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Carpet Buying Guide

Choosing a new carpet

When choosing a new carpet, you may already know exactly what you’re trying to achieve from a design perspective. But if not, here are a few tips to help you choose what colour, pattern, style and texture would suit your room best.

Carpets in a beige or neutral tone offer a blank style canvas and will suit any interior style. The variety of yarns and twists available in our range can add texture, even with a neutral palette.

If you want to experiment with stronger colours to make your carpet more of a design statement, our range of patterned carpets, from delicate tonal florals to stripes and Persians, allow a subtle design tone. If you want to choose a patterned carpet which doesn’t create as much of a statement, choose a tonal variation in a natural palette as this will give a less dominating feel.

It’s really important to consider the usage of the rooms you are carpeting so that you pick a suitable thickness. For example, busy communal areas such as hallways, stairs and living rooms need a heavier weight carpet to withstand natural wear and tear for longer compared to rooms which are used less, such as bedrooms.

Measuring for carpet

We advise that you have your room professionally measured before you start to shop for a carpet. This will ensure that you get the right length and widths. Please see our stockist page for retailers who can do this for you. However, if you wish to get an estimate of the size of the area you need to carpet follow our simple guide.

Measure Guide

Caring for your carpet

So you’ve chosen your lovely new carpet, had it fitted and invited your friends over to admire how gorgeous it looks. But how do you keep it looking beautiful with the family walking over it all the time, what’s the best way to care for it?

Wool carpets are easy to clean

The good news is wool carpets are naturally resistant to dirt. Wool fibres make it harder for dirt particles to stick, so they’re easier to clean and keep their colour longer. However, accidents happen, so we've put together a handy chart to help you come to your carpets rescue. But whatever the spill, remember:

  • Deal with it quickly so it’s less likely to stain
  • Don’t rub, or you’ll damage the yarn
  • Don’t use salt or white wine on a red wine spill
  • Work from the outside inwards to limit the affected area
  • Use a cleaner designed for wool, work it in with a brush, sponge or cloth, then rinse
  • When you’ve finished, blot thoroughly and brush the pile in the right direction
  • If you’re in any doubt, call a professional carpet cleaner

For further assistance please refer to our carpet rescue chart.

Carpet Rescue Chart

Make friends with your vacuum

A great-looking carpet is one that gets vacuumed regularly, ideally every day. If your vacuum has a beater bar, such as a Sebo or brush head, that’s even better. (Please note that loop pile carpet should be vacuumed with a suction head only, beater bars may catch the fibres giving the carpet a hairy appearance.) Take it slowly so the vacuum has enough time to clean from deep in the tufts, and concentrate on well-trodden areas like stairs, hallways and in front of chairs.

Think about wear and tear

The position of your furniture will create areas that are more or less trodden on than others, so if your room is big enough, try to move things around occasionally. It’ll make you see your room in a whole new light too!

Stair carpets can get a lot of wear. Shifting them from time to time can really help, you could order a little extra so you can replace worn areas if you need to. If your carpet runs right up to an external door, use a mat to catch dirt and grit on its way in. Always take off shoes with grips, like trainers, as they can tear the pile.

Call in the experts

In some situations, it’s best to let an expert take a look. There’s a whole network of accredited companies committed to using approved products for cleaning wool carpets and rugs. The Woolsafe Organisation holds a free directory here.

Top ten carpet care tips

  1. Take your shoes off – you won’t just stop messy footprints, you’ll prevent shoe soles with grips damaging carpet pile too
  2. Vacuum regularly
  3. Re-organising/changing your furniture positions regularly can reduce wear and tear
  4. When your carpet pile starts to look flat, vacuum against the direction of the pile to help lift it
  5. Your new carpet may shed fluff. Vacuum it regularly so it doesn’t clog the pile
  6. Deal with spills quickly so they’re less likely to stain
  7. Mop up spills gently using a clean white cloth – don’t rub
  8. Don’t believe the old wives’ tales – salt and white wine aren’t good for cleaning red wine, or anything else!
  9. If you’re using cleaning products on spills, make sure they’re designed for wool carpets
  10. If in doubt, call in the experts. Your carpet is an investment, so it’s worth getting help with a tricky stain

It’s inevitable that accidental spills are going to happen. The best thing to do in many cases is to soak up as much liquid as possible with a clean cloth or kitchen towel. If it hasn’t soaked in yet, a final wipe leaving the pile in the right direction may do the trick.

Whatever the spill, remember:

  • Deal with it quickly so it’s less likely to stain
  • Don’t rub or you’ll damage the yarn
  • Don’t use salt or white wine on a red wine spill (or anything else!)
  • Work from the outside inwards to limit the affected area
  • Use a cleaner designed for wool. Work it in with a brush, sponge or cloth, then rinse
  • Refer to our caring for your carpet page for detailed advice
  • If you’re in any doubt, call a professional carpet cleaner