Rug Source Offers Top-Quality Wool Rugs For Everyone’s Unique Style!
Wools rugs are known for being some of the best in the entire rug industry, and they truly are unparalleled when it comes to crucial shopping factors like quality, durability, and overall beauty.
And what’s great about rug shopping with Rug Source is that we offer some of the most affordable wool rugs on the Web. Our team is always here to answer your questions and guide you toward the best wool rug for you and your home’s décor, and we’re absolutely confident that you’ll find your perfect area rug while browsing through our massive selection.
Below we’ll be detailing some of the top reasons why you should consider purchasing a wool rug, as well as some of the frequently asked questions we receive about this popular rug style!
Top Reasons To Purchase Wool Rugs
Rug enthusiasts love wool rugs for a lot of reasons, but arguably the very top reason for purchasing a hand-knotted wool rug is its durability. Wool fibers are capable of withstanding all sorts of wear and tear, especially as compared to their synthetic counterparts.
With just basic maintenance and upkeep, rug owners can keep their wool rugs for decades, and even generations. Below are some more reasons to consider a wool rug for your home:
Wool Rugs Are Hypoallergenic
Allergies are troublesome for many rug owners, and people with allergies need to be very careful about which rug materials they choose. What’s great about wool rugs is that they’re hypoallergenic, which means they’re much less likely to trigger allergic reactions.
Wool rugs feature very tiny pockets that you can’t see, and these pockets are great when it comes to trapping pollen, dust and fungal spores that may be in the air. This subsequently reduces any allergic symptoms for people while they’re relaxing indoors, and what’s great is that these fiber pockets make it easier to thoroughly clean your rug and keep it allergen-free.
Wool Rugs Are Flame-Resistant
Because wool is a natural fiber, it also features all sorts of natural moisture and oils. These natural oils make wool rugs incredibly flame-resistant, and this is without any synthetic chemical additions.
Although wool rugs technically will catch fire if a flame is directly applied to the rug material, this ignition will always be very slow and easy to put out in an emergency situation. Wool rug fibers also don’t sustain flames for very long at all.
Because wool rugs are incredibly flame-resistant, they’re good options for kitchens and kids’ bedrooms where people want to be extra safe about fire risks!
Wool Rugs Are Water Repellent
Wool rugs are also coated with waxy scales that are rich in lanolin, and although these scales aren’t visible to the naked eye, they’re incredibly useful in terms of their water resistance. Wool rugs essentially have a protective barrier that causes water to roll off the rug’s surface, as opposed to being absorbed and ultimately dampening the rug.
Because wool rugs are great at repelling water, they’re good options in household areas like bathrooms, kitchens, dining rooms, and kids’ bedrooms—or anywhere spills might happen!
Wool Rugs Are Stain Resistant
The waxy, lanolin covering that helps wool rugs repel water also helps these rugs to resist all sorts of stains. This protective coating truly is unique throughout the entire rug industry, because it prevents liquids and other food stains from absorbing into the rug’s fibers.
Although wool rugs can still be stained superficially, these types of stains can be easily fixed with a damp cloth and other DIY cleaning techniques. This becomes an incredible relief for rug owners, because you won’t have to worry about stains creating any type of permanent discoloration.
You also won’t need to worry about investing in professional rug cleaning every time a spill occurs, which can’t be said for other rug materials!
Wool Rugs Do A Great Job At Absorbing Household Sounds
Wool rugs have very dense fibers, which are great for absorbing household sounds and eliminating any unwanted echoing. This can include walking sounds along floors, as well as sounds of objects dropping on floors.
And when your wool rug muffles any household echoes, it subsequently improves your room’s acoustics. It’s also great for household relation purposes, because you won’t have to worry as much about disturbing others with your footsteps while they’re studying, working, or sleeping.
Wool Rugs Are Sustainable & Biodegradable
Wool rugs have continued to grow in popularity throughout recent years, partly because they’re considered to be some of the most eco-friendly décor options in today’s rug marketplace. Wool rugs are 100% sustainable, because they’re made from sheep’s wool that naturally grows back within a matter of months.
And when you compare the energy needed to shear sheep to synthetic material manufacturing, it’s safe to say that wool rugs are a much better option for eco-conscious rug shoppers. It’s also important to note that wool rugs are recyclable and completely biodegradable, so you don’t need to worry whenever they do reach the end of their functional lifetime.
From the wool materials to the natural dyes, rug shoppers can feel comfortable knowing that they’re contributing to the planet’s sustainability and overall eco-friendliness when purchasing wool rugs!
Wool Rugs Are Easy To Maintain
Another awesome benefit of owning wool rugs is that they aren’t so difficult to clean and maintain. As mentioned in an above section, wool rugs collect dust within fiber pockets, which means rug owners don’t need to worry so much about cleaning the rug’s surface on a daily basis.
