Home > Cleaning 101 > Carpet Types

Carpet Cleaning Tips by Carpet Types

It is important to give your carpet the specific care that it needs, because cleaning your carpet the wrong way could cause permanent damage. For example, extremely dense carpet must be steam cleaned with care; otherwise, it will retain moisture and cause problems for years to come. Other carpet is extremely sensitive to heat, and may melt if treated improperly.

Many people who move into a new house are unaware what type of carpet they have. That’s why we’ve provided this carpet cleaning guide by carpet type. Take a moment to analyze your carpet, then utilize the carpet cleaning tips we’ve provided. If you’re interested in even more carpet cleaning tips, feel free to contact one of our experts today.

Velvet Carpet:
  • Extremely soft
  • Can last decades longer than other carpet
  • Shows footprints and vacuum marks
  • Expensive

Level Loop Carpet:
  • Durable enough for commercial applications
  • Low maintenance
  • Won't show footprints
  • Not comfortable to the bare foot

Acrylic Carpet:
  • Man made fiber
  • Characteristics of wool
  • Subject to pitting and matting (dull, flattened, indented)
  • Will blend with wool to enhance the color

Berber Carpet:
  • Short looped wool or nylon
  • Very sensitive to moisture

Nylon Carpet:
  • Easy for cleaning
  • Wears well
  • Brilliant colors-dyes well
  • Affected by spills of acidic nature

Olefin-Polypropylene Carpet:
  • Poor resilience-feels like plastic
  • Resistance to acid dyes
  • Difficult to dye
  • Least absorbent
  • Used a lot for heavy traffic areas

Polyester Carpet:
  • Best looking-sheen
  • Excellent texture or feel
  • Poor resiliency-the capability of the carpet to recover its size and shape.

Wool Carpet:
  • Durable
  • Flame resistant
  • Affected by protein stains

Textured Plush Carpet:
  • Cut-pile
  • Most popular style of carpet
  • Masks footprints
  • Some varieties may be sensitive to high temperatures

Saxony Carpet:
  • Level-cut pile cut to three quarters of an inch
  • High density carpet
  • Shows footprints
  • Luxury look

Cut/Loop Carpet:
  • Different heights create textured look
  • Hides dirt and stains
  • Low maintenance

Frieze Carpet:
  • Casual, slightly shaggy appearance
  • Handles tough cleaning well
  • Hides traffic patterns

Whether you're new to the Woolite® carpet cleaning experience or a seasoned and loyal fan of our odor removing and carpet cleaning products, this site has the information you need to keep your house in top form. We've been perfecting carpet cleaning and stain removing products for decades and we have yet to stop our particular brand of carpet care. To learn about a particular odor remover, stain removers in general, or about our entire line of carpet cleaning products along with cleaning tips, please check out our FAQ page.