Choosing a rug is anything but easy. There are so many materials to choose from that you’ll probably fall into a pit of confusion. Two common rug materials you hear about are wool and synthetic. If you want to know which rug material is worth it, then here is a comparison between wool and synthetic fiber rugs. However, if you want to go for Persian rugs, they are usually made of wool or silk. However, many machine-made varieties may be made of synthetic materials.
Wool Rugs Vs Synthetic Rugs
Material
First and foremost, you need to understand the materials out of which each rug is made. From the names of the rugs, you can get a pretty solid idea as to which rug is made out of which material, but there’s more to a rug than just a material.
Wool Rugs
Starting with wool rugs, it’s pretty obvious that the material used in making this thick and cushy rug is none other than natural wool of sheep. Sheep’s wool is a soft and naturally sourced material and don’t worry because no sheep are harmed during the sourcing of this wooly material. These strands are treated to make them look like thick threads and then they’re doused in potent natural dyes that give woolen rugs their characteristic, vibrant, and very long-lasting color. What’s not to love about it?
Synthetic Rugs
As far as synthetic fiber rugs are concerned, they can be made out of polyester, nylon, or polypropylene, or a combination of these materials. This material is pretty interesting because it looks and feels like a fabric, but it has the qualities of plastic, so if you’re looking for a rug that’s easy to manage, then synthetic fiber rugs are the way to go.
Because of the durability of synthetic rugs, you can put these rugs in outdoor areas too and they don’t budge at all.
Handmade Or Machine-Made
This factor is one of the biggest selling points of any rug whether it’s a wool rug or a synthetic fiber rug. Handmade rugs have their own appeal and popularity and they’re robust and strong.
Wool Rugs
Wool rugs are usually handmade on a loom and it takes days, even months, to get this rug made into a masterpiece. Wool has come a long way though and it’s also available in the machine-made variety, but you can see the difference and the gravitation people have towards the exceptional quality of handmade rugs.
Synthetic Rugs
As for synthetic fiber rugs, they’re commonly machine-made. Since the fibers are easy to manage and because they’re made on a massive scale, it’s almost impossible to weave every individual rug by hand, so people have no choice but to group with machines and make bulks upon bulks of rugs pretty quickly.
Even though machine-made rugs are good too in their way, this still doesn’t mean that they’re overpowering handmade rugs. That’s not the case, by a long shot. Handmade rugs still hold a lot of influence on people all over the world.
Durability
The next factor that comes into play, when you’re figuring out whether you want to go for a wool or synthetic fiber rug, is durability and strength. Let’s be real! If a rug isn’t strong enough to handle foot traffic on a daily basis, it is better to not invest your money in it.
Wool Rugs
Wool rugs are the epitome of durability and they’re amazing when it comes to longevity. Given that you maintain them properly they will last you a long time.
Synthetic Rugs
Synthetic rugs are decently durable, but they don’t hold a candle to wool rugs. They are water resistant and they can last for a fair amount of time, but that doesn’t mean that they’re indestructible.
Since they’re woven on machines, it’s really common for these rugs to have loose and thin piles and this can cause them to unravel and get damaged after washing them a couple of times even though they are made to be machine washed.
That can be quite the bummer, especially if your rug is relatively new, so it’s not something that people rush to get because quality matters at the end of the day.
Price
Let’s talk about price tags. Price is probably the main thing many people consider when buying rugs. Yes, not even the quality and popularity. If a rug is out of budget, no matter how good it is, you probably won’t ever buy it.
Wool rugs, on the downside, are really expensive. Because the rugs are naturally sourced and add to it the fact that they’re handmade, can hike the price up.
As for synthetic fiber rugs, they’re more reasonable as compared to the former option because they’re mass produced using machines.
Stain Resistance
Rugs can get stained. It’s just something that you have to deal with. Since they’re on the ground, you can drop anything and everything and it can stain.
Wool Rugs
Wool rugs can easily fall victim to stains and one thing that’s a real pain in the neck about wool rugs is that they’re hard to clean. So, you’ll be on your knees, scrubbing the rug trying to get rid of stains and it’s not fun at all.
This is why you need to be careful around wool rugs, especially light-colored ones because the stain will show prominently.
Synthetic Rugs
On the other hand, stains on synthetic fiber rugs are easier than their woolen counterparts. Since the synthetic fibers have plastic-like qualities, the material doesn’t soak water as quickly as wool does and it leads to you having a reasonable chunk of time to grab a wet washcloth and dab the stain away before it gets absorbed in the rug.
This is an amazing thing because spills are usually inevitable and you really can’t spill-proof your rugs so synthetic fiber rugs won’t give you a hard time and it’s nothing less than a breath of fresh air.
Maintenance
Maintenance is the most important step in keeping a rug nice and clean for a long time. Rugs are one of the hardest things to clean, because most of the time, you can’t toss them in the washing machine and call it a day.
Wool Rugs
Wool rugs, unfortunately, aren’t the easiest when it comes to maintenance. They need to be dry cleaned and vacuumed regularly, otherwise, they will collect dust, and it’s not a pleasant sight at all. So, roll up your sleeves because it’s going to take a while for you to clean your wool rugs.
Synthetic Rugs
Alternatively, synthetic fiber rugs are a breeze to maintain. They can be hand washed or tossed in the washing machine, especially if the size of the rug is small. You don’t need to settle hefty dry-cleaning bills and that’s nothing less than a lifesaver.
When maintenance is easy, you’ll automatically have a fun time decorating the house and enjoy the process of transforming your space. So, if you’re scared of a lot of maintenance, then you’ll love synthetic rugs because they’re easy to manage.
Conclusion
Wool and synthetic fiber rugs are two of popular options and this guide will let you know all of the things you wanted to know about them. You can find many wholesale oriental rugs VA crafted with wool and many that are made with synthetic fibers.
