10 Best Low-Shed Wool Rugs (Plus, How to Care for the Ones That Do)

• Nicole Adams is the director of product development for Annie Selke, a Massachusetts-based brand renowned for its curated selection of artistic and high-quality rug designs.

• Kristen Zeldin is a senior rug buyer at Lulu & Georgia, a one-stop-shop for home décor that prioritizes exclusive designer collaborations, uniquely curated collections and one-of-a-kind pieces to bring your home to life.

First things first: There’s a reason wool is such an industry standard when it comes to durable, soft and show-stopping rugs you can place in your home. For one thing, it’s about the construction—many wool rugs are handmade, which means they can cost a bit more, but they are practically stain-proof and, with proper care, they’re designed to last for decades.

So, how do you determine if the one you’re purchasing is high-quality? In other words, shedding happens with wool—it’s a natural characteristic of this type of fiber—but this attribute should be temporary, a detail that comes down to the quality and construction of the rug you choose to invest in.

Per Adams, you first want to check the actual makeup of the rug. “I would suggest searching for a rug where the primary content is wool—meaning the label should indicate that its wool makeup is 50 percent or higher,” she says. “There are many fiber-blend rugs out there, which is where you can start to encounter an issue. That’s why you want to double-check the content of the rug before purchasing.” If a wool rug is mixed with other fibers, that’s OK, but only as long as the wool fibers make up the majority. (For example, the Masinissa rug from Annie Selke is 92 percent wool, 6 percent cotton, 2 percent polyester.)

There’s another way to check for quality, according to Adams. It’s called the “dimensional stability” test of a rug. In other words, you want to check the stretch. “Quality handwoven wool rugs are woven tightly and over little to no stretch when you tug on them. A rug with a lesser quality will be woven loosely and will often stretch easily or become misshapen over time.” (Reader, see photos above, but my 5+ year old rug is an immediate fail on this test—totally misshapen and in need of constant adjustment; in comparison to the Malta blue handwoven wool rug, which is 92 percent wool, you can immediately see the higher knot density.) Adams adds that, a high-quality wool rug will generally feature 20+ knots per square-inch, a detail you can check just by looking at the back.

It’s true: You can expect some degree of shedding, no matter how high-quality the wool rug. “New wool rugs, particularly those with a longer pile, may shed fibers initially,” Adams says. “This is a natural characteristic of wool fibers, as loose fibers work their way out of the rug.” What’s important is to remember that the inconvenience is temporary: Weekly vacuuming should be enough to get through the initial phase of use when the fibers are still working their way to the rug’s surface.

Again, the construction of the rug, as well as the yarn quality are two key factors that ultimately will reduce how much a wool rug sheds. Per Adams, wool fibers need to be cleaned properly before spinning and it’s that cleaning process that helps eliminate extra fuzziness of the yarns. “Generally, rugs made with hand-spun yarns tend to shed more; flatwoven rugs will shed less versus a rug with a tufted or cut pile.” (Another low-shed option when it comes to wool rugs is a rug that’s micro-hooked because the yarn pile is hooked, meaning it’s closed.)

If you do purchase a tufted or cut pile rug, you can expect the rug to shed for the first few months of use. (Again, vacuuming weekly will help to offset and speed this process along.)

Assessing the quality of a wool rug in-person is easier than online, says Zeldin. When you shop in-store, you can check the texture, the weave, the pile and review the edges, too. “High-quality wool rugs feel soft and luxurious, not coarse. It’s also easier to flip the rug and look for a dense, uniform weave, especially in hand-knotted rugs.”

Still, if you’re shopping online for a high-quality wool rug, Zeldin offers a quick checklist to help you decide:

• Look at the material details. This is where you want to check the rug’s makeup and the type of fibers that are included. (Per the above, a rug with a wool makeup that’s 50 percent or higher is ideal.)

• Also, the rug’s origin. Rugs from traditional rug-making regions—think Turkey, India or Morocco—often indicate a higher quality.

• Review the weaving method. A handmade vs. a machine-made construction is a mark of quality.

• Close-up images. The more angles and details shown, the better—do your best to examine a consistent weave, but also look for well-finished edges.

It’s another perk of a wool rug, especially one that’s high-quality: Their natural fiber makes them more durable, but also easy to spot clean. “If the rug is on the smaller side, picking it up and giving it a gentle shake is often enough to remove any dirt and debris. We also recommend annual professional cleaning, depending on the amount of traffic,” Adams explains.

More things you can do to maintain the “health” of a wool rug, according to Zeldin: Rotating the rug every few months (this can ensure even wear, but also reduce the risk of uneven fading or matting); keeping the rug out of direct sunlight to prevent fading and fiber degradation; and, of course, using a rug pad (a rug pad prevents slipping, reduces wear and protects the rug’s fibers from excessive pressure). Additionally, regular vacuuming and immediate spot cleaning using mild, wool-safe detergents will prolong the life of your wool rug.