Are wool carpets easy to clean?
Wool is naturally resilient and can resist to years of use. The fact that there are so many antique and vintage rugs on the market (including our Romanian carpets and Moldavian carpets) it is a proof.
Wool naturally repels stains, so it's the type of rug easier to keep clean than many other rug materials. But even so, there are few tips and tricks to clean and care them, to last for many, many years from now on.
Regular care and cleaning
To remove the dust, you can gentle vacuuming them as for any carpet.
But the best “doctor” for the wool carpets is the air! Time to time, take your wool rug outdoors on a clear sunny day and give it a good shake! If this is not possible, after vacuuming it, take it out on the balcony to stay in the fresh air for a while. If it is sunny, keep them on the back side and not too long, to not damage the colours. Regular cleaning will help keep dirt from building up and dulling colors.
How to clean a spot on a carpet
The carpets are meant to be in a house with people, so little accidents may occur and stains as well. But don’t worry, this is not the end of the world! We have little secrets to fight against the undesired stains. For wool rugs, many cleaning solutions can damage them, refrain to use them at home.
Catching a stain while it is still wet: use a clean cloth or towel on both sides of the rug to absorb the liquid as much as possible, and add water to help rinse out the stain. You can use vinegar if you feel that the stain can’t be cleaned only with water. This simple trick is efficient on most materials, including wool.
Even if the stain is not very new, some water and a light vinegar or baking soda solution work to clean up most stains. You can make a mix of equal parts vinegar and water and spray it onto the rug, then dab it off with a paper towel or clean cloth.
In particular, vinegar effectively wipes up pet stains and neutralizes the foul smell of urine. Moreover, vinegar also works well for light food stains.
Is the steaming friendly with the rugs?
Extensive steaming on wool isn’t advised, but light steaming can be very efficient. With light steaming, not only can you clean your wool rug effectively, but the colours will be refreshed and more vibrant.
Professional cleaning
Once per year or every 2-3 years, depends on how exposed to the dirt the carpet was, we advise you to professionally clean them. We cleaned many wool rugs, especially very old and dirty ones using dry cleaning. It was very efficient for most of the carpets and with no unwanted accidents. We recommend this type of cleaning, ocasionally, for wool carpets and bedspreads.
If it is well mentained, a wool rug can last for at least 50 years, take care of yours and enjoy it for a lifetime.