When choosing a carpet or rug for your home, the material needs to be durable, low-maintenance and be available in multiple colours and patterns. Luckily, wool ticks all of these boxes. There are many benefits of wool rugs and carpets, and we’ll explore a handful of them in our blog.
Five reasons why we love wool flooring
One of the titans in natural materials, there are numerous benefits of wool carpets and rugs. In support of last month’s Campaign for Wool’s Wool Week Initiative (whose patron is none other than the Prince of Wales), we’re going to give you a rundown of the advantages of wool carpets and rugs below.
1. Plenty of Choice
Wool is unmatched in terms of the variety of colours, styles and textures. Having been one of humanity’s staple materials for thousands of years, there are so many types of wool to choose from, making it a versatile material that suits a variety of aesthetics.
At knotistry, we stock wool in dramatic stripes, such as the Rock n Roll wool collection, gentle Boucles, as seen in the Wool Berber collection, and chunky eco carpets, including the Barefoot Hatha wool collection, amongst many others.
Click here to browse our wide range of wool carpet and rugs and see for yourself the huge range of wool designs that we stock.
2. Health Benefits of Wool Rugs and Carpets
Our modern lives are busier than ever, with many of us often struggling to find the time to switch off from it all and block out the noise. It has been reported that having moments of quiet and silence can have physical health benefits, such as:
– Lowering your blood pressure
– Decreasing your heart rate
– Steadying your breathing
– Reducing muscle tension
– Increasing focus and cognition
– Psychological benefits
With many of us working from home more than ever, these are some essential benefits that we need to be reaping.
Fortunately, wool is an excellent noise insulator. Sound waves are absorbed by the pile, rather than reflecting the sound back. It’s an ideal material to have in your home sanctuary.
Wool has the ability to naturally regulate moisture, too. It effectively ‘breathes’, absorbing moisture when the atmosphere is damp and then releasing it when it is dry. This creates a warmer, more comfortable environment. This can also help reduce the development of mould in homes.
This breathing effect helps keep you warmer in winter and cooler in summer, reducing the need for heating/air conditioning and reducing your carbon footprint.
3. Wool Provides Great Air Filtration
Did you know that wool carpets act as a natural air purifier and filter? Simply by making the decision to purchase a wool carpet, you can improve the air quality of your home, making your space healthier and safer to be in.
Wool carpets filter the air by rapidly absorbing the common Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). These are released from many different home items, such as cleaning products and air fresheners. These can damage your kidneys, liver and central nervous system.
Wool neutralises these compounds and doesn’t re-emit them, even when heated. It also traps common allergens such as pollen and dust, keeping them away from the breathing zone until they are vacuumed away.
This makes using a sustainable wool carpet a powerful tool for keeping your home or office healthy and comfortable all year round.
4. Wool is a Sustainable Choice of Flooring
Wool is a naturally sustainable product. Sheep grow new coats every year, and they thrive on natural resources like water, grass and sunshine. Due to its natural durability, it often lasts up to 20 years longer than synthetic carpets, keeping the landfill sites clearer for longer.
It is 100% naturally biodegradable and renewable. No other natural fibre is able to match wool on its renewable credentials. It uses dramatically less water than cotton and much less energy than polyester to produce.
Wool is also made up of 50% pure carbon. Sheep feed on plants and the organic carbon from those plants is what fuels them. This carbon then becomes part of the wool. It will biodegrade and break down, acting as a natural fertiliser, slowly releasing the carbon and valuable nutrients back into the soil.
At knotistry, we only supply natural luxury flooring solutions, including wool rugs, carpets and stair runners. Each collection we sell adds a sophisticated element to your home with little environmental impact, so you can style your house in your own, eco-friendly way. Read more about our sustainable materials here.
5. Wool is Naturally Flame Retardant
Did you know that wool is naturally flame retardant? Even at high temperatures, wool will not drip, melt or stick, and is extremely difficult to set alight. This makes it an extremely safe option for you to have in your home. We’ll give some of the reasons below:
Firstly, wool flooring is flame retardant, due to the fact it has a high ignition temperature of 570-600C. In comparison, cotton has 407°C, and wood has 300°C.
Wool also has a high water and nitrogen content, meaning that it requires an unsustainable amount of oxygen to actually stay alight. This means even if it does catch fire, it is unlikely to be able to hold a flame for long.
The natural structure of wool fibres makes them excellent at creating an insulating layer to prevent the spread of flames, even dampening down flames that have taken hold of other materials.
Discover the benefits of wool rugs and carpets with knotistry
At knotistry, we can’t get enough of wool carpets and rugs. They add a comfortable, luxurious element to any room, and there’s plenty to choose from, so you’ll have no problem finding a carpet that matches the style of your home. However, if you’re after a particular aesthetic, create a custom wool rug with our rug builder and we’ll deliver the perfect rug for you.
If you need any more information about the benefits of wool flooring, please speak to our expert team for advice. You can also order some free samples to experience wool’s many advantages for yourself. Get in touch today by making an enquiry or by calling 0117 370 2762. You can also send us an email at: [email protected].
