Carpets have always been a fascinating home decor material. And if the carpet is made of wool fiber, there’s no chance anyone can speak ill about the decoration. Wool carpets are a wise investment that enhances interior furnishings.
These are made of lanolin renewable fiber that allows you to have a warmer space with a healthy home environment. Their special ability to deter bacterial growth, dust mites, and stains makes them more praiseworthy. Besides, the outstanding crafts of these wool area rugs match beautifully with every interior kind.
What Is The Best Way To Clean A Wool Carpet
Sounds interesting, not? Honestly, people love these wool floor coverings for such guaranteed safety and facilities. Although, all these facilities require some special care as well. Be it a hand-knotted, machine-made, or wall wool carpet, every type of them need regular cleaning for securing its sustainability and longevity. But it is a matter of thinking that people don’t know yet what is the best way to clean wool carpet.
Working With Wool’s Characteristics
Wool carpets are made of natural wool fibers that easily repel liquid. That’s how it becomes one of the most durable flooring materials. As these rugs are both water and stain-resistant, you can be stress-free even when any spills occur. Howbeit, it doesn’t mean you should be allowing any stains for a longer period.
It needs to be taken care of as soon as possible. For that, you can use either soap, water, or other cleaning material. You can also vacuum, machine-wash, or use vinegar, baking soda, etc., to clean the wool rugs regularly.
How Should I Clean New Wool Carpets?
For a new wool carpet cleaning process, you can consider using a vacuum with soft bristles. Wool fibers are sensitive to beater bar sensors of vacuums. Thus, you should avoid using those during deep cleaning. Now you might ask, how can you deep clean without the beater bar? Generally, wool fibers are softer that don’t require a beater bar to clean out the dirt particle. 
Besides, this equipment is specially designed for a synthetic fiber rug. Unlike synthetic, wool fibers tend to shed quickly. As a result, if you use a beater bar on your wool carpet, it will lose its longevity and fade away soon. Therefore, it’s a must to use bristled vacuum for wool carpets. You can use adjustable bristles for cleaning the high-pile carpet. Apart from that, you can buy a large wheeled vacuum for easy maneuvering.
Professionals suggest cleaning a carpet in the first week of installation. Vacuuming the carpet daily during the installation process helps to remove any lingering debris. But you shouldn’t overdo the cleaning. You can start by cleaning one pass each day to ensure the best start.
How Do I Perform Regular Cleaning and Maintenance?
You can continue cleaning your wool carpet following a regular cleaning schedule after the first week of installation. If you place the carpet in high traffic areas, it requires a thorough cleaning twice a week. Otherwise, the trapped debris will be a lead reason for damaging the carpet over time. You can either use a vacuum or a broom to perform the regular cleaning process.
And for medium or low traffic areas, you can clean the carpet once a week. This is primarily intended to extract air floated dust and dirt from the rug. Therefore, even though people do not step on them very much, you should vacuum the carpet daily. For these areas, three passes are sufficient with a vacuum cleaner.
Other than the vacuum, a carpet cleaning machine is also required for better cleaning. It would be best if you used the machines once a year for a more deep cleaning process.
What Else Can I Do to Get Rid of Pet Stains?
Although wool carpets are both water and stain-resistant, sometimes it absorbs pet stains too. Thus, it requires immediate spot cleaning. But have you ever wondered what materials could work best in spot cleaning? Experts suggest using baking soda, vinegar, a clean sponge, and wool detergent for this process. Although, baking soda and vinegar work best in removing heavy pet stains.
Soda is perfect for fluid and smell absorption. However, some in-depth cleaning may be necessary to eradicate animal stains. Mix one section of white vinegar with four parts of water while the baking soda lies on the stain. And every two cups of water, around a half tea cubicle with wool detergent.
Do not use any other vinegar types as a white vinegar replacement. They are less successful and can stain your wool carpet quickly.
Dip a sponge or white cloth in your cleaning solution and wring out most of the liquid after vacuuming out the baking soda. Then gently rub each stain in circular motions. After that, blot the area with a dry paper towel after rubbing it with a dampened sponge. You can also use a stain remover, but that should be specialized for only wool area rugs.
If you decide to use a regular product, it will definitely harm the carpet drastically. Therefore, it’s even better to use homemade vinegar solutions for surface cleaning. If you are worried about your child or pet’s safety, then you should know vinegar is free of harm.
You can also use mineral turpentine for heavy stain removal. Mineral turpentine (sometimes referred to or even sold as turps) is a paint thinner that is easy to find in local hardware stores, especially for deep or stubborn stains. Even though it’s not the first product that comes to mind for cleaning wool carpets, it effectively removes oil, lipstick, and rust.
Applying the turpentine, soak the product using a clean cloth, then erase the stain. You can remove the extra liquid by using a paper towel. One teaspoon of white vinegar and wool detergent will wash almost anything for water-related blemishes in around four cups of water. Then allow it for several hours of air drying.
How Do I Perform an Annual Cleaning?
We already know that carpets require regular maintenance and sometimes emergency cleaning. But are we familiar with the term annual cleaning? Yes, every year, you must clean the wool carpets using a deep cleaning machine. You can also apply steam cleaning for spot sand, dried mud, and spot removal. You can perform this cleaning process twice a year for the high traffic area rugs.
To begin the steam cleaning, start by taking all your furniture off the carpet. You have to expect the carpet for at least a day to dry. So make sure that the carpet is totally free of air blockage.
Next, follow the instructions for your steam cleaner or employ a local cleaning professional if you want to make things easier. We would not suggest particular businesses or facilities, primarily because we cannot guarantee that they work where you live. Even we recommend concentrating on reputable firms with a high number of positive customer reviews.
You should possibly rent one from a carpet or hardware store if you want to do it for yourself but don’t have a cleaner. The hire of a skilled cleaner is typically less costly, so it’s a nice way to clean things up with a small budget.
Tips to Keep Your Wool Rug Clean Longer
Ensure anyone entering the house is removing their shoes. This rule goes the same for all, even for family or friends. That’s how you can stop foreign dirt from entering the house. You can develop this habit even though you have no wool carpet in the house.
Restrain your pets from being around the wool rug frequently. Keep their paws clean and stop them from lounging around. Pets love to play on these rugs for the softer surface. So be aware of keeping them away.
Try avoiding any colorful drinks or food consumption sitting on the rug. Honestly, it will be helpful.
Do not use art supplies on or near a rock. Make sure the children don’t do that either. We hate to break it, but you need a professional cleaning if the rug absorbs crayon ground.
Never smoke around the wool rug area as these rugs can absorb smells either. Smoking odors are very effective for fading the light colors of the rug. Smoking is not only harmful to health but to wool rugs as well. Besides, the smoking flame can also call for dangerous circumstances in the house. So, be aware to avoid smoking near the carpet.
Never Soak The Wool Carpet Entirely
Drying out a fully wet wool carpet is tough. It’s hard to dry yourself once the wool is wet. Each wool fiber’s top layer is hydrophobic, thus repelling water, but hydrophilic, which means water is attracted and retained. If your rug does not dry completely, it can develop mold and mildew, which is irreversible. Don’t wear colorful soap. The color in the soap could stain the rug.
Final Thoughts on Cleaning Wool Carpeting
Wool is a luxurious, long-lasting carpet fiber, but it needs special attention if you want to extend its longevity. The methods specified here for immediate, daily, and annual cleaning can keep your carpet looking fresh and plush for several years to come. Maybe it is clear how to clean wool carpet.
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