Dust also won’t get distributed throughout the rug as people walk on it, and simply vacuuming your wool rugs on a weekly basis will typically be enough to keep it in good shape for decades to come!
Common FAQs About Wool Rugs
It’s normal to have questions when you’re planning out your next rug purchase, and here are some of the frequently asked questions (FAQs) that we receive about wool rugs:
Do wool rugs shed?
It’s true that certain wool rugs will shed, but these are generally blended rugs that are also comprised of synthetic materials. These hybrid wool rug options are very popular among today’s rug shoppers because they’re more affordable than authentic wool rugs, but they naturally come with some downsides like potential shedding.
Hand-tufted rugs are also very popular in today’s marketplace, but this manufacturing process also makes wool rugs more vulnerable to shedding. But when you purchase a hand-knotted wool rug, you won’t need to worry about shedding at all. This is because hand-knotting is an incredibly meticulous and complex manufacturing process that creates hundreds of thousands of incredibly tight knots.
It’s also important to note that many shag rugs are made from wool, and these wool rugs are generally more likely to shed as compared to other styles.
How should I clean wool rugs?
Cleaning wool rugs doesn’t have to be stressful, and it’s generally a lot easier than most rug shoppers assume! Although you won’t be able to place this rug style in a washing machine, you can get rid of dirt and other debris buildup with just a little bit of effort.
Here are some wool rug cleaning techniques:
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Shaking out the rug: Take your rug outside and hang it over a railing, which will allow the wind to naturally shake out dirt. You can also shake out the rug yourself to eliminate even more debris, which is traditionally done with a broom.
- Vacuums & carpet sweepers: Vacuuming your wool rug on a weekly basis is one of the best things you can do for its cleanliness and general upkeep. However, it’s also important for rug owners to remember that they shouldn’t over-vacuum their wool rug, and 2-3 times per month usually is fine.
- Professional rug cleaning: Seeking out the help of professional rug cleaners is always advisable for wool rug owners, and about 1-2 professional cleans per year will keep your wool rug in tip-top shape. And if you need help finding a reputable rug cleaner in your area, our team will be more than happy to provide you with a referral.
How long do wool rugs last?
Wool rugs are by far the most durable style in today’s rug marketplace, and they’re made to last at least several decades. And when properly taken care of, wool rugs can last longer than a century!
Where should I place wool rugs in my home?
Wool rugs can go just about anywhere within a home, including high-traffic areas that are generally busy on a daily basis. Whether you’re looking to decorate your living room, dining room, kitchen, bedroom, office, foyer, or deck area, there’s a wool rug waiting for you within our vast inventory!
Reach Out To The Rug Source Team To Learn More About Our Wool Rugs!
Rug Source is the leading online rug outlet located in the United States, and our vast selection of top-quality wool rugs is second to none throughout the entire industry.
Our team is always available to answer your questions and guide you toward your very best options, so reach out to us online or call us at 980-422-4080 to learn more about our wool rugs today!
Gabbeh Rugs are Part of a Rich Persian Tradition
The traditional Gabbeh Persian carpet – known as gava in Kurdish and Luri and called khersak in Bakhtiari – is a simple, hand-woven pile rug traditionally made by the nomadic Qashqai tribes who dwelled in the Zagros Mountains of southern Iran, near the city of Shiraz. Other tribes, such as the Lurs, the Kurds and the Bahktiari also weave these carpets.
In Persian, the word “Gabbeh” means “fringe” or “in the rough.” Gabbeh rugs are rough cut and long piled rugs of rich color and the best quality wool. Most Gabbeh carpets are medium size – up to 3’ x 5’ – and feature abstract designs where shapes and color dance playfully with one another.
Variations of the gabbeh rug – such as the “Loribaft”, “Amaleh”, “Kashkuli” – may reflect the heritage of the tribe by which they are woven or the name of the city in which they are most often traded, such as “a Shiraz Gabbeh.”
The 19th century gabbeh rugs were very coarsely knotted (40kpi or less), often with shaggy pile. The name of Gholam Reza Zollanvari is synonymous with modern Gabbeh rugs. Zollanvari learned the rug business from his grandfather, a merchant in the Shirazi rug bazaar. Zollanvari pioneered the construction of fine-weave gabbehs with knot counts of 200+ kpi. Today, Zollanvari rugs are among the most popular styles of Persian rugs.
The Making of a Gabbeh Rugs: A Craft Shared Across Generations
Most Gabbeh carpets are made by women, and many are one-of-a-kind works of art. Some patterns are passed down thru the generations as mothers and grandmothers teach their daughters the art of Persian rug making. Many patterns reflect the weaver’s observations of the environments through which the tribe has passed. Some rugs are even made by the hands of many weavers.
Traditional Gabbeh rugs were woven on makeshift ground looms. These looms are built with materials are carried long distances by the nomadic tribes, or materials found where the tribe settled. Since each loom is unique, each rug is unique; this is how Gabbeh rugs get their distinctive irregular in shape.
