A lot of people today have already purchased wool rugs and never realized that these soft carpets requires special attention and care. Unfortunately, the sales person who sold us the rugs forgot to mention that we could not use resolve, Woolite, or Oxyclean on these carpets.
If you have recently bought a wool carpet please go to your pantry which holds all your carpet cleaning spotters and throw them away. Never use soap or carpet cleaning chemical on wool rugs unless it has a PH between 4.5 and 8.5 (less acidity). To be completely safe you could stay below a PH of 7 (neutral and will not cause the dyes to bleed) or look for your carpet cleaning product at." This nonaffiliated website will list several cleaning products that are safe for wool carpets. Be especially careful of using bleach products near your wool carpet. Bleach will actually dissolve wool carpet and leave you with a giant hole. Bleach is a great way to test your carpet for wool content if your not sure that your carpet has wool in it. Now that we have discussed what not to do, we can establish how to better maintain your wool carpet.
Vacuum as often as you can. Use only low PH cleaners. High PH cleaners will break down the cuticle or hard scaly surface that holds the fiber together. Breaking down the cuticle would leave us with a fuzzy mess. When using a wool safe product - blot. Scrubbing will also cause the fiber to fuzz out. I also recommend that you blot up the wool safe spotter with an acidic rinse (1 part white vinegar 3 part water). This will remove any residue and leave the wool fiber slightly acidic which will help maintain the wools softness. You also want to speed dry your wool carpet. If the carpet takes too long to dry it can turn yellow or brown. Using too high a PH cleaner on your wool rugs can also turn the fibers brown or yellow. We call this PH browning.
In conclusion, vacuum as often as you can. Spot clean with wool safe products. Blot rinse with an acidic rinse and never use bleach (causes wool to dissolve) or products with a high PH. Have your carpets cleaned by a professional at least once a year by a professional carpet cleaner that uses wool safe products.
Source: http://www.articler.com/84020/Cleaning-Wool-Carpets–A-Carpet-Cleaning-In-Boulder-Consumer-Guide.html
