Can You Use Carpet Cleaner On Wool Carpet?
Is it safe to use carpet cleaner on a wool carpet? Though wool is seen as a textile that requires special treatment, the fact remains that most carpet cleaners are appropriate for use on this material.
The key to ensuring that your wool carpet fibers remain undamaged is to clean only once every 12 to 18 months, and to use cleaning tools correctly.
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Using Carpet Cleaners On Wool Area Rugs
Though carpet cleaners are often viewed as the cure-all method for removing dirt, grime, and stains from wool area rugs, they are not always adequate to address all problems.
For example, fluid and pet stains as well as thick dirt coatings are simply beyond the realm of help from a carpet cleaning appliance.
Fortunately, though wool fibers contain a waxy coating on their surface, they still remain a hardy material and can withstand the rigors of DIY cleaning methods.
Virtually any carpet cleaning machine and carpet cleaner solution is appropriate to use on your wool area rug, and most commonly, Bissell branded wet-cleaning machines are recommended.
In any case, even if you have used carpet cleaning tools before, it’s wise to read the instruction manual to ensure proper usage.
Cleaning A Wool Carpet At Home: The DIY Method
For priceless heirloom quality wool carpets, it’s best to seek the help of professional cleaners.
However, for all other decorative wool floor coverings, you can easily get them clean yourself from the comfort of your own home.
Use A Hose And Cleaning Detergent
One possible way of cleaning your wool rug is to simply choose a warm and sunny day, and gently hose it down in your garden.
Using approved cleaning detergents and your garden hose can ensure that all allergens as well as stubborn stains are effectively removed.
Once the majority of the cleaning is carried out, you can use your hose to remove detergent as well as the remaining dirt stains.
After completion, lay the rug flat to ensure proper natural drying in the sun.
Use Vinegar For Spot Cleaning
Vinegar is another harmless way to clean your wool carpet, especially if you’re looking to employ a spot cleaning technique.
For every cup of vinegar you choose to use, make sure to mix in at least two cups of water.
Using an old toothbrush, you can work the created solution into stubborn areas to adequately remove stains, dirt, and grime.
It is best to let the solution soak in for about 30 minutes before employing an old toothbrush to gently scrub away the dirt.
Shampooing Wool Carpets At Home
One of the most commonly asked questions is: is it safe to shampoo wool carpets? The short answer is yes!
Shampooing is indeed a popular and highly effective way of getting your wool carpets cleaned, but if you’re unsure or would rather use something seemingly less harsh, sodium bicarbonate is a safe bet.
In fact, you can use it as dry shampoo to ensure that certain parts of your carpet are kept properly clean.
Can You Steam Clean Wool Carpets?
Though carpet cleaners, detergents, and even water itself aren’t harmful to use on wool carpeting, it is often asked if steam cleaners are appropriate.
Much like suits, steam cleaners can be used on wool rugs, however, the key is ensuring that the heat from the cleaner doesn’t directly singe or damage the fibers in any way.
Using a steam cleaner without proper technique will cause the fibers to take on an unsightly sheen.
In order to ensure that you have full control over your cleaning tool, make sure to use a vertical steam cleaner.
These are the same kind that cleaners will use for suits or other clothing types.
Most importantly, this will protect the wool fibers from undue damage due to poor handling.
Quick Tips For Using A Steam Cleaner
When using a steam cleaner, you should hold the steamer at least six inches from the surface that you’re cleaning.
Ensure that you use a quick motion to cover the entirety of the rug in steam in a fairly short amount of time.
To keep wool fibers looking fresh, it’s best to avoid staying in the same spot with the steam cleaner for longer than five seconds.
Keeping the steam cleaner focused in the same spot will cause the lanolin to separate from the wool fibers and will lead to permanent damage in the form of unraveling.
A quick note: For priceless Oriental rugs, it’s best to avoid using a steam cleaner.
Though hardy, wool is quite easily damaged and will deteriorate if the wrong tools or techniques are employed.
Whenever in doubt, hiring a professional to clean your carpet is best.
The Final Verdict About Using Carpet Cleaner On Wool
Just about all carpet cleaning methods are appropriate for cleaning wool-based fibers.
However, it is important to remain gentle with scrubbing motions and it is always advisable to use natural cleaning solutions to clean stubborn spots or stains.
Steam cleaners are also appropriate to use, but make sure to avoid concentrating past a few seconds on the same spot and read the instruction manual that comes with your machine properly.
