Wool carpet

What wool carpet can and cannot take

• Heat Use with care
• Water and soaking Use with care
• Acids, including vinegar Use with care
• Strong alkalis Avoid
• Solvents Use with care
• Chlorine bleach Avoid
• Abrasives Avoid

Always test on a hidden area first and let it dry before you treat the visible mark.

General rules for wool carpet

Wool is a protein fibre and behaves nothing like the synthetic carpet most stain advice is written for.

Alkaline cleaners, which is most general purpose carpet products, cause colour bleeding and damage the fibre. Chlorine bleach destroys it outright. Rubbing distorts the pile permanently, so every method is blot, never scrub. And over-wetting pushes the spill down into the backing where it wicks back up as a brown ring days later.

Stains on wool carpet

• Blood Blot first, then use cold water and a tiny amount of compatible detergent. Work from the edge, rinse or blot...
• Body oil Blot free oil from wool carpet first. A small residual patch can use a maker-approved SEBO DUO-P treatment, f...
• Breast milk Blot from the outer edge inwards. Where care instructions allow, dab very little cold water onto the pile wit...
• Bronzer Lift loose bronzer from wool carpet before it is rubbed in. Blot cream bronzer, follow the material or care l...
• Coffee Blot wool carpet from the outside in, then use very little cool water on a cloth if the carpet instructions p...
• Concealer Lift thick concealer from Wool Carpet, blot without rubbing, then use a very small amount of diluted washing-...
• Cooking grease Lift and blot cooking grease from Wool Carpet, then use a small amount of diluted washing-up liquid only if t...
• Deodorant Lift loose deodorant from wool carpet with a dry white cloth, then wipe the remaining film with cool water an...
• Hair dye Blot Wool carpet from the edge, use one hidden-tested low-moisture carpet treatment, extract it thoroughly an...
• Lipstick Lift lipstick from Wool Carpet with a blunt edge, blot without rubbing, then use a very small amount of dilut...
• Motor oil Blot motor oil from Wool Carpet, absorb as much as possible, then use a small amount of diluted washing-up li...
• Nail polish Touch off accessible free polish at the surface without rubbing. Do not use clothing remover or pour nail rem...
• Period blood Lift any tissue with a spoon edge, then blot. Use cold water and a tiny amount of compatible detergent for th...
• Pet urine Blot until nearly dry, then use only the cool-water quantity wool carpet can tolerate. Use a labelled pet uri...
• Sweat Blot sweat from Wool Carpet, use a hidden-tested cool detergent solution with very little moisture, remove re...
• Tomato sauce Lift tomato sauce from Wool Carpet, blot from the edge with a tested cool detergent solution, remove residue...

Cleaners on wool carpet

• White vinegar Yes, with a pre-test

  Wool prefers mild acid to alkali, and the UK carpet trade body method for coffee on carpet uses a detergent and vinegar solution. Keep it dilute, apply a little at a time and blot it back out.