A high-quality wool rug can cost a pretty penny, but they're well worth the investment. Rugs made with 100% wool are durable, versatile, and natural, and they will often feel and look better than synthetics, making them a perfect choice for those who like to invest in their home decor.
Wool carpet cost can range anywhere from $5 to $26 per square foot. Again, that's a pretty big range. You'll realize these two cost ranges overlap. While wool carpeting is generally more expensive, you could end up comparing a $12 wool carpet to a $15 synthetic one.
A wool rug can last for 50 years or more. Synthetic rugs usually have a lifespan of 3-5 years. Both small wool rugs and synthetic rugs are easy to clean. Wool typically feels softer and more luxurious than polypropylene carpet.
Wool is one of the best natural fibers for your area rug. It's durable and comfortable because the threads spring back with softness after being walked on. To an extent, wool is also naturally stain-repellant and water-resistant. Wool area rugs come in beautiful colors and styles that flatter most interior home decor.
Wool rugs tend to be more expensive than cotton or synthetic rugs, but they are durable and can last a lifetime with proper maintenance. Although it's recommended to have wool area rugs professionally dry cleaned for stubborn stains, cleaning your wool rug with a gentle surface scrub about once a year is doable.
Wool is a very durable material for rugs. Since the fibers are coil-shaped, wool rugs tend to keep their shape even if they are exposed to heavy foot traffic. Wool naturally repels stains, so it's the type of rug easier to keep clean than many other rug materials.
Wool is less stain resistant than most synthetic fibers. Wool is very absorbent, so it can be difficult to remove stains once they have been absorbed by the fiber. As with all fibers, the best method of preventing a stain when a spill happens is to treat the spill as quickly as possible.
Shedding should not last forever. It may be more dramatic when you first purchase the rug, but it should stop or decline after a few months. During this time, wool rugs will settle down, and you should eventually notice that rugs shed less and less.
The biggest downside of buying a wool rug is that they are a big investment. In addition, if you are putting one in a nursery, or someplace where you plan to spend a lot of floor time they can feel itchy (just like a wool sweater) if you are laying on them.
Snip and Burn
Take them outdoors and clamp them with a pair of tweezers. Light the fibers with a lighter. If they melt and smell like burning plastic, you have a synthetic rug. If they crumble and smell like burning hair, you have a wool rug.
While there are many benefits to purchasing a wool rug, they do tend to have a shedding problem. In fact, no matter how much you spend on your wool rug, it will still shed. There's really no way around it.
While hand-knotted rugs made with 100-percent wool tend not to shed, they're pricey. Constant shedding is much more common with synthetic fibers (such as acrylic, nylon, or viscose), which are weaker and more susceptible to the impact of foot traffic, which leads to lots and lots of shedding.
Wool area rugs have been known to last twenty to thirty years when they're woven by a machine, while hand tufted wool rugs can last up to sixty years. Not only do wool rugs last long, but also their appearance remains as new as when you first bought it, if you take proper care of it.
The main advantage of wool carpets is their longevity and excellent appearance retention compared to synthetics. Their timeless appearance is enhanced by their durability. The natural fibres (a big plus for environmentally conscious buyers!) make wool a very strong and durable floor covering.
As much a piece of art as it is utilitarian décor, it will likely move with you throughout your adult life, and will often be passed down to the next generation. Much of that is due to the sheer investment: Large, high-quality, hand-knotted rugs can command tens — or hundreds — of thousands of dollars.
Dust mites cannot live on wool carpets. They eat flakes of human skin. Wool carpets generally contain very low levels of permethrin, a naturally occurring substance that kills very small insects. Installing a wool carpet is a very good thing to do if there are asthma sufferers in your home.
Wool is the perfect carpeting for allergy, asthma, and eczema sufferers because it is hypoallergenic and durable. Allergies and asthma seem to be the two primary health conditions that influence a person's choice of floor carpeting. The consistency of the air we breathe affects all of these health problems.
Tufted—Many tufted rugs are made with low-quality wool fibers which can easily break or shed if vacuumed too vigorously. Most upright vacuums are too harsh for tufted rugs. Use a handheld attachment to gently vacuum the surface or bring it in for professional wool rug cleaning.
When it comes to vacuuming your wool rug, easy does it. Use a vacuum with no beater bar to gently clean your wool rug 2-4 times a month. While beater bars are great for lifting dirt out of synthetic fibers, they're very harsh on wool, which sheds easily.
You need to steam clean your wool carpet at least once a year. At a glance, your carpet may appear clean, but there is a chance of a lot of hidden dirt. Dried mud, dust or trapped sand can wear the fibres of your carpet as you move around day today. Steam cleaning once a year can remove this hidden build-up of dirt.
You don't need to waste a lot of your money on those expensive wool rug cleaners. Baking soda can eliminate those stains and also remove any fragrance. Using it on your wool rugs will act as an antioxidant and clean those bacteria causing the stain and any odor.