Wool vs Man-Made Carpets | Charles Wilson Carpets, Hitchin, Herts

Choosing Your Carpets: Wool vs. Man-MadePublished 18/09/2017

What’s the better carpet: wool or manmade? This is a question we’re asked nearly everyday at Charles Wilson Carpets & Flooring. The answer? Well, both types of carpet have their advantages. Your lifestyle will influence which is best for you…

Why choose wool carpets?

Wool carpets are fantastic for keeping their appearance; the natural kink in the wool acts like a spring. You are bouncing along the top of the springs when you walk on it (bit like a mattress). Yes, they can compress and flatten down over time but good quality wools revive if vacuumed regularly.

Wool is also flame resistant, good for trapping and holding dust (and easily released into your vacuum when you clean). It’s a natural, renewable resource and a good insulator.

So wool is good for you if:
- your carpet needs to look nice and to last for a long time
- you have high traffic areas that may flatten down
- you have children with allergies to man-made fibres
- you care about environmental sustainability
- your home needs a flooring to give it warmth

Maybe man-made carpets are for you?

Man-made carpets come into their own with their mix of new fibres such as polypropylene. Their first and major advantage to most people is the cost – they are less expensive than wool carpets.

The key to man-made is to look for a good density (i.e. not too floppy a pile where there is lots of room for it to flatten down). They are beautifully soft to touch and some of the longer piles feeling luxurious without a heavy cost. But it is their cleanability that usually attracts people to man-made carpets. Less absorbent than wool, their fibres are very good at coping with wet spills. Often you can use a mild bleach solution to remove staining.

To sum up, man-made is good for you if:
- you have a busy family home, may be where accidents such as spilt drinks are likely
- you want to keep the costs down
- you don't need your carpet for a very long time (it won’t wear out easily but it can look a bit tired over the longer term)
- you want a soft feel flooring

The final decision

Generally, all you need to do is decide how long you want your carpet to last, the type of use and wear/accidents it may have to cope with and your budget.

If you would like to discuss this further, please call in to our shop and chat with one of our team. We’re here to help.