Five Awesome Things About Wool Rugs
If you’re thinking of putting an area rug down on your hardwood or stone floor, or if you already have one and need to replace it, you should seriously consider making your next one wool. What’s the big deal, you ask? Here are five reasons wool makes the best rugs.
Durability
Wool is more durable than synthetic fibers. That actually makes sense because it’s grown as the coat of a sheep, and the hair of mammals is designed to be tough. A fiber of wool can bend up to 20,000 times before breaking, while synthetic fibers might not even be able to bend 100 times. Cotton, another natural fiber, can bend 3,000 times. There are things you can do that will lengthen or shorten the useable life of your wool rug, but you’re still starting off with a durable rug because sheep grow their wool to last. There are wool rugs that are older than the United States.
Sustainability
Wool is a natural fiber, and the sheep it comes from are pretty low-maintenance animals. Over the course of its lifetime, an average sheep might produce between 40 and 100 pounds of wool, so there’s plenty of sourcing. A New Zealand study found that, together with other natural fibers like flax and cotton, wool has a considerably smaller carbon footprint than synthetics like polyester and nylon. Not only that, but since it is organic matter it is fully biodegradable.
Stain resistance
Wool is naturally resistant to stain and moisture, which is why the dyeing process involves a mild acid to scour it first. Think of it: you’ve probably stain cotton shirts with coffee, chocolate, grease, etc., but have you ever stained a wool sweater so badly it wouldn’t come out? Liquid spills on rugs can usually be gotten out just by dabbing up with a towel. The most regular maintenance you’ll need to do is just vacuum regularly.
Flame resistance
Wool is naturally fire resistant. It can burn, of course – anything carbon-based can – but it takes a very hot fire. Sparks falling on a wool carpet, or even a candle knocked over or something, are far less likely to start a fire than if the rug were cotton or synthetic.
Brilliant color
When wool has been dyed, it holds its color very well, in fact, better than most other natural fibers. Cotton shirts, for instance, start to fade after a few years of being worn and going through the wash, but wool seems like it never changes. Maybe that’s the payoff for how complicated it is to dye.
Bear in mind that enough sunlight will fade almost anything, including wool. But at least wool should last longer in the sunlight than cotton or synthetics.
But what about the moths?
It’s true that moths and other bugs like to eat wool, and that this can damage your carpet. But moths always prefer dark, enclosed spaces for feeding, and in normal use, your carpet won’t have the conditions. It’s in storage that you most have to worry what moths might do, and carpets going into storage should be treated with moth repellent beforehand. When you use wool rugs on your floors, all you need to do is vacuum regularly, making sure to move and vacuum under any furniture that covers part of the rug.
Unique Carpet & Floor carries a wide range of fine wool rugs in beautiful colors and designs. Come see our showroom just off Sudley Rd. in Manassas. You can also call us at (703) 369-1600 or email us on our website.