How to care for wool carpets

In Partnership with Brintons Carpets

Carpets are a key feature in many homes, adding warmth and cosiness to bedrooms, livings rooms and hallways. Having selected your perfect carpet, it's only natural that you'll want it to last for as long as possible, so it’s important to give carpets the TLC they deserve.

There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach when it comes to how to care for your wool-rich carpets - how often you vacuum and deep clean them depends on every home’s circumstances. A home with children or pets, for instance, will require more frequent carpet care than a house of single occupancy. The same applies to homes where shoes are permitted indoors versus those where shoes are left at the front door.

There are many different materials, styles and textures of carpet, such as loops, cut-pile, synthetics and velvets, and it’s important to understand your specific carpet in order to properly maintain it.

You might think that a wool-rich carpet is especially difficult to care for, but it’s anything but the case. Follow our guide below and you’ll realise just how easy it can be.

How often should you vacuum your carpets?

Vacuuming is the most important thing you can do to keep your carpet clean, and there is no such thing as too much vacuuming! Running the hoover around your home daily is ideal, however this isn’t always realistic so as long as they’re getting a vacuum at least once a week, that should be enough. Keep on top of high-traffic areas such as hallways as this is where ageing will start to show more quickly.

When vacuuming, it’s important to get into corners and along the edges to avoid a build up of dust and grit at the base of the tufts. Dust and grit can make a carpet look tired and dull in colour, but once removed your carpets will look bouncier and brighter in colour.

Brintons recommend an upright vacuum cleaner with a cylindrical brushing action for their cut-pile carpets.

How often should you deep clean your carpets?

Manufacturers recommend an occasional professional steam clean to help extend the life of your carpets. Steam cleaning penetrates deep into the fibres and lifts out dirt, giving them a new lease of life.

How do you remove stains from carpets?

First of all, don't panic! The quicker you remove stains, the easier it will be, and there are different solutions depending on what has caused the stain on your carpet. Most importantly, never use bleach. This will discolour your carpets and they’ll never be the same again.

For most food and drink stains, use a non-bleach based detergent mixed with water. Carefully blot the stain, but do not rub it as this will cause the pile to burst, which will make it appear fluffier and lighter in appearance. For fat, oil and wax stains, place a paper towel over the affected area and iron the paper towel. The residue should stick to the towel and lift off. For nail varnish stains, simply use a cloth dipped in nail varnish remover.

'We always recommend the use of WoolSafe-Approved products and tradespeople if you're looking to have stains professionally removed from a wool-rich carpet,' says Natalie Littlehales, Marketing Manager at Brintons. 'That way, you can rest easy knowing that the chemicals and techniques used won't harm your carpet, and it will look as good as new afterwards.'

How to deal with shedding

For the first few months of having new carpet, small fibres that remain in your carpet after manufacturing will come loose. This is called shedding and it is extremely common. All you need to do is hoover up the fibres. The more frequently you vacuum the carpet, the sooner it will stop.