What type of carpet should I buy? Carpet fibres and types.

What a carpet is made of is of paramount importance to your selection. The carpet fibre will determine how the carpet looks, feels, wears and how it will cope with stains. Even in the 21st Century wool is still recognised as the substance to make carpet with. Still great when it’s used on it’s own in a pure 100% form, it can blended successfully with nylon and polypropylene to improve its wear and longevity.

Unless you are poverty stricken, putting down carpet in a cheap commercial environment like a council office or you are a landlord with a similar outlook to Rupert Rigsby, don’t consider buying a carpet that is not at least 50% wool.

Apart from being a beautiful natural substance, wool is a natural flame retardant, doesn’t stain easily, wears well, is easy to clean, is environmentally friendly and naturally sustainable.

Wool is often mixed with Nylon. Why? Because a Nylon mix makes a wool carpet extremely hard wearing, even easier to clean, provides higher resistance to abrasion, and improves stain and soil resistance. It is also cheap. An excellent choice if you are looking for a blended material.

Wool can also be mixed with Polypropylene. Again, the blended material is hard wearing, stain resistant and colour fast. Go for a higher percentage of wool in the mix for improved aesthetics.

Finally, you may see wool mixed with polyester. Polyester can be used as a bonding agent in blended carpets to improve tuft definition and reduce fibre shedding. It provides bulk, stain resistance and longevity to a blend.

So, what type of fibres and mix should I look for when purchasing a new carpet? If you are looking for a good all rounder - great looks, hard wearing, last longing, easy to clean and stain resistant then, wait for it.... I recommend an 80% wool, 15% nylon, 5% polyester mix. An exact figure. But then I'm an exact person. And when it comes to carpet, so should you be.

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