by: Shaan Randow
There is nothing quite as luxurious as having wool carpeting in your home. Although is a definite luxury, wool carpeting is also a lasting value. A wool carpet will cost more at the time of installation, but over the years a resilient wool carpet will prove itself to be a lasting value far superior to other types of carpeting. No man made fiber rug can come close to wool superior rich look and feel.
Wool is a prized natural fiber that has many attributes that lends itself to quality carpet making. Wool is non allergenic, which can be a very important consideration to some who may deal with allergies or children with asthma. It does not promote the growth of dust mites or bacteria and has no harmful emissions as do man made carpet fibers. It is naturally soil resistant. Wool is naturally flame retardant. The fibers of wool have a natural superior long term appearance retention which is why wool carpets don't age as quickly as man made fiber carpets. The wool fibers don't crush or break down under use as man made carpet fibers do.
Along with the above natural attributes of wool over man made carpet there is also wool's natural ability to absorb and retain colors. As it is a natural fiber wool is able to capture clearer colors than synthetic fabrics. Also as anyone who has a synthetic carpet knows, synthetic carpets requires frequent cleanings, and, after cleaning some man made fibers such as olefin, nylon and polyester actually develop graying in traffic areas and actually look worse than before they were cleaned. This will not happen with wool carpeting.
As with any carpet, a cleaning schedule will help to extend the life of your wool carpeting. Many different methods can be used on wool carpeting such as spray extracting, rotary shampooing or foam, use of dry powder or factory cleaning (in the case of area rugs, such as oriental rugs).
You may want to consider a wool carpet when buying new, or replacing existing carpeting. If you can't afford to carpet your entire house with wool then carpet the room that will receive the heaviest traffic, such as your living room or family room. You'll be glad you did.