Persian rugs to wool carpeting? Hardwood floors, vinyl, laminate—I think the only thing we don’t do is ceramic tile. But like I say, anything, we can pretty much help with.

What do you do for fun in your personal life when you’re not working? I have a seven-month-old and a kid who is about to be two. I pretty much chase them around all the time.

Anyone who has kids will understand that. Cleaning up after them, watching them watch their TV shows pretty much fills my days, and I enjoy it. 

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