Why is wool considered by so many decorators and home owners as the standard in fine carpets?

For starters, wool is perhaps the softest and most luxurious carpeting material made. Walk barefoot on a wool rug and notice how the smooth, soft texture feels. Wool area rugs also hold their shape and fresh look longer than any other type of rug.

In fact, that durability makes them one of the best values in rugs over the long haul. Properly cared for, wool rugs can last well beyond 50 years, long after synthetic rugs have probably been replace three or four times.

Wool fibers are naturally elastic, so when they are crushed or stretched, they bounce back to their original shape and design. Synthetic fibers tend to be the opposite. They flatten, pull and wear easily, particularly in high traffic areas or beneath heavy furniture.

Nature has also given wool a few added bonuses: wool is naturally flame retardant and stain-resistant. Expose wool fibers to a flame, and they won’t ignite. They self-extinguish quickly, often leaving behind only a small patch of ash that can be brushed away. Expose synthetic carpets to a flame and you end up with a very ugly patch of melted carpet.

Moreover, as I mentioned wool is naturally stain-resistant as wool fibers tend to repel liquids, the cause of most carpet and rug stains. This doesn’t necessarily mean that a wool rug can’t be stained, but when a spill does get on a wool rug, it usually blots up easily.

Someone in your home suffering with allergies?

You definitely want wool. Wool has the unique ability to capture and hold dust particles in its fibers, cutting down on airborne dust and other particles in the air. A boon for anyone with allergies. There are studies that have shown that wool rugs may even help purify the air by absorbing common indoor contaminants like formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide.

And if the day ever comes that you decide to “retire” your wool rug, don’t worry, unlike synthetics, its biodegradable and won’t harm the environment.

Here at Natural Area Rugs, we offer some of the finest wool rugs available, at prices that make most of our competitors’ jaws drop. If you’re ready to try a wool rug, or would like to check out the styles available in wool rugs, just visit our website, or feel free to stop by our showroom in Beverly Hills.

“I recently purchased an 8×10 Royal Treasure wool rug and I am happy
with the purchase. But I have a comment/question regarding all of the
shedding that the rug is doing. When will it stop? I bought it so I would
have something soft for my daughter to sit and play on (she is 10 months old)
but the way the rug is pilling/shedding I am afraid she will eat the fuzz -
so I vacuumed it a few times in the first week to pull out the loose
fibers – or so I thought. I am somewhat confused because in the BLOG it is
praising how great wool rugs are for air quality.  Now every horizontal
surface in our room is covered with the loose fibers and I afraid to have my
daughter breathing that in all the time.  Will this shedding ever stop?”

A new wool carpet may actually shed heavily for the first few months of use. Since the porous wool fibers are only connected on one end, it is easy for them to come loose, and they tend to ball up because of static. This typically lasts for a month or two (with regular traffic). Frequent vacuuming will help control the amount of loose fibers that are in the room. It’s true, a baby should not be ingesting large quantities of your new rug, but the air-purifying qualities of wool still stand true. The rug does trap harmful chemicals that may be found in the air. After a few months, the amount of shedding will have greatly decreased, and you will have one beautiful wool rug.

With Earth Day coming up on Saturday, April 22—what better way to help protect the environment year-long than to make your home eco-friendly.

One of the most affordable ways to do this is to replace your synthetic carpet with natural area rugs or natural carpets.  You may be surprised at how many viruses, toxins, bacteria and dustmites synthetic carpets harbor.  It takes years for toxins to dissipate! Some of the chemicals used in the manufacture of synthetic carpets and rugs include ethylbenzene, methacrylate and tetrachloroethylene- just to name a few.  Some of the symptoms associated with chemicals used in these carpets include headaches, dizziness, high blood pressure and shortness of breath.

Here at Natural Area Rugs, we specialize in natural flooring materials that would add a pleasant and stylish change to your décor.  Our wool rugs are perfect for the environment and most importantly to your health.  This is because they purify indoor air—which makes it easier for you to breathe.

Have any of you added the eco-friendly wool rug to your home?  We would love to hear about your experiences with this durable yet all-natural and stylish floor covering.