Woven with the Wool of Mountain Sheep
Gabbeh rugs are woven from high quality wool from the tribe’s own sheep. As the tribe herds its sheep over hundreds of miles, the nomads reach high altitudes. In the summers, they stay in the highland pastures north of Shiraz in the Zargos Mountains; by winter they sojourn to pasture lands near the Persian Gulf. Sheep grazed in high altitudes produce more lanolin, giving their wool a luxurious softness and resistance to stain.
Rich, Colorful Dyes Give Gabbeh Carpets a Remarkable Color
The Qashqai people find the dyes used in Gabbeh carpets or purchase them in towns where they trade their finished carpets. Often, they use all-natural vegetable dyes to give the wool vibrant color while retaining its lanolin.
Hand-Knotted Rugs with Turkish Symmetrical Knots and Persian Asymmetrical Knots
Most of the wool used in the construction of Gabbeh rugs is handspun using a drop spindle. After the wool has been dyed and handspun, the weaver uses the loom to hand-knot the rug using Turkish symmetrical knots or Persian asymmetrical knots, or even a combination of the two. Because the all the Qashqai tribes use both types of knots, it is difficult to tell from which individual tribe any one rug has come from.
Gabbeh Rugs Are Small – Often Just 3’ x 5’ in Size
A typical size for a Gabbeh carpet is 3 feet by 5 feet. It can take 18 to 25 hours to weave even a small Gabbeh rug. Tribal Gabbeh rugs usually have lower knot counts compared to other types of Persian carpet. This low knot count and the high quality of wool makes Gabbeh rugs famous for their exceptional durability.
Durable Floor Coverings, Wraps and Bedding to Protect from the Mountain Cold
Gabbeh rugs are often floppy because they have wider rows of multiple wefts. This made the soft, pliable rugs ideal as wraps or bedding to insulate against the bitter cold of the mountains.
Gabbeh rugs are often not symmetrical due to the nomadic lifestyle of their creators, and color variations within a rug are common. Often, the variation in color in a rug tells a story of the tribe’s migration, the climates and environments it encountered, and the tribe members who contributed to its creation.
Where to Buy Gabbeh Rugs
Unless you plan to travel to Iran to shop for Gabbeh rugs in the marketplace, we’d suggest buying a Gabbeh rug online from RugSource.com or visiting our showroom. We’re proud to bring these highly coveted rugs to you – please contact us if you’d like to know more.
Antique Persian Bakhtiari Rugs
Nothing compares to the opulent designs of Bakhtiari rugs. These distinctive pieces are gorgeous, artistic, durable and in great demand. That’s why, whether you’re filling an estate or looking for a special rug to define your living space, you can’t go wrong by adding one to your home. What’s especially admirable about a Bakhtiari Persian rug is the character: these handiworks feature stunning, interesting, hand-woven designs that took years to complete.
When you’re in the market to purchase one for your home, come to Rug Source. As the rug importer with an online store and a location in Charlotte, North Carolina, we have a large variety of Bakhtiari rugs for sale — from small designs to grand pieces. Browse our selection to find the kind of runners and rugs that you can love for a lifetime.
A Guide to Buying Bakhtiari Rugs
At Rug Source, we want to help you purchase a Persian Bakhtiari that you and generations after you will be proud to display. For this reason, we’ve put together a quick guide below, to steer you through the buying process. By understanding a little more about the background and style of a Persian Bakhtiari rug, you may find shopping through our selection a little simpler.
If you have any other questions not answered below, please contact us.
Background:
Bakhtiari rugs get their name from the Bakhtiari tribespeople of the Zagros Mountains. A strong, courageous group known for annually trekking over snow-capped mountains, the Bakhtiari traditionally produced geometric designs in their rugs but, over time, were influenced by floral carpets of Persia. This led to the innovative styles found today. Bakhtiari rugs are made of durable wool and feature inspiring, complex designs.
Shape and Design:
Many Bakhtiari rugs feature central medallions and bold colors. They are best known for their intricate imagery, which incorporates latticework, bell-shaped components, flowers and highly romantic themes. Each one typically takes up to six years to complete, representing a labor of time as well as artistry. Find them in various colors, from reds to blues to beiges.
Shopping Bakhtiari Rugs for Sale at Rug Source
As the largest online resource for Oriental, Persian and other area rugs, Rug Source is the best place to find stunning, long-lasting Bakhtiari rugs for your home. For more than a decade, our business offers the best prices, complete with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Our prices tend to be 60 to 70 percent below retail, as well as 30 to 40 percent below competitors’ rates. When you buy a piece from us, if you’re not happy for any reason, you can return for a refund within 30 days.
To learn more about the rugs we carry, visit our location in Charlotte or shop our selection online!