| Durability |
Wears (fiber loss) |
Does Not Wear (no fiber loss) |
| Appearance |
Looks new until worn to the backing |
Ages rapidly in appearance, though there is no fiber loss |
| Color Quality |
Retains depth and saturation of color through the life of the rug and carpet |
Quality and depth of color lessens with age and soil |
| Pile Retention |
Best- Most resilient fiber to crushing and matting |
Good- better than other synthetic yarns |
| Cleanability |
Best- Most cleanable fiber, best at soil hiding, soil resistant due to lanolin |
Good- better than other synthetic yarns |
| Flammability |
Self-extinguishing: Burned fibers char and flake off revealing the yarn color again; Flame Resistant: keratin protein and moisture content help prevent ignition |
Not self-extinguishing, Burned fibers melt leaving a black spot that cannot be removed |
| Hypoallergenic |
Lanolin in the wool fibers repels water and other particles preventing mildew; scale structure of wool traps particulate pollutants until vacuumed |
No current information |
| Air Purifying |
Wool’s chemical make-up binds to gaseous VOCs, cleaning the air |
No current information |
| Eco-friendly |
Sustainable: renewable yearly; Wool and natural latex is Biodegradable and recyclable. |
No current information |
