I bought a new rug. It’s a wool-polyester blend, and let’s just say it’s been a bit of a learning curve.
When I was choosing a rug, I was drawn to wool for a few reasons. This was a rug for my main living area, the place my family and I hang out the most, so I needed something that could handle a bit of wear and tear.
I was drawn to wool for the fact that it’s a natural fibre. We’ve been through quite a few rugs since having kids, thanks to the inevitable staining and rugs generally starting to look grubby after a few years, so the fact that wool is soft and naturally stain-resistant was a bonus in my eyes!
After searching for weeks online and dragging my family around every rug store I could find, I eventually settled on the Kavya Hand-Woven Wool-Blend Rug because of its low pile and durability, and I was absolutely thrilled when the rug arrived.
It’s great quality, a lovely neutral colour, and it’s nice and thick underfoot.
The right vacuum for a wool rug
Now, I was prepared for shedding, I’ve worked in many homes with wool rugs and wool carpets, so I knew that was part of the deal. What I didn’t realise was that my Dyson stick vacuum was not the right choice for this rug. Not only did it fill up in seconds from all the loose wool fibres, but the rotating brush head on the vacuum was quickly making the rug look aged.
Not the look I was going for!
Having always used a backpack vac without a rotating brush head when I was professionally cleaning, this issue hadn’t even crossed my mind. So, I did some research and ultimately decided to bite the bullet and purchase a new vacuum, something I was considering anyway because I love the thought of having a corded, powerful vacuum in my own home again.
I chose the Miele Guard L1 as we’ve always had a combination of both tiles and carpet throughout our homes and I’m so glad I did. It has fantastic suction that can be adjusted depending on the surface, it’s surprisingly light-weight and I’ve used it a ton without having to change the bag yet!
Most importantly, it feels much gentler on the rug.
So, if you’re thinking of purchasing a wool rug or have already purchased one, don’t forget to consider your vacuum.
Fixing up the fuzziness and pilling
Once I had the new vacuum, the rug was looking much better.
The Miele was doing a fantastic job keeping my rug clean, and I could immediately feel how much gentler it was on the carpet, but I still had a problem.
The rug had already developed quite a bit of fuzziness and pilling from my previous vacuum, and unfortunately, changing the vacuum alone didn’t make that disappear.
I tried fixing it with a pair of scissors, but honestly, I would have been lying on that rug, cutting fuzzies for years. No thanks!
So, I jumped on Google to see what else I could use and came across fabric shavers. After reading reviews on so many different ones, I ended up buying the Russell Hobbs Revive Fabric Shaver.
This little thing was amazing.
I’ll admit I was a little scared at first because I hadn’t seen anyone else using a fabric shaver on their wool rug, and all the reviews I had read were of people using them on clothes.
But I decided to give it a go, and I was honestly amazed at the difference. If you’re worried about trying one, I completely understand – I was too. But for me, the results definitely speak for themselves.
Will the rug stay looking this good?
I’m sure as the years go on and we continue to use the rug for everyday family life, the fuzzies will eventually return.
And I’m sure there will be spills and all sorts I’ll need to figure out, but now that I’m equipped with the right vacuum and my handy little de-pilling tool, I’m hoping it will be looking good for much, much longer!
And that’s probably the biggest lesson I’ve learnt from owning a wool rug, the rug itself was never the problem, I just didn’t have the right tools to look after it.
Do you have a wool rug or are you considering one? What’s been your experience with them? Have you got any tips or lessons you’ve learnt? Leave a comment below!