Simple Tips for Keeping Your Wool Carpet Clean and Stain-Free

Wool carpets are wonderful for their quality, durability, flame resistance, and color. They can make great flooring solutions in most rooms in your home. With special care, they can offer you their signature comfort and appearance for decades. Here are some carpet care tips that can keep your wool carpet looking great.

Carpet Care: Say it With Steam

Steam is usually considered the most effective wool carpet cleaning method, for its thoroughness and ability to eliminate dirt and bacteria through high heat.

If you rent a carpet cleaning machine, take the proper steps to ensure you clean the carpets properly.

1. Don't over clean. Doing too "good" of a job can damage the wool carpet as much as dirt.
2. Test your machine. Use the cleaner on a small patch of carpet and check to see if the machine leaves a sticky residue. If it does, look to rent another machine.

Wool Carpet Cleaning: Don't Do "Dry" and Avoid Green Cleaners

Dry powders are not recommended with wool carpets, especially deep pile carpets. This powder can become embedded deep in the fibers and can add to the buildup of dirt and bacteria.

On the other hand, many green cleaners use forms of soda ash. Soda ash contains properties of alkaline, which can damage wool carpets when used for cleaning--even spot cleaning.

Carpet Care: Use Caution with Spot Cleaning

Wool carpets traditionally have high moisture contents, so using water or spot-cleaning chemicals should be done sparingly. Use a small amount of any given solution on a stain and allow it to soak for ten to fifteen minutes, then blot--do not wipe--the stain. Using an excess of water or cleaning solution can worsen the problem with a larger stain.

Wool Carpet Cleaning: When in Doubt, Ask the Pros

While there are numerous do-it-yourself treatments and cleaners to care and maintain a wool carpet, sometimes outside resources are necessary. If you have a wool carpet in need of cleaning and are unsure of the best approach, a professional cleaning service can help. Some are available for free consultations, allowing you to benefit from their advice before deciding your course of action.

Sources

Aspen Carpet Designs, Wool Rug Cleaning

Nontoxic.com, Maintenance and Value of Pure Wool Carpets

Parish Supply, Why Wool Carpet Works

About the Author
Joe Cooper writes home services and design articles and manages corporate communications. He holds a bachelor's in American literature from UCLA.