is it ridiculous to get 100% wool carpet in a house with small children?

[Mackrelmint]

We need some carpet for the stairs and landings in new house. I really fancied a striped runner (I know I've seen some on here say it's terribly 2002 or something, but I like it!) but the only ones I can find that I like are 100% wool.

The carpet man says it isn't that much harder to care for than synthetics - but then he is trying to sell me expensive wool carpet. My sister says it would be the worst idea ever.

Can you help? Is it a nightmare for stains/cleaning? It isn't for bedroom/dining/lounge so not too high risk, but with babies I guess any kind of stain is possible.

And do you have lovely bright synthetic carpet (striped or patterned or plain) - if so where's it from?

Thanks!!!

Our beautiful cream wool carpet (I didn't buy it - new build so got the builder to throw in as much as possible for free) which we have in the hall is stained and disgusting after only 12 months. We have strict no shoes rule in the house but most people (dh included) assume this just means in the actual rooms, hall/stairs/landing seem to be fair game for 'just nipping in' and carpet really shows that. Also DS has thrown up on it when I've popped him on the floor to pick stuff up or put on my coat, left some lovely stains there! I use vanish carpet cleaner as soon as there's anything spilt but some things just won't come up even if I get to it in seconds!

So yes personally I would think you are a bit bonkers, but I'm the mad lady with cream carpets and a toddler so I clearly don't practice what I preach!!!

I have wool carpets and have had several infestations of carpet moths. Never again!

Just thought, the vanish cleaner stuff I use says it's not suitable on some wool carpets, so maybe worth checking if you can use stuff like that before buying?

I was looking for carpet for my Ds's bedroom. Was firmly advised against wool carpets by the man in the carpet shop!

I've always found wool carpets easy enough to get the stains out of. We had a cream wool carpet on our stairs and after a good few years I just had a man come and clean it and it was good as new and we always wear our shoes inside. Plus if it's striped it will hide any superficial dirt. Any major stains can just be removed with bicarb. of soda.

I have 2 wool rugs and have sworn never again. Not because of stains but because they molt for about 5 years & there is fluff everywhere. I have moved one upstairs & now all of the other carpet is covered in fluff. Don't know if this happens with carpet too?

I have mostly wool carpets because of family allergies and don't have any more difficulty getting stains out of wool than out of synthetics. They don't come out of either properly, in my experience, in spite of scrubbing & carpet cleaner products.

I always shop at owner-managed carpet shops because I hate the smell and pushy sales of the big warehouse places. The people who own these places usually know a lot about carpets and have samples of a massive range. Also are good on advice on this sort of thing.

Stairs and landings are less likely to cop spillages, and stripes will hide stains pretty well anyway. I'd say you'd be OK.

Rockchick - cream carpet in a hallway?? You only have yourself to blame.

the modern polypropylene carpets seem to keep their looks, and are very stain-resistant. I got a Heather Twist recently (Heather means a mottled finish so marks don't show, and Twist means the fibres are crimped to prevent them flattening easily under traffic - the old synthetics use to be bad for that).

Seems OK so far and feels fine. I bought 80/20 for the other rooms and the dealer suggested the PP as a cheaper option for this particular room (it previously had vinyl flooring because of spillage risk).

BTW my friend who has a family furnishings business, recommended his trade supplier, who has a small warehouse and cuts to size, arranges fitters, no real showroom or sales assistants, but cheerfully supplies retail if you can make up your mind quickly.

Thank you for all this - really useful.

Well, kind of - still not too much nearer a decision! About half your responses confirm my fears about wool; the other half think its ok. But good to know some with no problems, and what exact problems others have.

PigletJohn - we are getting PP in the spare room, and the sample we have got feels nicer than the equivalent wool one to me! So I'm really happy with that decision - looks and feels nice, easier to care for and is cheap(ish - not dirt cheap as it's one of the better PPs apparently - delustred to feel and look more like wool). not sure whether it is 'twist' or not - will have to check the sample

Auntie (love the name btw ) - the guy I am speaking to at the moment is a small owner-managed business and was very helpful with samples. Tried one other local small business before that but the guy was so grumpy and unhelpful that I didn't want to buy anything off him however good it was. This one seems very knowledgeable and says he has wool, pp and mixes in his house and didn't find the wool any worse to deal with, but still, he has a sale to make so I guess he's not going to tell me it's terrible.

I always buy wool as it is fire resistant. I used to work with firemen and they had some horror stories to tell about synthetic carpets. They can make toxic fumes and they can melt.

Thanks .

Sounds like what you really want is a synthetic stripy one. These people do one in Northern Ireland - and deliver over to Great Britain if you aren't in NI, apparently.

Did the sales person explain why he advised against it or did you believe everything he said without question? Wool is a great product but many floor stores will sell against things they don't carry. Wool's biggest con is it is expensive. How many wool jobs do you think a tiny floor store gets? Of course they would try to dissuade you from wool.

We've got wool carpets and they have been fine. They're 9 years old now and yes there are a few marks but we have pretty much hammered them!

I think a cream hallway carpet would be a bit of a disaster no matter what it was made of

We have 80% wool carpets in all rooms except bathrooms, kitchen, hall and dining room. Would never have polypropylene only. Wool is a natural and sustainable product.

They are also v good quality from top manufacturers and heavy gauge (50 in front room, mix of 40 and 60! in bedrooms. The 60 gauge was OTT on reflection but bloody hell does it feel good under foot!

We clean with a Dyson and had the lounge carpet cleaned professionally last year for the first time since 2004. Hardly any dirt came off it! A testament to the quality of the carpet and the ability of the dyson to suck dirt out. The lounge carpet is 9 years old and looks almost good as new and we allow shoes all over the house. Stains are caught with baby wipes followed by Dettol Multisurface spray. Never had a permanent stain (yet...).

Wool every time for me, but then I'm a wool evangelist (see other threads I've posted on about my fabulous wool duvet from Baavet!) I've come late to the glories of wool, and now feel distinctly middle aged because of it, but am a happier, wiser woman lol.

Oh, and cream downstairs is just asking for it.
Our lounge/stairs/landing carpet is a russet colour, shows nothing!

Pownalls's Fenland Berber Elite in Burnet for anyone interesed.

I have always had cream wool carpets and have been able to get the stains out fine- including mouse blood, cat vomit- you know the usual disgusting stuff. PP always stinks for ages after it's been put in. The smell makes me dizzy so I avoid.

I must be really crap at cleaning - we had cream wool carpets, 50 whatever (ounces?) throughout, 80/20 by Victoria Carpets. A kid knocked the ketchup bottle over - scraped up and cleaned straight away but stain didn't come out. Used whatever Kim & Aggie recommended but only solution was a rug. (We now only have them upstairs and on the stairs, wood downstairs)

Piglet John, advice needed. I have to re carpet my entire house, the quotes are astronomical and I have no idea what I am doing. I am trying to improve sound insulation and buy something that will survive the family trampling all over it. My mum has attempted to give advice but I am not sure I am any the wiser about how to assess quality, weights, and so on. Any thoughts?