What Is Wool Carpet?
What Is a Wool Carpet?
Wool carpet is made from natural material obtained from sheep's fleece. The material is carded and spun, creating a durable and fire-resistant carpet.
Wool carpets offer excellent insulation and are strong. They are naturally soft, offer great warmth and comfort to the feet, and retain their color and shape for decades. Wool carpets hide dust well; hence don't need frequent washing unless you have small kids and pets. Vacuuming is enough to keep your wool carpet looking clean.
When you drop a lit match, your carpet won't catch fire; the carpet fibers affected will only char.
Though wool makes great hypoallergenic carpets for allergies, it sheds a little. Vacuum often to get rid of the shed fibers.
What Does Wool Carpet Look Like?
Identifying the type of fiber your carpet features is crucial. It helps to decide what products and tools are safe for cleaning to safeguard the quality. This can prevent common problems such as discoloring, shrinkage, and fiber damage.
Wool fibers differ in quality because they come from varying breeds of sheep. Each breed produces varying lengths of fibers, basic color, coarseness, and curliness.
Coarse wool, for example, lasts long. Less coarse wool fibers are soft; hence, they are more comfortable for the feet but not as durable as the coarse type.
Generally speaking, wool has various features that easily distinguish it from other fibers. For example, it repels moisture, resists flames, is all-season friendly, durable, and has high absorbency. When buying, you may not be able to test the absorbency rate or ability to resist flames.
Below are some features that can help you identify wool carpets when buying.
Resists Wrinkles
Wool resists wrinkles; it springs back quickly, even under high foot pressure, explaining why its fibers retain their size and shape for decades.
According to the History of Wool fact sheet, wool fibers bend more than 20,000 times without breaking, while silk and cotton bend back 2,000 and 3,000 times, respectively.
Elasticity
Wool carpet's natural elasticity makes it hard to tear, thus making it more durable than other fabrics.
Protective Film
Wool's outer skin is a protective film, making carpets resistant to abrasion and more durable even under high foot traffic. Be cautious when handling wet wool carpets; the fibers become weaker. Placing the carpet in a well-ventilated room helps quicken the fibers' recovery from stress.
