What are the Benefits of a Wool Carpet?

In recent years, wool carpets have become increasingly popular. They have long been renowned for their high quality and the material’s ability to retain its appearance is highly sought after, especially in interior design.

Mixing Wool Fibres

Wool from sheep native to both Britain and New Zealand is used due to it being known as ‘strong’ wool. It’s able to withstand a great deal of pressure. British wool is used as it is a bulkier type of fibre. It adds resilience and gives an earthy tone to carpets, whereas New Zealand wool is softer and whiter. This results in New Zealand wool lending itself more to lighter carpets. As a result of these differences, combining the two is the perfect way for carpet manufacturers to produce an end product that is the best of both worlds, as well as allowing for different patterns to be integrated into the carpet’s design. It’s important to consider the balance of wool fibres used in your specific carpet to ensure that its going to be perfect for the room in which you want to lay it.

Mixing Wool with Synthetic Fibres in Carpets

Sometimes, manufacturers mix the natural wool fibres with synthetic fibres to alter the properties of a carpet in a particular way. This is often very useful, and if you have very specific requirements (say, for example, you have young children and would like enhanced stain resistance) then this can often be an excellent choice. Integrating synthetic fibres with the wool yarn can add a whole host of properties to the carpet, including the ability to include different dyes, improve the pliability and flexibility of the fibre and, most importantly, cost. The individual fibre make-up of a wool carpet should always be disclosed, and you should be able to see the wool content. You can expect this to be either 100% wool, 80% wool blended with 20% man made fibres.

Benefits of Wool Carpets

If you’re still unsure on whether or not wool is the right carpet for you, take a look at some of the many benefits of wool carpets that we’ve outlined below. It’s worth noting that the benefits don’t just end here; if you’d like to know more, any member of our knowledgeable staff would love to answer any questions you may have:

  Strength & Resilience:

Wool’s natural crimp means it’s actually a very resistant fibre. This means that it’s excellent for retaining both it’s comfort and its ability to ‘bounce back’ after heavy use. This is a quality that is unrivalled by a large number of synthetic materials and is one of wool’s most sought after properties. This crimp also means the carpet remains soft underfoot, even under heavy wear. This means that it remains comfortable to walk on, as well as being a really good insulator of heat. Something that is often overlooked by people who are looking for a new carpet is the carpet’s ability to insulate against noise. If you’re carpeting an upstairs room then this is something that you really should be considering.

  Fire Retardant & Safe:

Wool is a naturally fire retardant material and has a very slow ignition rate, an additional reassurance that you’ve installed the safest, most durable carpet in your home.

  Environmental Benefit:

The use of wool has been adapted to be as eco and environmentally friendly as possible. In today’s world, such concerns quite rightly take centrestage and it’s always something worth considering. A number of studies have been conducted to test this, and wool comes out on top when compared the man-made synthetic fibres that could be used elsewhere. On top of this, many wool carpets are now also ‘moth resistant’. This had been a problem in recent years and manufacturers have stepped up to the plate and rectified this. So, the next time you’re considering replacing a carpet, don’t have the wool pulled over your eyes! A wool carpet could be exactly what you’re looking for.