Carpet once had a reputation for being difficult to clean. That was decades back and using inferior materials, however. Wool carpets are easy to clean and maintain in large part because they’re a natural material. Wool itself is durable and resistant to wear, so it will maintain the look of your carpet for a very long time. Wool carpet cleaning takes very little time. This combines to ensure you have a long-lasting and low-effort flooring solution.
Keeping Wool Carpets Clean
Wool has a structure that makes it release soil much more easily (by about 25%) than synthetic materials. It won’t hold onto dirt that gets tracked in but will rather give it up to vacuuming without having to run the vacuum over it time and again. This alone ensures that cleaning is easier – and faster.
On top of this, wool is very resistant to staining. Like all carpet, a stain does need to be cleaned up quickly. The difference is that wool will keep the liquid on the top of the pile for a longer period of time. Synthetic carpet allows a spill to seep into the carpet pile and its backing at a fast rate. Wool slows this down so that a stain is much less likely to develop. That said, if a spill is simply left alone and not cleaned up, any carpet will develop a stain.
Wool Carpet Cleaning
The most important part of cleaning wool carpet is to vacuum it once a week. As covered, it will release dirt much more easily than synthetic carpet. Some people avoid vacuuming because they think it will wear the carpet out. This is not the case. Vacuuming will actually help you prolong the life of your carpet. Dirt, grit, sand, and other fine material that can be ground underfoot and wear a carpet down in specific spots need to be cleaned out of the carpet regularly.
In addition to cleaning up spills as soon as possible when they happen, you’ll want to have the carpet professionally cleaned by using hot water extraction once every two years (or once every year if you’re especially rough on your floors!). This helps to remove oils and particularly ground-in dirt.
Be specific that the professional service your wool carpets get is hot water extraction. Wool carpets do not need shampooing or dry cleaning.
Vacuuming
Vacuum wool carpet once a week. If an area is very high use or you see it getting dirty, make it every five days or twice a week – whatever rate helps keep the carpet free of dirt and other fine material.
If your wool carpet is brand new, vacuum it a few times in the first week, but go lighter. This will help to remove any lint or dust on the surface. After this, you can go to a more thorough vacuuming every week.
Remember that you may see vacuum cleaner lines in cut pile carpet as you go. This simply shows you how the pile has been pulled in one direction by the vacuuming, and reflects light differently than the pile pulled in another direction. It’s a feature of many cut pile carpets and is not permanent.
How to Treat Food and Beverage Spills
Do not rub the spill – this will push it deeper into the carpet. When you clean a spill up, soak up the spill and dry it by applying pressure with a clean white cloth or paper towels. Treat it appropriately and then repeat that soaking up/drying process to absorb the cleaning agent.
Most foods and beverages can be effectively cleaned up with a mixture of 1 liter of warm water, 1 teaspoon wool detergent, and one teaspoon white vinegar. You don’t have to use the whole mixture – doing so would probably soak your carpet. Just use the amount you need to effectively treat the area.
Avoid one-size-fits-all cleaning products you’d find at the store. These often contain bleach, which is as likely to discolor your carpet as the spill.
If you’re unsure about a cleaning agent, you can always test it on a corner of the carpet that’s out of the way and hard to see – or keep a sample separate when your carpet gets installed just for this purpose.
Fixing Crush Marks
Wool has a natural crimp to it, which helps it return to form after having something heavy set on it. It also helps wool carpet retain its appearance longer than synthetic carpets.
If you have particularly deep, cut pile carpets, you may see marks from footprints or heavy objects. These can usually be corrected by vacuuming (which pulls the pile back to height) or combing your fingers through the pile to lift it. It’s not a permanent issue and shouldn’t be mistaken for wear.
Preventing Wear
Wear will take a long time to show on wool carpets. Wool itself is evolved to withstand wind, rain, dirt, dust, snow, being laid upon – all without losing its characteristics. This is what makes it such a durable material.
That said, any carpet – even wool – will wear over years under heavy foot traffic. The best way to prevent this is by utilizing a pad underneath the carpet. Not only will this prolong the carpet’s life, it will also give the carpet an extra bit of cushion.
Carpets that have a denser pile will also prevent wear and retain their look longer. Having their tufts twisted very tightly will prevent blooming (the twist loosening) in high use areas.
Use door mats when people come into the premises. This is often overlooked for protecting carpets in another area of the building, but when dirt gets rubbed and stomped off shoes on a doormat, it doesn’t get tracked even further into the space.
Discoloration
One of the most likely causes of regular discoloration actually comes from ventilation systems. This can show that the system is out of balance, or is pushing dirt or pollutants as it vents air through the house. This isn’t an issue with the carpet – it’s an issue with a ventilation system. These pollutants can be removed with professional cleaning, but if the ventilation problem isn’t fixed can return.
Wool carpets are an easy, convenient, and beautiful option. Contact the East Coast Flooring team to learn more.