Choosing the right carpet for your home or business is a critical decision because you want a carpet that will both look good and last a long time.

Wool is the superior fibre choice for woven and tufted carpets because it meets the rigorous demands of the consumer with ease. Luxuriously comfortable and warm, wool is, in spite of what you would think, one of the coolest fibres available. Soft, yet resilient, it can withstand the toughest treatment and still bounce back.

In some countries like America wool carpeting is seen as pure indulgence, with only the wealthy homes having wool, as man-made fibres are much cheaper to produce. However, in the UK wool carpeting has always reined supreme for its beauty and lasting value.

It's true a wool carpet will cost more at the time of installation, but over the years a resilient wool carpet will prove itself to be a lasting value far superior to other types of carpeting. No man made fibre rug can come close to wools superior rich look and feel.

Although wool is a prized natural fibre some ‘salespersons' may tell you about the ‘natural oils' of the fibre making it naturally ‘stain resistant' and ‘self cleaning' … well, sadly this isn't completely true. Nevertheless, there are thankfully no natural oils from the sheep left in fibre after the manufacturing process. Wool has many advantages over man-made fibres:
? Non-allergenic, which can be a very important consideration to some who may deal with allergies or children with asthma.
? It does not promote the growth of dust mites or bacteria and has no harmful emissions, as do some man-made carpet fibres.
? Wool is naturally flame retardant, unlike man-made fibres, which can quickly spread fire.
? Superior long-term appearance retention, mainly due to wool not being damaged by soil as quickly, which is why wool carpets don't age as quickly as man made fibre carpets.
? Cleans beautifully – wool carpets respond much better to regular cleaning with a ‘like-new' appearance and a soft fluffy bounce underfoot.

You may want to consider a wool carpet when buying new, or replacing existing carpeting. If you can't afford to carpet your entire house with wool then carpet the room that will receive the heaviest traffic, such as your living room or family room.

As with any carpet, you are better off planning your cleaning schedule from new as this will help to extend the life of your wool carpeting. I would recommend you find a carpet cleaner that offers a ‘Maintenance Plan' for carpet cleaning. This will keep your clean carpet clean all year round.

Another recommendation is to check if the carpet has a factory treated anti-stain protector already applied. If not contact your local carpet cleaners and ask them to apply protector to the carpet, as this will do three things for you…

… stops accidental spills from becoming permanent stains.
… prevents soils like sand and grit from damaging the fibres
… makes it easier to remove more soil by vacuuming

The anti-stain protector works by encapsulating each and every fibre with an invisible shield giving it a smoother water resistant surface, which keeps the carpet looking great longer.

So if you can purchase the best possible wool carpet, with protection from day one and have it regularly cleaned, at least once per year.

To find your local ‘Eco Carpet Care' Approved Affiliate please visit our website on www.ecocarpetcare.co.uk