Carpet styles

Carpet fibres

Carpets are made from four main types of fibre. Each type of fibre has its own unique qualities, ideal for different kinds of uses and applications. There’s the traditional, natural luxury of a wool carpet, the hardwearing qualities of manmade synthetics, and fibre blends which give you the best qualities of both. Although much less common than these, carpet flooring is sometimes made from other materials too, such as Sisal, Coir and Jute.

Wool is the most traditional natural carpet fibre, and has been used to make carpets for literally hundreds of years all around the world. British and New Zealand wools are the most popular choices for luxury carpet production. Its properties include excellent resilience (the ability to spring back into shape), good resistance to soiling, low flammability, and it's easy to clean too.
However it isn't the most hard wearing carpet fibre on its own, so wool is often blended with a synthetic fibre like polyamide or polyester to give added strength. This is usually a blend of 80% wool, 20% man made fibres. The results produce a luxury carpet fit for any home decorating.

Polyamide is the hardest wearing synthetic fibre used in making carpets, retaining both its looks and its style much longer than other fibres. It's also one of the most versatile carpet fibres, since carpets manufactured from this can be dyed or printed after tufting. It's also frequently used in blends with wool carpet due to its high performance.

Polypropylene is the most popular manmade carpet fibre. Colour is locked in during the fibre manufacturing process, which means that carpet made from polypropylene yarn is resistant to stains. It also means that it can be cleaned using a mild bleach solution, making it extremely practical. Polyester, although less commonly used, is still a well performing fibre. It's easily cleaned, and has a soft feel along with an attractive, lustrous look. This fibre is most commonly used in the manufacture of Saxony carpets

Polyester, although less commonly used, is still a well performing fibre. It's easily cleaned, and has a soft feel along with an attractive, lustrous look. This fibre is most commonly used in the manufacture of Saxony carpets

Spot And Stain Removal Guide For Carpets

General rules for spot removal on carpets:

• Soak up liquids with kitchen roll, paper tissues, toilet roll, or absorbent cloth
• Scoop up or scrape the solids off the carpet
• Try to identifiy unknown spots prior to treatment - if unsure, use solvent first
• Always work from the edge of the spot inwards
• BLOT, do NOT rub
• Apply small quantities at a time, applied to a cloth, NOT directly to the spot; work into the spot with a small brush or sponge
• Take care with applying solvents to bitumen-backed carpet tiles
• When using solvents always ensure there is plenty of fresh air ventilation
• Always thoroughly rinse afterwards if water-based spotters have been used
• Dry the spot, if possible, with a hair dryer

These spot removal charts contain the methods for dealing with accidental spillages and the order in which the treatments should be tried.

The EASY SPOTS chart contains those spots that come out relatively easily with the methods recommended below or when you are cleaning the whole carpet.

DIFFICULT SPOTS are more difficult to remove and may require repeated attempts with stronger spot removers. Some stains you may find impossible to remove completely in which case the assistance of a professional carpet cleaner may be required.

This information was supplied by the WoolSafe organisation. For a up to date list of all the WoolSafe approved products along with a list of their approved professional carpet cleaners, click on this link www.woolsafe.org